AutoCAD

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AutoCAD

AutoCAD 200 model! Developer: Genre: License: Website: Autodesk CAD "roprietary autodesk!com#autocad

AutoCAD is a suite of CAD soft$are products for 2% and &%dimensional design and drafting, developed and sold 'y Autodesk, (nc!! )he original concept of AutoCAD in the *+,0s $as to promote customi-ation and feature e.tensi'ility, and $as $hat made it especially appealing to customers! /ost contemporary CAD products at that time offered little if any customi-ation capa'ility and most $ere far more e.pensive! AutoCAD is also one of the first CAD soft$ares to run on a "ersonal Computer, $hile most CAD soft$are at the time ran on dedicated $orkstations or a graphics terminal connected to a /ainframe computer such as a 0A1! /odern AutoCAD includes a full set of 'asic solid modeling and &D tools, 'ut lacks some of the more advanced capa'ilities of solid modeling applications! AutoCAD can 'e used as a platform for other products such as 2entley Auto"3A4) and C5AD6 CADW571! AutoCAD is a vector graphics dra$ing program! (t uses primitive entities 8 such as lines, polylines, circles, arcs, and te.t 8 as the foundation for more comple. o'9ects! AutoCAD supports a num'er of application programming interfaces :A"(s; for customi-ation and automation! )hese include Auto3(<", 0isual 3(<", 02A, !46) and 5'9ectA71! 5'9ectA71 is a C== class li'rary, $hich $as also the 'ase for products

e.tending AutoCAD functionality to specific fields, to create products such as AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD 6lectrical, AutoCAD Civil &D, or third%party AutoCAD%'ased applications! AutoCAD>s native file format, DW?, and to a lesser e.tent, its interchange file format, D1F, have 'ecome de facto standards for interchange of CAD data! AutoCAD in later years has adopted another file format kno$n as DWF! )hese files allo$ selected DW? dra$ings to 'e compiled to one file! )his allo$s distri'ution of the dra$ings to those $ithout AutoCAD or similar packages! (t also protects the dra$ings from manipulation 'y others as the dra$ings are rasteri-ed inside the DWF file! DWF files can 'e vie$ed $ith a free program from Autodesk called @DWF 0ie$er@ 8 this program allo$s users to 'oth vie$ and print DWF files! Another advantage of DWF files is that a large num'er of dra$ings can 'e compiled to a single DWF and 'e of a very small to reasona'le file si-e for electronic distri'ution! (n 200 , Autodesk estimated the num'er of active DW? files to 'e in e.cess of one 'illion! (n the past, Autodesk has estimated the total num'er of DW? files in e.istence to 'e more than three 'illion! AutoCAD currently runs e.clusively on /icrosoft desktop operating systems! 0ersions for Ani. and /acintosh $ere released in the *+,0s and *++0s, 'ut these $ere later dropped! AutoCAD can run on an emulator or compati'ility layer like 0irtual "C or Wine, keeping in mind the performance issues that can arise $hen $orking $ith &% dimensional o'9ects or large dra$ings! AutoCAD e.ists in *B language locali-ations, including many 6uropean and Asian languages!

Contents
ChideD

* AutoCAD 3) 2 Autodesk <tudent <oft$are 0ersions & 0ertical programs B )emplates E 2locks 0ersion history F <ee also , 6.ternal links

[edit] AutoCAD LT
AutoCAD 3) is a @scaled do$n@ version of AutoCAD! (t costs less :appro.! G+00 A<D versus around GB,000 A<D for the full AutoCAD;! (t is also availa'le for purchase at computer stores, unlike AutoCAD $hich has to 'e purchased from an official Autodesk dealer! (t $as developed so Autodesk could have an entry%level CAD package availa'le to compete in that price class! )oday AutoCAD 3) is marketed as a CAD package for those $ho only need 2D functionality! Compared to the full edition of AutoCAD,

AutoCAD 3) lacks several features! /ost nota'ly, it has no &D modeling capa'ilities :though it has a full suite of &D vie$ing functions for looking at &D models created in other CAD packages; and does not include any programming interfaces, such as support for most &rd party programs and does not support 3(<" programs! A full listing of differences is on the Autodesk $e'site! AutoCAD 3) originated 'y taking the code'ase of AutoCAD and commenting out su'stantial portions, $hich allo$ed AutoCAD and AutoCAD 3) to 'e developed simultaneously!

[edit] Autodesk Student Software Versions

As of <eptem'er 200F, Hualifying students#faculty mem'ers can do$nload Autodesk>s latest &D vertical products :Civil &D, (nventor, 7evit Architecture, 7evit <tructure, /ap &D, 0(I, and Alias<tudio; for free from the Autodesk <tudent Community site! )he do$nloaded versions have the same restrictions as the paid for student versions 'ut $ill continue to $ork for *B months after installation, and can 'e rene$ed 'y active students#faculty! AutoCAD is also sold at a significant discount to Hualifying students! )he student versions are identical to the full version of AutoCAD $ith the one e.ception of a plot stamp # 'anner that appears on all four sides of any printed dra$ings! )he student version is availa'le in t$o flavors: the * year <tudent 0ersion costs around G* 0 and e.pires one calendar year after installation! )he Academic Career 3icense costs around GB00 and does not e.pire!

