AutoCAD is a CAD software application for 2D and 3D design and drafting, developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. Initially released in late 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, and specifically the IBM PC. At the time, most CAD software ran on graphics terminals attached to mainframe computers or minicomputers.
In earlier releases, AutoCAD used primitive entities, such as lines, poly-lines, circles, arcs, etc., as the foundation for more complex objects. Since the mid-1990s, AutoCAD has supported custom objects through its C++ Application Program Interfaces. Modern AutoCAD includes a full set of basic solid modelling and 3D tools. With the release of AutoCAD 2007, improved 3D modelling functionality came, which meant better navigation when working in 3D. Moreover, it became easier to edit 3D models. Through AutoCAD 2010, Autodesk introduced parametric functionality and mesh modelling. AutoCAD supports a number of APIs for customization and automation. These include AutoLISP, Visual LISP, VBA, .NET and ObjectARX. ObjectARX is a C++ class library, which was also the base for products extending AutoCAD functionality to specific fields, to create products such as AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Civil 3D or a third-party AutoCAD-based applications.
AutoCAD’s native file format, Drawing (DWG), and, to a lesser extent, its interchange file format, Drawing Interchange Format, or Drawing Exchange Format (DXF), have become de facto standards for CAD data interoperability. AutoCAD in recent years has included support for DWF, a format developed and promoted by Autodesk for publishing CAD data. In 2006, Autodesk estimated a number of active DWG files to be in excess of one billion. In past, Autodesk estimated the total number of DWG files in existence to be more than three billion. AutoCAD currently runs exclusively on Microsoft Windows desktop operating systems. Versions for UNIX and Mac OS were released in the 1980s and 1990s, but these were later dropped. AutoCAD can run on an emulator or compatibility layer like VMware Workstation or Wine, albeit subject to various performance issues that can often arise when working with 3D objects or large drawings.
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are available for German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Simplified (No LT), Chinese Traditional, Russian, Czech, Polish, Hungarian (No LT), Brazilian Portuguese (No LT), Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Vietnamese. The extent of localization varies from full translation of the product to documentation only.
Leave a Reply