Why This CAD Will Make You Glad

Only very recently, with the incorporation of multicore CPUs and 64-bit software, could companies like Autodesk even begin to venture into the arena of industry-standard solutions. Last year, the CRN Test Center examined one CAD-based solution from Autodesk -- Autodesk Inventor -- and liked it so much we whole-heartedly recommended it.

We liked not only the software, which supported 3-D and 2-D design and ease of use for object creation, but also the fact that it was easily supported on industry-standard hardware and operating software. Now Autodesk has delivered the latest version of its flagship software -- AutoCAD 2011 -- and we gave it a test run as well.

It’s the first version of the application that was written to support Windows 7.

The verdict: It works and works well and means that the universe of computer-assisted design that was once off-limits to standard desktops is now available to the masses.

Yes, it’s still priced at a level well above that of most desktop software: $3,995 as a boxed shipment or downloaded electronically with a subscription for $4,425. The application supports deployment on PCs running Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7. It requires a PC running Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon dual-core processors at 1.6GHz or higher with SSE2 technology. Amazingly, it needs only 2 GB of RAM.

In the lab, AutoCAD 2011 was installed on a PC built with an AMD Phenom 9550 quad-core processor at 2.20GHz, with 4 GB of RAM and Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. It installed in about 15 minutes and was ready to go.

New to this version of the design application is the default, slategray background to the design grid, which can be changed under “options.” Autodesk also has reworked its ribbon -- slightly -- to allow for switching to a simpler, button-view of functions that streamlines the look and feel to the design workspace. It allows a switch to “AutoCAD Classic,” with its pull-down bars and menus, as well.

The “View Cube,” which sits in the upper right of the console, now supports 2-D wire frame visual style. And the ribbon now includes a “Save As” button in addition to a “Save,” which makes sense.

In this version, Autodesk continues to provide a nice set of in-application training and educational videos, providing details on what’s new in the software and how to use various new functions. It’s a nice touch, but even though this is the easiest to use AutoCAD yet, and even with the videos included as part of the software, AutoCAD 2011 is still an application with a learning curve that will require training for those who are not professional engineers or designers.

Our evaluation of AutoCAD 2011 shows the software to be relatively bug-free and efficient.

In most enterprises, it’s been years since a major PC operating system refresh has been enacted. Any new migration to Windows 7 among businesses that also use earlier versions of AutoCAD may find this an opportune time to upgrade the design application, as well.

It’s worth noting again that this is not inexpensive software for many enterprises, and the investment in training could be measurable. But in an era when many tasks that were once farmed out by one business to another—marketing, printing and design, for example—are now being done in-house, the ability of a business to deploy and use AutoCAD 2011 in a meaningful way could make a competitive difference.

After a look at Autodesk’s AutoCAD 2011, the CRN Test Center can recommend it, particularly for enterprises that are now ready to make the move to Windows 7.

COMMUNITY: Connect with the CRN Test Center at community.crn.com.