InformationWeek

September 29, 1997

Friendlier AutoCAD

Graphical tool added to Autodesk design software

utodesk gets ready this week to unveil the latest version of its two-dimensional computer aided design product, AutoCAD LT 97. With this new release of the subset version of Autodesk's flagship design software, AutoCAD, the company is trying to counter the notion that its software is difficult to use.

"Half our customers are coming from paper-based drafting," says Rob Fassberg, senior product manager at Autodesk, in San Rafael, Calif.

Autodesk has added features to make the product easier for novices to use. Those features include a graphical tool, called Content Explorer, that le ts users drag and drop blocks or symbols into drawings and includes thumbnail previews and a search functionality that makes it easier to find old drawings. The new product also incorporates multimedia learning assistance.

The latest version of AutoCAD LT comes 16 months after the original, and some analysts are impressed. "The most compelling feature is the drag-and-drop," says Bruce Jenkins, a VP of consulting firm Daratech Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. "That's especially useful for the non-expert user market." Jenkins notes that this same attribute is what has made Autodesk competitor Visio so popular.

Along with being Microsoft Office 97-compliant, AutoCAD LT 97 includes Internet support that lets users share drawings over the Web. It also supports Autodesk's Drawing Web File format, which lets users access and post drawings and data to the Internet. Other features include Autodesk Driver Interface for better printing capabilities, and AutoSnap and PolarSnap, which enhance drawing and editing. "We're d riving toward increasing productivity," says Fassberg.

Users who have tested AutoCAD LT seem pleased. Alan Gin, an architect for the Bureau of Construction Management for the city and county of San Francisco, uses it in day-to-day production in the design and development phase of an air cargo facility. He is particularly fond of the dynamic view feature. "I'm glad that I can view the drawings in perspective view without having to go back to AutoCAD release 13," says Gin.

Autodesk seems to be back on track financially after some rocky times. Earnings were up for its fiscal second quarter ended July 31 after being down for five consecutive quarters. Net income was $18 million on revenue of $129 million. The company attributes the turnaround to Release 14 of AutoCAD in May. Daratech says Autodesk had shipped 450,000 copies of the original version of AutoCAD LT as of the end of the company's 1997 fiscal year in January.

AutoCAD LT for Windows 95 and NT will be available in October for $489, or $149 fo r an upgrade.

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