Blast from the Past
It was 1992 when Autodesk shipped AutoCAD Release 12. This was one of those favorite releases among users, like AutoCAD 2.5 before it and Release 14 after it. It represented the end of an era, the last version available in all major operating systems: Unix, DOS, Mac OS, and Windows.
It was also the end of the era of massive printed documentation sets. For Release 12, Autodesk produced enough manuals to fill a foot of shelf space. Above is a photo from dave_in_delaware posted to CAD Tutor. (I have the complete set, but found it easier to Duck-duck-go a photo than to haul it out of the back of storage.)
One of Autodesk's advertisements for AutoCAD Release 12 said there were 174 reasons to upgrade, but the ad stopped at reason #90 -- saying there wasn't enough space on the page. The full list was eventually produced by the marketing departmen, along with two bonus reasons. Some of the functions are distinctly odd sounding to us in 2014, such as SHROOM and DXFIX.
Here are the list of the 176 new features, as outlined from Autodesk, but sorted by me into topics.
Interface
General Information
6. Automatic timed save at user selected intervals.
16. Release 12 and Release 11 drawings are forward and backward compatible.
48. DXFIX utility reads R12 DXF files and translates them into R10 files.
83. The ACAD environment variable now supports relative path specifications (e.g., "SUPPORT" as well as "\SUPPORT").
144. AutoCAD runs as a full screen Windows 3.1 application.
145. SHROOM is now built in.
146. New ISO specification fonts allow user to create drawing with text that conforms to ISO text standards.
158. Temporary space reservation files are no longer used.
159. Drawings on read only media or directories can be viewed and edited.
153. New Release 12 sample drawings included, created using ASE, AVE, PostScript, AME 2.1 and other new features.
154. New sample raster bitmap and PostScript files.
175. Bonus CD ROM contains hundreds of files, including AutoLISP and ADS routines, DOS and UNIX utilities, fonts, tool kits, tutorials and more.
Increased Speed
1. Something every AutoCAD user has been waiting for: new technology that virtually eliminates regens. A new built in 32-bit display list permits pans and zooms without regens. So you can spend your time editing your drawing, instead of waiting for regens.
45. Enhanced command transparency lets more commands be used inside other commands.
47. ZOOM Window is now the default.
61. New View Control dialog box allows selecting with a pick instead of typing in view name.
107. New Single Viewport Regen command regenerates entity information in only selected Viewport; other Viewports remain unaffected.
Main Menu
11. No Main Menu! You now enter directly into the AutoCAD drawing editor, where you can perform standard file handling and configuration operations, as well as work on your drawing.
53. Create New Drawing command now allows you to start with an unnamed drawing or specify a prototype drawing.
54. OPEN command presents "Open File" dialog box to simplify loading of existing drawings.
55. SAVE AS command now changes the current drawing name to new name specified.
56. END and QUIT commands prompt you for a file name when exiting an unnamed drawing, to prevent you from losing data.
112. New File Utilities menu and dialog boxes permit user to list, delete, rename, copy or unlock files.
130. New About command provides a dialog box that displays the standard AutoCAD message (MSG) file.
143. New Open dialog box allows Initial View selectio nand Read Only View mode.
131. New Recover command now works like Open command, with the exception that the drawing is opened using AutoCAD's Drawing Recovery feature.
132. New QSAVE command saves current drawing without requesting a name.
Configuration and ADI
Config
40. Enhanced CONFIG command allows for configuring AutoCAD from the drawing editor.
70. Configuring for ADI drivers has never been easier, with the new feature that displays all drivers in the appropriate menu when configuring AutoCAD.
98. New ADI 4.2 Reentrant Dispatcher allows AutoCAD to communicate with multiple devices at the same time.
Digitizers
31. Advanced, multipoint tablet calibration allows compensation for map projections or stretched drawings.
100. Digitizer Drag Mode support allows digitizer to drag objects in the same way a mouse would, and allows ADS applications the same support.
101. New 32 bit digitizer space greatly increases digitizing accuracy and allows use of large digitizing tablets.
103. New support for Relative Mode with digitizers allows digitizer tablets to use the movements relative to previous positions, rather than using absolute positions, when inputting, editing or viewing geometry.
