Autodesk has signed an agreement that will make Parallels Desktop its preferred Mac virtualisation software.

The deal will allow animators to run 3ds Max software on a Mac operating system. Autodesk added official Mac support via Boot Camp earlier this year.

“Autodesk customers are increasingly working with both Mac and Windows, and have asked us to support Mac virtualisation,” said Chris Bradshaw, Autodesk chief marketing officer.

“This is the latest step in Autodesk’s ongoing efforts to support our customers on the Mac, who will now be able to use some of our most popular 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software alongside Mac OS X, in addition to the five native Mac applications we currently offer.”

Autodesk also offers five native Mac OS X applications for the entertainment, multimedia and design industries, including Maya, Mudbox and Stitcher Unlimited.

Serguei Beloussov, chief executive officer of Parallels said: “Autodesk has a long history of creating innovative and industry-leading software for design, engineering and entertainment, and we’ve heard many requests from customers interested in using their Autodesk applications with Parallels.”

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