ReMark Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 If a company shares CAD drawings with another then it just makes sense for everyone to be using the same software/same release. If a company creates drawings solely for in-house purposes or to service clients who have no desire to edit those drawings then they could save themselves a lot of money by going with an AutoCAD clone (several have been mentioned here at CADTutor in the past). They will get almost the same, and in some rare instances, better functionality than the AutoDesk counterpart. It's a mater of what trade-offs your company is willing to accept for the benefit of a lower price. Make no mistake about it, many of these programs are making a strong run at AutoDesk and their world-wide customer base because it ultimately benefits their bottom line if they can steal customers away. The best way to do that is to continually improve their software. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgietzen Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 yeah, we do share files with some of our customers and Vendors also. So Autodesk is the option for sure. Now the only question is going back to the 2012 platform. is the LT version the same as full without the 3d. I dont need to extrude or anything like that but sometimes we will draw in iso view to get a 3d part. but this is simple 3d. We have Inventor for our 3D stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 That's 2 1/2D not 3D. There are still minor differences between a full and LT version of AutoCAD besides lisp and 3D. I suggest you check out the feature matrix for the two versions to educate yourself further. Start with this link. http://usa.autodesk.com/autocad-lt/compare/ All power goes to the most informed user. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkent Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Ok lads,Whats you first impressions on AutoCAD 2012 ???? Not impressed !!!! aren't things supposed to get better ???? When your doing a task quickly i.e erasing things, it changes view, adds in various other commands etc. It also crashes when closing drawings !!! There are various other things that just happen. Also removed some commands WHY ????? i.e "Trace" Can add them back in but why do this ??? Just another Autocad that has been thrown out the door to make some money !!!!! Trace is still there just put a dot in front, .trace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgietzen Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 That's 2 1/2D not 3D. There are still minor differences between a full and LT version of AutoCAD besides lisp and 3D. I suggest you check out the feature matrix for the two versions to educate yourself further. Start with this link. http://usa.autodesk.com/autocad-lt/compare/ All power goes to the most informed user. Thanks, I will check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANIEL Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 wish i'd listened to myself and skipped 2012 ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkent Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 You got to wonder why they get in such a hurry to roll out a new version. Anyone who's been around for a while remembers the nightmare that was release 13' date=' did they learn nothing from that mistake? Or is the corporate memory a bit short? The users do not want to beta test for you Mr. Autodesk. You have staff and some volunteers for that. When you do stuff like this all you do is anger your customers and they go somewhere else. And unlike the R13 days, there are plenty of places to go now. [/quote'] I think you know why, steady income stream through subscription. There would be fewer on subscription if the releases came every 18 months to 2 years. There are more than enough new features to make me glad to be using 2012. I find it well worth the money (approx $15US) to buy Ralph Grabowski's "What's new in AutoCAD 2012" ebook. This way I can know every single thing that was added and some instruction on how to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I think you know why, steady income stream through subscription. There would be fewer on subscription if the releases came every 18 months to 2 years. There are more than enough new features to make me glad to be using 2012. I find it well worth the money (approx $15US) to buy Ralph Grabowski's "What's new in AutoCAD 2012" ebook. This way I can know every single thing that was added and some instruction on how to use it. You're right there. I really don't care if they roll a new one out every 4 months or whenever. Just put out a product that works that I don't have to download a half dozen patches to fix stuff they missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgietzen Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Ok, so I dont know if Im suppose to start a new thread but this is all new to me so I will wing it. I have another question: Im trying to add my custom plot settings into 2012. I have set up A-SIZE, B-SIZE, C-SIZE, D-SIZE plotters. A-SIZE default I want to save to my small laserjet. that one seems to work fine but when I get into my plotter sizes... trouble. I set them up (lets say its C-SIZE) - configure plotters> click on C-SIZE > Custom Properties > I set up my paper size I use - Oversize Ansi C > select scaling to the same Oversize Ansi C > click Landscape....???? Then when I go back into my file and try to print it I select C-SIZE and it puts the "paper size" as ANSI A 8.5X11 What can I do - I forgot how I did it years ago in 05 CAD. HELP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgietzen Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Is it because its a trial version?