Video
114. Enhanced support for SVGA graphics adaptors that support VESA standard; rendering and replay of bitmap files in a Viewport; user selectable fonts; control of menu colors.
115. Independent color palettes for each Viewport allow display of renderings using the maximum number of colors available with the current display device.
116. Pixel aligned text in dialog boxes controls positioning for improved presentation.
117. New Move Bitmap feature automatically redisplays bitmaps in the dialog boxes when the boxes are moved.
118. Eliminates device dependent restrictions on use of the AutoLISP (GRTEXT) function.
119. Display grid dots are generated significantly faster with ADI display driver improvements.
120. New Display ADI feature allows applications to write text over AutoCAD drawing editor screen.
121. Display ADI is improved to allow applications to off load a variety of 3D computations to local graphics card hardware.
122. Enhanced 8 bit font support allows developers to create ADI display drivers to support many more international languages.
Plotting
2. The plot quickens. Now you get WYSIWYG plot preview, on the fly plot device selection and the ability to save plot configurations.
17. Support for 255 individual pen widths for laser and electrostatic plotters.
18. You can plot without leaving the drawing editor. (And without losing the UNDO file.)
51. Network users can view and plot AutoCAD drawings without using server authorization.
71. HP Laser Jet legal size paper output is now supported by a new, improved device driver.
62. You can plot AutoCAD drawings as bit map files in PCF, TIFF, TGA and GIF formats. You can even automatically FAX your drawings to a subcontractor or client.
73. AutoLISP and ADS can now be used to drive the PLOT command.
109. Plot Optimization Level can now be reset at any time via dialog box not just at device configuration time.
110. Plot Paper Size and Orientation selections now accessible via a dialog box.
111. Plot Scale, Rotation and Origin selections now accessible via a dialog box.
123. New feature sends current drawing name to ADI during plot queue up.
124. ADI plotter drivers can now communicate interactively with user via dialog boxes.
125. AutoCAD can off load Polygon Fill operations to local plotters that have that built in capability.
Menus, Dialog Boxes, Script Files
Dialog Boxes and Menus
25. Programmable dialog boxes can be customized for your particular working environment or by third party application developers.
32. Platform independent menus and dialogue boxes that follow operating system standards. So AutoCAD works like other programs on your computer.
33. A new improved graphical interface makes the power of AutoCAD more accessible to everyone.
34. Cascading pull down menus that put more power at your fingertips.
35. Pop up menus at the cursor location for often used items.
36. Screen menu is automatically updated to reflect the currently running command.
37. Shift and Control key combinations allow you to invoke more commands with your mouse and digitizer buttons.
38. Single mouse click and release action for selecting pull down menus.
87. Maximum number of pull down menus increased from 10 to 16.
134. New menus have associated AutoLISP (MNL) Support file which permits easier editing and customization of menus.
135. New Previous Menu Item Repeat feature allows user to repeat commands with associated subcommand options, with a double click.
136. Pull down menu items can now be marked with a leading check mark allowing developers to indicate preferences.
137. New dynamic graying and marking of pull down menu items controlled by ADS and AutoLISP applications.
155. Dialog box Edit fields now support insert/over type modes.
156. Dialog boxes can be navigated using the keyboard ("tab," "alt" + accelerators).
157. Dialog boxes can be dynamically moved and relocated around the screen.
Script Files
47. Script files can now contain comments and remarks to allow for easier reading.
62. Script files are no longer left open when completed.
Drafting Aids
Aids
26. AutoCAD's new integrated calculator performs calculations based on existing geometry and includes extensive algebraic and geometric functions.
59. New Units Control dialog box shows all units, angles and direction values on screen as well as precision settings.
60. New special context sensitive help dialog boxes.
88. Rename command enhanced with new dialog box; shows listing of all entities in question and allows for wild card matching.
92. Undo command enhanced with new dialog box and current Undo state stored in new system variables UNDOCTL and UNDOMARKS.
95. Color selection enhanced with new dialog box that allows user to choose a color, rather than a number, to assign to an entity.
113. New Application Selection menu allows user to load and unload external applications using File dialog box.
133. New Color Control dialog box allows user to change color of elements in dialog boxes.
140. AutoCAD now supports multiple indexed help files; application developers no longer have to change or alter AutoCAD Help file.
