Autodesk Introduces AutoSketch Cooper

From Autodesk Labs comes "simple, hassle-free 2D drawing software" named Cooper, that reminds me of the marketing that surrounded AutoSketch back in 1987. The big difference? AutoSketch used its own SKD file format, while Cooper uses "one of the most widely used design format" -- I wonder what that might be? (Hint: The program's .exe file is named DWGEDITR; will SolidWorks sue?)

From the specs, it looks like the software was designed to run on netbooks. 

Free (for a limited time, to cost in the future?) download from usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=14039474&siteID=123112. This beta software stops working at the end of April next year.

The Cooper project name comes from Austin Cooper, the small car. (HT: Scott Shepherd.) I wonder if Autodesk will change the name to DWGEditR next April?

Updates

Installed it. Started a new drawing. It crashed. Bad news: it takes over the .dwg file association from AutoCAD. (Default is AutoCAD DWG Launcher, but then it opens every .dwg file in Cooper.)

While it was running, though, it looked to me as if it might be based on Impression. The install takes up 250MB nearly 400MB, because it includes a copy of Vault 2010. Like AutoSketch, Cooper includes a sample sailboat drawing.

Comments

[Lisa Crounse]

hi -

I am the Product Manager for Project Cooper. I'd like to provide a bit of clarity on this project.

Project Cooper does not include a copy of Vault 2010. That may have been installed with some other Autodesk software.

In terms of its relationship to AutoSketch, Project Cooper an AutoSketch are both applications for 2D drafting, but the similarities pretty much end there. AutoSketch, which was released many years ago, was designed with the professional user in mind – meaning someone who has training in some sort of technical drawing. Surveys of the AutoSketch user base reflect this as most have some sort of formal architectural or engineering training.

Project Cooper, on the other hand, was developed for a much broader audience with teh intent of making drawing, drafting and sketching available to everyone. With a basic set of features and simplified tool interactions, Project Cooper allows everyone from the novice to the highly trained to quickly get their thoughts on virtual “paper.”

On the Impression side of things, Cooper is not an extension of the Impression code base. It looks a bit like Impression as we have some of the same UI designers on this project, but the code is completely different.

I hope that you'll give Project Cooper another try.

Lisa Crounse
Product Manager - Project Cooper

[R. Paul Waddington]

"AutoSketch, which was released many years ago, was designed with the professional user in mind"

Is this some kind of joke - or what?

[Evan Yares]

Paul, regarding Autosketch being designed "with the professional user in mind":

That's a reasonable statement. Autosketch is often used by architects and engineers, as opposed to "CAD professionals." For the most part, people buy AutoSketch because they need something simple and relatively cheap.

In any event, Autosketch was an orphan product from day one. Walker didn't "design" it to do anything but kill a competitive product. (Yea, I was around at the time, and know the history. Makes me feel old.)

Sounds like Cooper is at least a thoughtful attempt at building a tool to meet the needs of an identifiable set of users. (Though, given its underlying "DWG Editor" executable name, I suspect that it too is designed to kill a competitive product.)

[Plessey]

Cooper is not available for trial download in the Middle East, specifically Kuwait.

[james nicholson]

i've a problem with installation of freestyle preview technology. Im using Win XP proffessional( sp3 ) the message says" installation failed " Plzzz... help me.
thanks in advance..