[edit] Vertical pro ra!s

Autodesk has also developed a fe$ vertical programs, sometimes called Desktops, for discipline%specific enhancements! Architectural Desktop :no$ AutoCAD Architecture;, for e.ample, permits architectural designers to dra$ &D o'9ects such as $alls, doors and $indo$s, $ith more intelligent data associated $ith them, rather than simple o'9ects such as lines and circles! )he data can 'e programmed to represent specific architectural products sold in the construction industry, or e.tracted into a data file for pricing, materials estimation, and other values related to the o'9ects represented! Additional tools allo$ designers to generate standard 2D dra$ings, such as elevations and sections, from a &D architectural model! <imilarly, Civil Design, Civil Design &D, and Civil Design "rofessional allo$ data%specific o'9ects to 'e used, allo$ing standard civil engineering calculations to 'e made and represented easily! AutoCAD /echanical, AutoCAD 6lectrical, AutoCAD Civil&D, Autodesk (nventor, 7evit, and AutoCAD /ap &D are other e.amples of industry%specific CAD applications 'uilt on the AutoCAD kernel!

[edit] Te!plates
)emplates $ere introduced into AutoCAD 7*2! )emplates allo$ users to start a dra$ing from an e.ample, and reduce the chance of accidental over%$rite of the e.ample dra$ing! )emplates are typically used to set up dra$ing>s su'%structure :layers, fonts, units of

measure; and sometimes contain graphics such as title 'locks! )emplate dra$ings are saved $ith !d$t e.tension!

[edit] "locks
(n AutoCAD, 'locks are versatile o'9ects that can 'e created on%the%fly and reused in the same dra$ing or in other dra$ings! )he use of 'locks $hen repetition occurs represents a savings in the data a dra$ing must contain! When a 'lock is used, the definition of the entities that make up the 'lock are stored once in the dra$ing! <u'seHuent insertions of the 'lock only reHuire a small amount of information :si-e, orientation, layer, etc!; to reproduce the 'lock! An AutoCAD dra$ing file :*.dwg; can 'e inserted as a 'lock into another AutoCAD dra$ing! Conversely, a 'lock can 'e e.ported to its o$n dra$ing $ith the W235CJ :$rite 'lock; command! Additionally, te.t data :called @attri'utes@; can 'e attached to 'locks and e.tracted in reports! 5n the We' there are many sites that provide AutoCAD 'locks, linetypes, hatch patterns, etc! (n version 200 , AutoCAD adds d#na!ic blocks$ $hich have capa'ilities similar to the sym'ols used in /icrosoft 0isio! A more po$erful and fle.i'le use of 'locks :and DW? files; is to @reference@ them $ithin other dra$ings, maintaining a link 'ack to the source data! )his is kno$n as an 6.ternal 7eference or 176F!

[edit] Version %istor#

AutoCAD +!0 for D5<! 0ersion *!0 :7elease *; % Decem'er *+,2 0ersion *!2 :7elease 2; % April *+,& 0ersion *!& :7elease &; % August *+,& 0ersion *!B :7elease B; % 5cto'er *+,& 0ersion 2!0 :7elease E; % 5cto'er *+,B 0ersion 2!* :7elease ; % /ay *+,E 0ersion 2!E :7elease F; % June *+, 0ersion 2! :7elease ,; % April *+,F 7elease + % <eptem'er *+,F 7elease *0 % 5cto'er *+,,

7elease ** % 5cto'er *++0 7elease *2 % June *++2 :last release for Apple /acintosh; 7elease *& % 4ovem'er *++B :last release for Ani., /<%D5< and Windo$s &!**; 7elease *B % Fe'ruary *++F AutoCAD 2000 :7*E!0; % /arch *+++ AutoCAD 2000i :7*E!*;% July 2000 AutoCAD 2002 :7*E! ; % June 200* AutoCAD 200B :7* !0; % /arch 200& AutoCAD 200E :7* !*; % /arch 200B AutoCAD 200 :7* !2; % /arch 200E AutoCAD 200F :7*F!0; % /arch 200 AutoCAD 200, :7*F!*; % /arch 200F

[edit] See also

Autodesk CAD DWF DW? D1F (?6< DataCAD 0ectorWorks (ntelliCAD )echnology Consortium <olid Works "ro#64?(4667

[edit] &'ternal links

Wiki'ooks has more on the topic of AutoCAD Autodesk AutoCAD pages Autodesk <tudent Community % Academic community and soft$are do$nload )he CAD 2lock 6.change 4et$ork 5nline AutoCAD 3i'rary % Free Access % Apdated 2B#F Anofficial AutoCAD Kistory 'y <haan Kurley Autodesk Aser ?roup (nternational