149. NEW dialog box provides list of available prototype drawings.
161. Improved handling of missing menu and font files.
Layers
14. Locked layers feature prevents accidental modification of drawing data.
104. Select Layer command enhanced with new dialog box.
105. Modify Layer command enhanced with new dialog box and filtering by layer properties; new Select All, Clear All, and Lock/Unlock buttons.
Linetypes
24. New continuous polyline linetypes facilitate contour mapping and other applications.
74. Linetype scaling adjusts to view scale in paper space.
97. Linetypes creation enhanced with new dialog box.
Setvars
58. A wide range of new and enhanced system variables, especially created for the power user.
96. Setvar command enhanced with a new dialog box that displays scrollable listing of variables.
102. New CMDACTIVE system variable lets applications determine whether a command, transparent command, script line, or dialog box is active.
138. Several read only system variables have been changed to read/write (CECOLOR, CELTYPE, CLAYER, TEXTSTYLE).
141. New configurable status bar with new system variable MODEMACRO.
142. New USERS1 5 read/write string variables (not saved).
Creating Entities
9. New boundary polygon command surrounds an area with a closed polyline automatically.
22. Improved external references. You can attach, reload or bind Xref files while the "master" is being edited.
23. Enhanced hatching. Automatically hatch bounded areas with a single pick.
43. RECTANGLE command now allows you to create a rectangle with just two screen picks.
44. Enhanced Write Block command helps developers maintain "smart" drawings (entity handles).
76. New Hatch dialog box combines interactive entity selection, hatch parameter input and hatch pattern selection.
77. Hatch pattern parameters are saved as part of the drawing in the hatch block's extended entity data.
78. Hatch pattern parameters are saved in system variables; new variables include HPANG, HPDOUBLE, HPNAME, HPSCALE, HPSPACE.
79. New "Points" AutoLISP routine and dialog box allows user to set point size with a sliding bar and to select the point style from an icon menu.
80. New "Donut" AutoLISP routine and dialog box allows for setting of interior and exterior diameters.
81. Enhanced Circle command displays previous radius as default, and system variable CIRCLERAD contains default radius setting.
82. Enhanced Polygon command retains previous choice as the default prompt, for number of sides and for inscribed or circumscribed; includes new POLYSIDES system variable.
84. New dialog box and AutoLISP routine allows user to select blocks, from a scrolling list of all blocks, within a drawing, or to select any external drawing to be inserted as a block.
85. Attribute Define command enhanced with new AutoLISP routine and dialog box assists user in creating block attributes.
86. Block Make command enhanced with new dialog box.
93. New Copy Nested Entities command allows copying of one or all the entities from inside a block or an external reference file.
Dimensioning
13. Nested entity dimensioning. Entities within blocks or external references are now easily dimensioned.
41. New dialog boxes give you control of dimension variables and styles.
42. Dimension dragging feature provides visual feedback while creating dimensions.
68. New option allows a box to be drawn around dimension text automatically.
69. Insert a text string before or after dimension text automatically.
Entity Editing
10. New Fence or Polygon window crossing selection feature speeds selection of entities in dense and complex areas of drawings.
12. Dramatically improved entity selection speed in large drawings.
20. GripEdit feature allows interactive editing of selected entities without running a command.
21. PickFirst feature lets you select entities prior to executing a command.
27. New ALIGN command lets you move and rotate entities in 2D or 3D.
30. CHANGE command enhancements simplify entity property modifications, such as elevation, color, layer, linetype and thickness.
46. Transparent "Object Filters" dialog box allows more flexible definition of selection sets.
65. Modify Entity dialog box enables you to edit an entity's properties directly.
66. Mirrored blocks can now be exploded.
89. Offset command enhanced with new dialog box.
90. Fillet command enhanced with new dialog box.
91. Chamfer command enhanced with new dialog box.
94. New Select dialog box allows user to choose to work in R11 compatible , PickFirst and GripEdit modes.
106. New Polyline Update command allows updating of polylines in existing drawings to new linetype mode with a single command.
