AutoCAD User Guides

[CADTutor]

Remember the days when we used to get real printed user guides with AutoCAD? The arrival of a new AutoCAD was an event. Usually, a courier van turned up with a number of heavy cardboard boxes. A stack of printed manuals and dozens of floppy disks. These days all we get is a DVD case through the post. Ah well!

[CADTutor]

AutoCAD R14 User Guide

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Pages: 805
Date: March 29, 1997

[CADTutor]

AutoCAD 2000 User Guide

autocad-2000-ug.jpg

Pages: 914
Date: February 5, 1999

[CADTutor]

AutoCAD 2000i User Guide

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Pages: 856
Date: May 26, 2000

[eldon]

AutoCAD r13 User Guide

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Pages: 749
Date: October 26, 1995

[rkmcswain]

AutoCAD 2005 User Guide

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Pages: 912
Date: February 2004

[CyberAngel]

A real museum piece.

AutoCAD Reference Manual, 692 pages
AutoCAD Interface, Installation, and Performance Guide, 286 pages
AutoCAD Customization Manual, 336 pages
AutoCAD SQL Extension Reference Manual, 178 pages
AutoCAD Extras Manual, 198 pages
AutoCAD IGES Interface Specifications, 58 pages
AutoCAD Tutorial, 278 pages
AutoLISP Programmer's Reference Manual, 250 pages
AutoCAD Development System Programmer's Reference Manual, 280 pages
Loose sheets: component list, What's New, support, extensions,
Autodesk's other products, 8 pages
Guide to running AutoCAD under Windows 3.1, 5 pages

Grand total: 2,569 pages!

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[bleeargh]

I found that those earlier version manuals got less comprehensive with each newer release. Sure, sure, they covered everything that was new and had changed, but sacrificed a lot of the basic "how-to". For example, a few years ago, I was working on R 2000 and I needed to create a specific hatch. In had to go to the Autocad 12 manual to learn how to make a hatch.

[Son of Aslan]

I thought I might contribute a few covers I have laying around the house...





and here is a comic from the "Dummies" book that never fails to make me laugh. (Clickable thumbnail)

Attachment 566

I remember I worked for this company when they upgraded to R13 and was going to throw out all this documentation on R12 that CyberAngel posted. I begged them for it so I could take it home and tear into it with Holmes' spyglass. I thought I was in high-cotton back then.

[shedmyskin]

I'll have to scan it at some point and post the pictures. I have in my bottom desk drawer here at work a folder that is full of some high tech 5 1/4" floppy discs for a program called CAD LETTEREASE. It has to be 20 years old or at least it looks to be. I have no idea what it does or was other than it obviously is for creating lettering. I inhereted with the desk as Im sure the 35 people before me probably did. The fathest back version I have ever used is AutoCAD 12 for digitizing.