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANIEL Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 You're right there. I really don't care if they roll a new one out every 4 months or whenever. Just put out a product that works that I don't have to download a half dozen patches to fix stuff they missed. my sentiments exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Well they really are no different than anyone else. Look at Apple for the kings of this. They release a "new" OS every year and charge for it. They were charging up to $100 to $120 for the upgrades until the last 2 releases but that does add up. And some of these can't be skipped as like with the current one you must own or buy the last one to upgrade. Most major players in the computer world work this way or want to work this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANIEL Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 eventually the software industries 'bubble' will pop just like the housing industies did ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 We can hope. I thought the OpenSource movement would help lower costs but that does not appear to have happened yet Perhaps when more "real" options are out there it can help change the way companies do business. Good software is starting to appear but there is still work to be done IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANIEL Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 We can hope. I thought the OpenSource movement would help lower costs but that does not appear to have happened yet Perhaps when more "real" options are out there it can help change the way companies do business. Good software is starting to appear but there is still work to be done IMHO I agree, I'm pretty sure it hasn't happened yet do to market manipulation by the software industry leaders ..... nice illegal buisness practice ... um ... i mean typical buisness practice .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_O'neill Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Well they really are no different than anyone else. Look at Apple for the kings of this. They release a "new" OS every year and charge for it. They were charging up to $100 to $120 for the upgrades until the last 2 releases but that does add up. And some of these can't be skipped as like with the current one you must own or buy the last one to upgrade. Most major players in the computer world work this way or want to work this way. They do that because the consumers let them get by with it. Everybody thinks they have to have the newest and the latest and the coolest thing out there,whether it works as advertised or not. I know a couple who are pretty well off financially, and once a year they have a big closet clean-out and donate the unwanted items to local charities. Their kids are the largest contributors, not because they've always outgrown the stuff, but because they just buy too much. Anything that is in style at the moment has to be obtained. Two months later after having been worn twice or three times, its "so yesterday" and they wouldn't wear it again for any reason. One of the teenage girls culled out 40 pairs of sneakers one year. That's nearly a pair a week. Each of the kids have 4 or 5 laptops, some macs, some pc's. They have every video game system known to man, but you "have to stay abreast of technology" they say. These kids surf the internet, email and do a little homework on these computers. Mom and Dad are almost as bad. Their home office looks like a computer store. If it's new and trendy, you can bet its in there. They even have a couple of those Chrome netbook thingies. He is a day-trader, and she's a lawyer. New phone comes out, same thing. Never mind it's only been 5 weeks since they upgraded, it's new phone time. Now I know that the bulk of people are not like that family, but it seems that no matter what the software companies throw at us, we eventually take it. New operating system, new cad package, new word processor...don't matter. Its new and trendy, and you have to stay out in front to generate new business. Never mind what it does to the people downline that actually have to do the work. There's a new package out, we must have it. Then when the complaints start filtering up about features that almost work, or don't work at all, or worse yet, work great but screw something else up in the process, it becomes all about how the workers are crap and just don't want to do their jobs. Software company sends out a "patch" that greases the loudest squeaky wheels, but it sometimes breaks something else. There are also businesses that go to the opposite extremes and wouldn't upgrade if thier lives depended on it. I have one such company as a customer. They are on 2004, because all those years ago they paid some software developer a gazillion dollars to write some proprietary software that takes a dwg file and drives some part of their production process. It will not read a newer format, and they refuse to pay the fee the developer wants to upgrade the proprietary stuff. I don't want to come off sounding like I'm against new and better...I'm against new for the sake of being new. If its better, fine. If the new package saves me time and increases my billable volume, great. If the new package does a couple of really cool things, but makes me spend more time on something else than my old package did, this is not better. The new package creates a drawing in 10 minutes that used to take 20..wonderful. But if it crashes the computer on every 4th print job and I have to reboot 5 times a day, that's not so good. If we were talking about a car repair shop and ratchets that break after about a week of usage, we'd stop buying that brand and try something else. If it were an air compressor and it stopped working every July 15 until we sent the renewal fee in, we'd look for one that didnt' do that. Why do we put up with this in software? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANIEL Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 jack hit the nail on the head as far as the root of the problem, people just need to learn to think for themselves ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I am pretty proud that I kept my last PC for 7 years before getting a new one. We still do not have a flat panel TV as our old 27" (9 years old) is doing well and works fine. You are correct some people just have no brains when it comes to disposable spending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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