Later this month, another major CAD vendor will be releasing a mature 2D CAD program... free. "We don't see why anyone would need to buy AutoCAD LT [for US$899; higher overseas] anymore," a manager from the company told me this week.
I can think of a few reasons why you might stick with LT, such as you've customized the menus and toolbars to work highly efficiently; you have several add on applications;. or, like me, you can't be bothered to learn a new user interface.
But if you work purely in 2D, this new one will give you a lot more drafting and design features, such as a variational geometry engine -- than does the deliberately-stunted LT. It's no free varient of IntelliCAD, either.
Not that this 2D CAD software is the only free one. In the AEC world, Bentley Systems gives away their MicroStation-reduced PowerDraft 2D CAD for free. In the MCAD world, SolidWorks has their renamed version of IntelliCAD, but you have to buy a full SolidWorks license to get the three DWG Editor licenses.
Of course, Autodesk could sink the price of LT to $0, although that would tick off the three-something million customers who made the effort to pay for legal licenses.
This could be the start of free 2D for everyone.
Who is this unknown vendor... is it their sole intent to cut into Autodesk sales...
Posted by: gmyroup | Jun 02, 2006 at 11:30 AM
If you look at Autodesk's numbers, it doesn't seem likely that they could start to give away AutoCAD LT without getting in major trouble with the stock market.
Posted by: Evan Yares | Jun 02, 2006 at 02:59 PM
good
Posted by: ajay kumar | Mar 01, 2007 at 10:57 AM