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Somehow, despite the more ergonomic shortcuts, I find the mac versions of 3D software such as Rhino and ArchiCAD less efficient to use than their windows counterparts. It was also disappointing that Autodesk didn't focus on Revit for the Mac, given the rise in BIM.
Luckily my rMBP is fast enough to run parallels for almost all of my 3D modelling.

Hey pancake, what model rMBP do you have? I am looking to get one but not sure if I should go for the expensive high end model with the Nvidia vid card for running 3ds max, revit, etc in Parallels...
 
Barrier to entry on autocad and revit is extremely high. Even with the nasty trial offers. You can pretty much buy a new truck for the proposed subscription price.
 
Barrier to entry on autocad and revit is extremely high. Even with the nasty trial offers. You can pretty much buy a new truck for the proposed subscription price.

Just use Blender ( www.blender.org ) It's free! And if you need an excuse to go to Amsterdam Blender has their yearly conference there! :cool:
 
You mean handcuffed to the only game in town? AutoCAD is near monopoly rent. Price goes up 10% -15% each version. And they pump upgrades every 18 month it seems.... If one of your customers upgrades, everybody downline has to upgrade too, no skips like Office. Microsoft upgrades are pleasant compared to AutoDesk.

Unfortunately it's a cost of doing business these days. Makes for a high price of entry for new firms though.
 
Unfortunately it's a cost of doing business these days. Makes for a high price of entry for new firms though.

Autodesk is the worst company with crazy fees, no support or client service.
They still have the monopoly in the market but it is changing slowly but surely
 
Autodesk is the worst company with crazy fees, no support or client service.
They still have the monopoly in the market but it is changing slowly but surely

The price of Autocad is small peanuts compared to other CAD software out there. Siemens NX (the same software that Apple uses to model their stuff) back when I was in college was $20,000 a seat/per year. That was 15 years ago. I can imagine what it costs now.
 
PSA: Autocad (and other software) is free* for postsecondary students with a .edu email address. Full versions.**

http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

*You know, free as in for noncommerical use.
**Note that for this version they mark all files saved with this as being education versions permanently, whether they were created with other versions or not. In other words, do not open important business projects with this unless you want them marked as noncommercial use only.

The licenses are good for three years too.

Don't expect updates to make things work in the newest OS X though. At this rate, you need to wait for 2016 versions.
 
AutoCAD is so 1990-2008. Make Revit available for the Mac and you'll get my money before I even finish reading the announcement.
 
"...nearly equal to its Windows counterpart..."

As usual then, not really possible to switch to the mac version, at least not for power users.
 
C'mon Dassault. Please bring Solidworks to Mac as well.

Limited market for professional software like Autocad dictates the price.

The market isn't that limited. Frankly AutoCAD has grown into a very large company on the back of AutoCad. That isn't a bad thing as they now offer a wide array of products. The problem is 2 D drafting is a mature industry. It would really help adoption if AutoCAD was more rationally priced, especially the LT version.
 
"...nearly equal to its Windows counterpart..."

As usual then, not really possible to switch to the mac version, at least not for power users.

Depends on the features you need. A lot of the scripting hasn't transferred over (like LISP), but VBasic & .Net scripting can't be transferred for obvious reasons. Some of the old express tools functionality has been included with the core features. It's the old software adage that almost all of your customers can be satisfied with 80% of the features, it's the remaining 20% that is difficult because it varies so wildly based on the customer.


The market isn't that limited. Frankly AutoCAD has grown into a very large company on the back of AutoCad. That isn't a bad thing as they now offer a wide array of products. The problem is 2 D drafting is a mature industry. It would really help adoption if AutoCAD was more rationally priced, especially the LT version.

Come on, the LT version only $1200, and it's perfectly usable if all you need is 2D drafting. If you make $45k per year and you purchased a new version every year, that's 2.6% of your income. If you make 100k per year and upgrade every 3 years, it's 0.04% of your income. And that doesn't even consider how much money a large firm could make and any volume discounts.

We're talking about this on MacRumors where people don't hesitate to buy a new iPhone, iPad or Mac every year just because. Yet charging (a considerable sum of) money for software is suddenly unreasonable.
 
Hey pancake, what model rMBP do you have? I am looking to get one but not sure if I should go for the expensive high end model with the Nvidia vid card for running 3ds max, revit, etc in Parallels...

I have the Late 2013 high end model. My girlfriend has the Early 2013 high end model with only 1GB Graphics and struggles with some things in parallels. However, from my recollection Revit through parallels won't use the graphics card or something so you still need to run through boot camp for serious work. I don't recall the exact issue but something to be aware of.
 
Although I ended up majoring in Civil Engineering, I used Solidworks extensively in Robotics and design manufacturing in High School. By far one of the best designed and intuitive CAD interfaces ever created, at least IMO.

