Autodesk plans 3-D Web authoring. (3D Studio Max for Windows NT CAD software, Hyperwire Web authoring software, Topper and Whip browser viewers)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)

Autodesk Inc. fleshed out its Internet plans last week by forming a new multimedia unit and launching tools for authoring and viewing 3-D graphics files on the Internet.

The new unit, called Kinetix, unveiled both a Windows NT version of 3D Studio Max and Hyperwire, a tool for creating Java applets from two-dimensional and 3-D graphics.

A Netscape Communications Corp. plug-in viewer, Topper, will enable Web browsers to access and interact with 3-D files on Web sites.

Analysts said that the new offerings will allow engineers and architects to leverage their stock of design data on the Web.

"So much of the attention on the Internet has had a sales and …