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AutoCAD users and the MacBook?

C

cad-user

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Does anyone use the dual platform to run AutoCad with a Mac? I'm apprehensive about buying a Mac since this will be one of it's main uses for work, but would really like to avoid buying a PC. Any advice or warnings are appreciated.
If I do go with the Macbook, is the Pro worthwhile as far as the graphics card? I will be using SketchUp and Photoshop as well.

Thanks.
 
Of course you'd run SketchUp and Photoshop under Mac OS X. The Mac is the best platform for these applications.

Autocad however requires Windows. First question is must it really be autocad or can you use something else that can read it's files? If so there are several good cad programs. If you need "real autocad" then it will work very well in bootcamp and "well enough" in a parallels VM. (The problem is screen space. I can's see how anyone could work cad on a notebook but that is not a Windows vs. PC thing.)
 
cad-user said:
Does anyone use the dual platform to run AutoCad with a Mac? I'm apprehensive about buying a Mac since this will be one of it's main uses for work, but would really like to avoid buying a PC. Any advice or warnings are appreciated.
If I do go with the Macbook, is the Pro worthwhile as far as the graphics card? I will be using SketchUp and Photoshop as well.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

ChrisA said:
Of course you'd run SketchUp and Photoshop under Mac OS X. The Mac is the best platform for these applications.

Autocad however requires Windows. First question is must it really be autocad or can you use something else that can read it's files? If so there are several good cad programs. If you need "real autocad" then it will work very well in bootcamp and "well enough" in a parallels VM. (The problem is screen space. I can's see how anyone could work cad on a notebook but that is not a Windows vs. PC thing.)
Click to expand...

He stated he would run windows. He wants to know if it will be problematic.

I ran a demo of autocad on my 2.33ghz mbp without much lag or a problem. I think a fully loaded mb will run it sufficiently enough.
 
I have run Cad on my Macbook and on my Macbook Pro. Whether or not it will run well depends on the size of your file. Big .dwg files will bog down almost anything. If you are going to be doing any type of medium size AutoCad files or Photoshop files, I would recommend the Macbook Pro. You will not be sorry! You will want the graphics card and the ram too....and don't forget about the larger screen too. They are helpful when using cad and PS.
 
Phatpat said:
I've run it on my 1.83 CD Macbook, and it ran fine. My biggest complaint was the screen size.
Click to expand...

That's what I ran it no too....The screen real estate will make you go crazy though. If you are doing simple Cad drawings for an Architecture class then no problem. If you are working on 500,000 sq. ft. retail space then you will not be happy!
 
iMac with AutoCad

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I have been doing further looking and now am interested in the iMac- does anyone know if it also comes with the built-in Parallels program that allows you to run the dual platforms? This may be a slightly less expensive route for me, but I need to figure out if it's capabilities will be similar to the Macbook.
 
cad-user said:
Thanks for the tips, everyone. I have been doing further looking and now am interested in the iMac- does anyone know if it also comes with the built-in Parallels program that allows you to run the dual platforms? This may be a slightly less expensive route for me, but I need to figure out if it's capabilities will be similar to the Macbook.
Click to expand...

Parallels is a third-party software, not something made by Apple. There are several virtualization software, and Parallels is just one of them. There's VMWare Fusion (which is superior in my opinion), Parallels, and the free open source ones such as VirtualBox and Q.

To sum up, no Parallels will not come included in any Macs. You'll have to buy it yourself (or download one of the open source solutions). And in case you're not aware, you do have to buy a copy of Windows, as well.

I don't know if AutoCAD uses the graphics card for 3D, but if it does, I recommend you use Boot Camp and boot into Windows instead of using virtualization software. Booting into Windows will bring you much better 3D performance from your graphics card.
 
I'm an architect and have been using acad for 25 yrs. I switched my whole office over to mac three years ago. Acad has worked better on a mac (w/ bootcamp) than it ever did on a windows machine. I wouldn't use Parallels if you're doing a lot of work. If your working for yourself (or have some influence) I would recommend switching to a mac CAD software. There are some good ones that will read DWG files. Especially if your going to be using SU and Photoshop. That's what I've done and my production has increased by 25%. The mac OS is just better.

cheers
 
Thanks

Thanks for the helpful responses.
A clarification- are you currently using AutoCad for your office, or do you also use Vectorworks or another Mac program? I will need to use AutoCad, but there could be an eventual conversion, which makes me think it's just better to have the Mac. Plus I want the other programs like iPhoto.
Anyone know if there is any chance the iMac will be replaced soon? That's another concern of mine.

thanks!
 
