AutoCAD Features

AutoCAD is a CAD program extensively used for for 2D and 3D design and modelling. The AutoCAD software was developed and marketed by Autodesk, Inc. The orginal version of AutoCAD was released in 1982 and AutoCAD became one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers. Prior to AutoCAD most CAD programs ran on either mainframe or mini-computers via graphics terminals. AutoCAD now runs exclusively on the PC platform. It was ported to Unix in the 1980's and MAC in the 1990's however it never took off and now targeted solidly at the PC platform.

AutoCAD now supports a wide range of application programming interfaces (APIs) for both customization and automation. APIs include Visual LISP, VBA, AutoLISP, ObjectARX and .NET. ObjectARX is a C++ class library, which was also the base for products extending AutoCAD functionality into more specialist fields such as AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Civil 3D, or third-party AutoCAD-based applications.

The early releases of AutoCAD featured very basic entities such as lines, polylines, circles, arcs, and text to create the core for more complex objects. In the 1990s AutoCAD added supporting for custom objects. Today's AutoCAD includes a comprehensive range of solid modeling and 3D tools, but still lacks some of the more advanced capabilities of solid modeling applications. AutoCAD 2007 offered improved 3D modeling, which meant better navigation in 3D mode. It strated to become easier to edit 3D models. After the new mental ray engine was incorportated into the rendering process, it became possible to dramatically improve the quality of renderings over previous versions.

The native file format developed for AutoCAD (DWG) and the AurtoCAD interchange file format (DXF) have become the industry standard for CAD data transfer. Recent versions of AutoCAD have also included support for DWF file format, a format developed and promoted by Autodesk for publishing CAD data. A 2006 estimate of active DWG files in existance is estimated to be in over one billion. If archived AutoCAD drawings are included, the AutoDesk estimate rises to over three billion drawings.


AutoCAD Features AutoCAD is a CAD program extensively used for for 2D and 3D design and modelling. The AutoCAD software was developed and marketed by Autodesk, Inc. The orginal version of AutoCAD was released in 1982 and AutoCAD became one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers. Prior to AutoCAD most CAD programs ran on either mainframe or mini-computers via graphics terminals. AutoCAD now runs exclusively on the PC platform. It was ported to Unix in the 1980's and MAC in the 1990's however it never took off and now targeted solidly at the PC platform. AutoCAD now supports a wide range of application programming interfaces (APIs) for both customization and automation. APIs include Visual LISP, VBA, AutoLISP, ObjectARX and .NET. ObjectARX is a C++ class library, which was also the base for products extending AutoCAD functionality into more specialist fields such as AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Civil 3D, or third-party AutoCAD-based applications. The early releases of AutoCAD featured very basic entities such as lines, polylines, circles, arcs, and text to create the core for more complex objects. In the 1990s AutoCAD added supporting for custom objects. Today's AutoCAD includes a comprehensive range of solid modeling and 3D tools, but still lacks some of the more advanced capabilities of solid modeling applications. AutoCAD 2007 offered improved 3D modeling, which meant better navigation in 3D mode. It strated to become easier to edit 3D models. After the new mental ray engine was incorportated into the rendering process, it became possible to dramatically improve the quality of renderings over previous versions. The native file format developed for AutoCAD (DWG) and the AurtoCAD interchange file format (DXF) have become the industry standard for CAD data transfer. Recent versions of AutoCAD have also included support for DWF file format, a format developed and promoted by Autodesk for publishing CAD data. A 2006 estimate of active DWG files in existance is estimated to be in over one billion. If archived AutoCAD drawings are included, the AutoDesk estimate rises to over three billion drawings.


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