Autodesk, the creators of AutoCAD and the owners of Discreet, announced that they signed a definitive agreement to buy Alias, the creators of Maya, for $182 million in cash. Autodesk said that the acquisition would close within four to six months and said that it will help Autodesk grow its offerings for the design of consumer products and automotive as well as in the media and entertainment.

You can read more about it at the websites of Autodesk and Alias.

[via Digit and Reuters]