Autodesk to lay off 1,150 as company restructures

A bridge connecting two work spaces at Autodesk's offices at Pier 9 in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015. A bridge connecting two work spaces at Autodesk's offices at Pier 9 in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015. Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Autodesk to lay off 1,150 as company restructures 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Autodesk plans to lay off about 1,150 employees amid a major restructuring effort by the San Rafael software company.

The company announced plans to cut about 13 percent of its workforce Tuesday after releasing its third-quarter earnings for the current fiscal year. It is unclear where and when the layoffs will occur.

“We are still working through the details so cannot share the local impact at this time,” a spokeswoman for Autodesk said.

Autodesk creates 3-D-imaging software that is used by architects, engineers and those in the construction and media industries. It was created in 1982 and has about 9,000 employees. Of those, about 2,000 work in the company’s San Francisco and San Rafael offices.

CEO Andrew Anagnost said in an earnings statement that he is “pleased” with the company’s third-quarter results, which showed sales rising 5 percent over the same period a year ago. He added that the restructuring is not a “cost reduction activity” as the company plans to keep total spending flat until next year.

Autodesk’s restructuring plan includes transitioning from perpetual software licenses to software subscriptions and cloud computing services. It is also creating more flexible license agreements.

“As we enter the growth phase of our model transition, we need to re-balance investments to focus on our strategic priorities,” Anagnost said. “This includes divesting from some areas and increasing our investment in others.”

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani