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“The popular 3D design, engineering and entertainment software has been specifically created for Apple’s handheld devices, Autodesk said in the announcement which was seen by Dow Jones Newswires,” Sherr reports. “The specialized mobile version, dubbed ‘AutoCAD WS’ will be released alongside its counterpart for the Mac platform this fall in Europe and North America.”
Full article here.
Galen Gruman reports for InfoWorld, “The company says AutoCAD for Mac OS X is a fully native application, using Mac OS X libraries and native UI features. AutoCAD for Mac takes full advantage of Mac OS X, including graphical browsing of design files with Cover Flow and use of multitouch gestures on Mac notebooks, the Magic Mouse, and the Magic Trackpad for intuitive pan and zoom features, a spokesman said. User-experience design patterns, such as the visual approach to drawing and layout management, have also been incorporated into AutoCAD for Mac.”
“AutoCAD for Mac boasts an API the company describes as ‘extensive’ and flexible customization options that allow for tailor-built workflows, simple application development and adaption, custom configurations for settings, and screen real estate options to suit individual workflows and project demands,” Gruman reports. “The new AutoCAD software will ship “this falll,” the company says. The Mac OS X edition costs the same as the Windows version: $3,995 without a support subscription, and $4,445 with one.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: AutoCAD is a CAD (Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting) software application for 2D and 3D design and drafting. It’s developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers. Versions for Unix and Mac OS were released in the 1980s and 1990s, but these were later dropped. The last release for Apple Macintosh was AutoCAD Release 12 which debuted in June, 1992.
MacDailyNews Take: This is yet another major sign that Apple’s Mac is back in a big way!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “qka” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
AutoCAD returns to Mac; first screenshots posted online (with image) – May 22, 2010
Autodesk online survey: Would you like a native version of AutoCAD for Apple’s Mac OS X? – April 08, 2009
Autodesk: Support of AutoCAD on Apple Macs running Windows XP not yet settled, too soon to tell – April 17, 2006
Java-based application allows viewing Autocad files on Macintosh – July 23, 2004
Autodesk working with Apple: will it lead to AutoCAD for Mac OS X? – September 10, 2003
Autodesk requests AutoCAD for OS X feedback – May 05, 2003
A Powerbook in a Windows/AutoCAD Architecture Firm – April 02, 2003
Great news! This is among the best drafting software.
I hate Autocadd but this is big.
Is an iPhone version of AutoCAD a bit of overkill?
So, AutoCAD is going to be the most expensive iPhone App ever.
It’s good for Apple to have this available, but I really can’t get any more excited about this than I can about Microsoft Office. Autocad is a pile of crap. Autodesk is truly the Microsoft of the CAD world.
Well … hallelujah ! It’s about time. They’ve suveyed Apple Retail employees and customers long enough. We’re ready for AutoCad finally. Productivity is the key and Mac is the solution.
It’ll all depend on how good a job they do in the transition to OS X.
Mac OS X version of AutoCad – $3995.
iPhone version of AutoCard – $9.99.
Autodesk the Microsoft of the world? Only in overpriced software. Autodesk Maya and 3DS Max ain’t too shabby.
Re: MDN Take #2: It’s probably more a sign that AutoCAD finally pulled their heads out of their asses than it is a sign that the Mac is finally back.
Vecorworks and other CAD programs are in many ways more elegant than AutoCAD ever was. Sure they’re not as big (read: bloated) and as “flexible” (read: over-extended) as AutoCAD. Autodesk will need to start kissing some serious professional Mac users’ asses before I begin to trust them around the Mac again…
If you read the blurb, you’d have seen that the iPhone and iPad versions are “free” but that they are “read only” – no editing features provided. You can view drawings made on “real computers”.
That under $4K price is sans support – what a surprise – while a version WITH support costs a few hundred s more.
Who uses autocad anymore? Autocad is so 1999. When they bring Revit to the iPad then we’ll be getting somewhere.
I’ve been hoping for a Mac version of 3DS Max for many years. Hopefully not too far away now.
This is fantastic news! Hopefully AutoCAD Civil 3D isn’t too far away. That would be even more fantastic for my particular field.
MDN Word: ‘Time’…as in it’s about ____!
This is probably good news for some, and may be good for the Mac platform, but for those of us who have actually been using Macs to do CAD for the past couple decades it is no big deal. A-CAD can’t compete with the price, performance, features, power, or results of long time Mac packages such as Vectorworks or Archicad. The free viewer on the iPad may be nice for viewing A-CAD drawings without the hastle of importing though, will see.
Autocad itself is becoming less relevant with Revit and other BIM packages leading the way. To little too late from Autodesk in my opinion.