All Cad programs are basically the same, whether or not they are mac or windows based. Think of it as knowing different languages. One language is not better than the other, it's just different. I use acad, but it's not my preferred CAD software to use. I use HighDesign the most in my office, it's a personal choice. I also use SU and photoshop. I design high end residential house in California and Hawaii. I need to have CAD drawings that look graphically interesting for my clients and design review boards. Acad can do this, but it's just a lot more work. If you're young, learn as many CAD programs as you can - it's not rocket science. The bottom line is that if you use your computer to make money........it's an easy choice - buy a mac!!!!!
And don't wait for the next update, the present computers are very well suited to fit your needs. The most important thing is the OS.

cheers
 
Autocad

Alright skd you have sold me (almost)
I have done contract interior design for 25 years, using
Autocad Lt on Windows. Now that I have switched over to
Macs, I am going to try the High Design Professional, first with a trial version if they have it.
It sounds as if there are no problems to anticipate with working on CAD drawings, which is my fear, because I work with a lot of architects. Is that true? Can I just open their cad files in High Design and work and submit the drawings back to the architects in .dwg format? Oh please, say YES.
I tried for about a week to install my copy of Autocad Lt in Windows on my mac, even transferring the license via the portable license utility from my Dell. I received the error message "unhandled error, unauthorized access violation".
I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling, and everything else. I am getting High Design!!
Has anyone else received this error message when trying to open Autocad on your Mac. I am using Parallels and Windows XP Professional.
 
jlonita said:
Alright skd you have sold me (almost)
I have done contract interior design for 25 years, using
Autocad Lt on Windows. Now that I have switched over to
Macs, I am going to try the High Design Professional, first with a trial version if they have it.
It sounds as if there are no problems to anticipate with working on CAD drawings, which is my fear, because I work with a lot of architects. Is that true? Can I just open their cad files in High Design and work and submit the drawings back to the architects in .dwg format? Oh please, say YES.
I tried for about a week to install my copy of Autocad Lt in Windows on my mac, even transferring the license via the portable license utility from my Dell. I received the error message "unhandled error, unauthorized access violation".
I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling, and everything else. I am getting High Design!!
Has anyone else received this error message when trying to open Autocad on your Mac. I am using Parallels and Windows XP Professional.
Click to expand...

Based on their site [http://www.ilexsoft.com] they import and export ACAD from version 9 - 2008, including conversion of blocks to symbols [I used to use ACAD 9/10/11/12/13/2000]. I say for the $$ it's better than ACAD. I mean the Pro version is 349, but I think ACAD LT is like 495, isn't it? I can't recall...I know the full ACAD is still like 3500 us..which is nuts.
 
I am going to try the High Design Professional, first with a trial version if they have it.
YES
It sounds as if there are no problems to anticipate with working on CAD drawings, which is my fear, because I work with a lot of architects. Is that true?
YES
Can I just open their cad files in High Design and work and submit the drawings back to the architects in .dwg format? Oh please, say YES.
YES
I tried for about a week to install my copy of Autocad Lt in Windows on my mac, even transferring the license via the portable license utility from my Dell. I received the error message "unhandled error, unauthorized access violation".
I HAVE MY ACAD ON MY MAC USING BOOTCAMP, NO PROBLEMS.....ACAD HAS A MAC DIVISION THAT CAN HELP WITH INSTALLATION

WHEN I WORK OTHERS WHO HAVE ACAD I HAVE THEM SEND THE DRAWING IN PDF FORMAT AS WELL AS DWG FORMAT (MODEL SPACE). ALSO I WOULD START WORRYING LESS ABOUT HOW YOU CAN ADAPT TO THE ARCHITECTS AND LET THEM FIGURE HOW TO ADAPT TO YOU. IF YOU HAVE A QUESTIONS YOU CAN REACH ME THROUGH MY WEB SITE - www.krebsdesigngroup.com

cheers
 
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