AutoCAD is a computer aided drafting (CAD) software package for 2D and 3D design and drafting, developed and sold by Autodesk. It currently runs only on Microsoft operating systems. Versions for Unix and Apple Macintosh were released, but these met with limited market acceptance and were later dropped. It usually suffers from poor performance when run in an emulator or compatibility layer like Virtual PC or Wine.
Initially for mechanical engineers, it has been extended and is very widely used by architects and other design professionals.
Its file formats (DWG and its ASCII equivalent, AutoCAD DXF) have become the default standard for CAD packages.
Version 1.0 was released in December 1982. The current version is AutoCAD 2006, which was released in March 2005. A lower-cost version, AutoCAD LT (pronounced "ell tee", not "lite"), was first introduced in 1993. Compared with its more expensive sibling, LT lacks the AutoLISP programming language and other programming interfaces, some 3D capability, and a few other features.
Visual Basic is available for automation and other advanced operations within AutoCAD. For advanced tasks the AutoCAD's licence based API, ARX can be used, a C++ class library which was also the base for products extending AutoCAD functionality to specific fields, to create products such as Autodesk Architectural Desktop, AutoCAD Electrical, or third-party AutoCAD based applications.
Version history
See also: QCad
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