139. Explode command places the resulting entities in the Previous selection set for further editing.
160. Multiple entity Trim/Extend operations now use new fence selection technique.
File Support
7. Now you can use PostScript typefaces in AutoCAD drawings.
8. You can also import PostScript files into AutoCAD, and plot them.
15. PostScript output feature lets you enhance AutoCAD drawings by using PostScript compatible imaging programs.
19. Now you can import TIFF, GIF and PCX raster images into your drawing.
49. New COMPILE command compiles shape files, font files and Type 1 PostScript fonts.
50. Now you can fill closed polylines with PostScript patterns for extremely high quality output.
64. PostScript files can be brought in as outlines or fully rendered images.
67. List and load standard AutoCAD SHX fonts as well as Adobe Type 1 PostScript fonts from dialog box.
75. New PSQUALITY command controls display resolution of imported Postscript images.
176. Adobe Type 1 fonts from Linguist's Software included.
Region Modeler, 3D, and AME
5. Region Modeler creates intelligent 2D models. Allows users to quickly create 2D shapes with areas, holes and intersections. Automatically finds area, perimeter and inertial properties of a region.
27. New ALIGN command lets you move and rotate entities in 2D or 3D.
28. 3D ROTATE command rotates entities about an arbitrary 3D axis.
29. 3D MIRROR command mirrors entities on an arbitrary 3D plane.
108. Dview command enhanced with standard screen crosshairs to track cursor position for dynamic 3D rotation.
***. Advanced Modeling Extension enhanced to include software tools to help application developers create custom solid modeling applications.
Render
3. Phenomenal 3D rendering. Capabilities that used to come only with AutoShade are now built into AutoCAD Release
12.And hidden line removal is up to 100 times faster.
63. 24-bit true-color rendering is supported by appropriate hardware.
126. New Render feature (AutoCAD Visualization Extension/AVE) allows dynamic addition and modification of light sources.
127. New Render feature simplifies scene creation by allowing use of named views.
128. New Render feature allows for adjustment of reflective finishes on individual surfaces.
129. New Render feature can send relevant geometry to ADS applications or to ADI.
AutoLISP / ADS
57. Also many AutoLISP enhancements, including much faster loading of LISP routines.
72. ADS applications can now be compiled by inexpensive "real mode" compilers; no need for costly development tools.
73. AutoLISP and ADS can now be used to drive the PLOT command.
99. New ADS ADI link allows ADS applications to communicate directly with ADI drivers.
137. New dynamic graying and marking of pull down menu items controlled by ADS and AutoLISP applications.
148. ADS source code provided for main file of the geometry calculator.
150. ADS source code included for user programmable dialog boxes and test programs.
151. Library of extended ADS 'ads_getxxx' functions provided to help AutoLISP programmers move more easily to ADS procedures.
152. ADS source code provided for demonstrating tablet transformations.
163. New ADS function ads_alert displays an alert box with an application supplied warning message.
164. New ADS function ads_angtof converts an angle in display format to double precision, floating point format.
165. New ADS function ads_draggen allows you to interactively Move, Rotate, or Scale entities in a selection set.
166. New ADS function ads_gefiled enables an application to use the standard AutoCAD File dialog box to prompt for a file name.
167. New ADS function ads_getsym and ads_putsym allow you to retrieve and set the value of AutoLISP symbols.
168. New ADS function ads_grvecs draws multiple vectors on the graphics screen with a single command.
169. New ADS function ads_nentselp is similar to ads_nentsel but allows point specification with user input.
170. New ADS function ads_rett allows ADS applications to return the AutoLISP symbol t (true).
171. New ADS function ads_tablet retrieves or sets digitizer calibration information.
172. New ADS function ads_textbox finds the coordinates of the box that enclose a text entity.
173. New ADS function ads_xload, ads_xunload, and ads_loaded allows you to control the loading and unloading of ADS applications.
174. New ADS function ads_xformss allows you to Move, Rotate, or Scale entities in a selection set without invoking an AutoCAD command or applying ads_entmod.
SQL
4. AutoCAD SQL Extension (ASE) allows you to access data in standard database management systems via SQL. ASE provides commands for manipulating external non graphic data and linking it to graphic entities in AutoCAD drawings.
52. Database specific drivers link AutoCAD and external non graphic databases, such as dBase, Paradox, Oracle and others.
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