CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
25 March 2010
Product News
Autodesk Expands Power of AutoCAD 2011 with New Features for Conceptual Design and Drafting Productivity
Autodesk, Inc. announced the availability of the 2011 AutoCAD software products, including AutoCAD 2011 software, a 2D and 3D design and documentation platform, and AutoCAD LT 2011 software for professional 2D drafting and detailing. The latest releases of AutoCAD deliver powerful new features — such as new tools for surface modeling and transparency for objects and layers — that can help designers explore their ideas and maximize productivity. The 2011 AutoCAD products are Microsoft Windows 7 certified and are compatible with and supported on Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate as well as Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems.
“In the 2011 releases we have continued to invest in increasing drafting productivity and have added a strong set of new 3D modeling features for conceptual design that will help millions of AutoCAD users worldwide take their designs further,” said Guri Stark, vice president, AutoCAD and Platform Products. “We have also implemented many of the top features requested by Autodesk User Group International (AUGI) members and focused on providing new tools that are quick to learn but can have a big impact in everyday work.”
AutoCAD 2011 gives designers more advanced conceptual design tools as well as increased flexibility and control when designing in 3D:
New surface modeling tools enable users to easily create smooth surfaces and surface transitions, while associativity maintains relationships between all of the objects.
Point cloud support for up to two billion points enables users to quickly visualize scanned objects directly within the modeling workspace.
Inferred constraints enable designers to define constraints as they draw.
Hatch command enhancements bring improved drafting efficiency, while new gradient hatch patterns enable users to add more colors and shading to drawings.
TimeSaver tools, previously available only to customers on Autodesk Subscription, are now available to all AutoCAD users.
AutoCAD LT 2011 builds on its reputation for productivity with new commands that make everyday tasks more efficient. In addition to the hatch command enhancements and TimeSaver Tools found in AutoCAD 2011, AutoCAD LT 2011 adds new tools that give users additional options for controlling the appearance of drawings:
Transparency for objects and layers provides new options for managing the appearance of drawings and communicating design intent.
New multifunctional polyline grips make editing polylines significantly faster and easier.
The ability to create or select similar objects based on the properties of existing objects helps users save time when drawing and editing geometry.
Industry Solutions for the AutoCAD 2011 Products
The updated AutoCAD 2011 software portfolio includes the following industry-specific applications built on the AutoCAD platform:
AutoCAD Architecture 2011 software for efficient architectural drafting and documentation has new geometric and dimensional constraints and renovation tools to help accelerate design.
AutoCAD Electrical 2011 software helps electrical controls designers to quickly create control system designs and easily access extensive catalog information for large electrical controls projects.
AutoCAD Mechanical 2011 software’s streamlined design environment gives users vastly improved access to power dimensioning functionality, which automatically aligns part dimensions with the rest of the drawing properties, without ever opening a dialog box.
AutoCAD MEP 2011 software provides greater drafting productivity for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) designers and drafters and has new features for creating and storing AutoCAD block names, sloped piping and parallel conduit routing.
Availability
Product availability varies by country. Details and purchasing options are available at http://www.autodesk.com/purchaseoptions
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