First time I tried to use AutoCAD I wanted to throw my computer out the window. SolidWorks is way more intuitive and much better suited for engineering. Of course this is just my opinion too.
 
PSA: Autocad (and other software) is free* for postsecondary students with a .edu email address. Full versions.**

http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

*You know, free as in for noncommerical use.
**Note that for this version they mark all files saved with this as being education versions permanently, whether they were created with other versions or not. In other words, do not open important business projects with this unless you want them marked as noncommercial use only.

You actually don't need a .edu e-mail address. I am in high school and we use it. How does it mark the files? Also, I really wish AutoDesk Inventor would come to the mac! It is a pain on bootcamp, but incredible software.
 
You actually don't need a .edu e-mail address. I am in high school and we use it. How does it mark the files? Also, I really wish AutoDesk Inventor would come to the mac! It is a pain on bootcamp, but incredible software.

I don't know how it does it programatically, but it is hardcoded into the file itself. AFAIK nobody has figured out how to remove it yet (though, I'm also not sure if anybody has tried).
 
I don't know how it does it programatically, but it is hardcoded into the file itself. AFAIK nobody has figured out how to remove it yet (though, I'm also not sure if anybody has tried).

How does somebody know that it is from an educational copy, and I can do anything with the files but sell them/a product from them, right?
 
I used autocad for windows for 6 years and recently started at a new architecture firm where they run autocad on mac. I assumed some differences would be there and figured it would just be a learning curve to get used to.

If you never used it on windows you would probably be fine and have no complaints (aside from the standard AutoCAD instability, which isnt any better on mac) but in direct comparison I think its no contest.
 
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Did I misread the post when it said there was a subscription for the new AutoCAD 2015 for Mac? The site only has this for the windows version... which i have on my work Dell, which is well, a Dell...
 
The fact that I have no idea what Revit or BIM is indicative of my lack of knowledge in this space. I was only reporting what the two architects in my family use, but due to my ignorance in this topic, I accept your statements as fact (although they may not be). :)

As someone who has 25 years of knowledge in this space - I assure you, his statements are fact. ;)

To clarify, though - SketchUp isn't an alternative to 3D AutoCAD or Revit, either...


Come on, the LT version only $1200, and it's perfectly usable if all you need is 2D drafting. If you make $45k per year and you purchased a new version every year, that's 2.6% of your income. If you make 100k per year and upgrade every 3 years, it's 0.04% of your income. And that doesn't even consider how much money a large firm could make and any volume discounts.

And yet... DraftSight Free is nearly a plagiaristic clone of AutoCAD, and costs 0.0% of your income - regardless of your income. I've been using it on Mac for several years and it is intuitive enough for someone doing 2D drafting. I've looked but never could find any restrictions on commercial use.
 
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How does somebody know that it is from an educational copy, and I can do anything with the files but sell them/a product from them, right?

Correct.

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I have the Late 2013 high end model. My girlfriend has the Early 2013 high end model with only 1GB Graphics and struggles with some things in parallels. However, from my recollection Revit through parallels won't use the graphics card or something so you still need to run through boot camp for serious work. I don't recall the exact issue but something to be aware of.

Okay thanks...been doing research and it seems like the way to go is with the high end model with a dedicated GPU for design software, especially if I plan on running Parallels.
 
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Autodesk today announced the launch of the latest versions of its popular AutoCAD computer-aided design software packages for Mac, adding a number of new features that put the release nearly equal to its Windows counterpart for the first time.

MacRumors spoke with Autodesk product manager Micah Dickerson about the new version, with Dickerson noting an emphasis on cross-platform compatibility for mixed Windows and Mac environments and highlighting a "big four" set of features added in the 2015 version based on customer feedback:

- Dynamic Blocks: Mac users now have the ability to create and edit Dynamic Blocks with a new streamlined yet powerful tool. With Dynamic Blocks, users can build a single block that can be used repeatedly (such as for windows or doors) and simply adjusted in size or shape dynamically rather than creating a static block for each feature.

ImageDynamic Blocks
- Layer States: Addressing one of the major barriers to cross-platform usage between Windows and Mac versions of AutoCAD, Mac users can now save layer information such as color, linetype and frozen/locked/off status.

- Quick Select: This feature allows users to easily select objects based on queries, including multiple selection criteria. The feature also includes a new preview function to allow the user to see what objects match the criteria before committing.

- Data Links: Users wishing to associate Excel spreadsheets with their drawings can now do so through Data Links. Changes to the spreadsheet will automatically the corresponding table in AutoCAD, making it easy to keep track of scheduling and costs on various projects.

Dickerson points out that, based on testing so far, AutoCAD for Mac 2015 appears to be the most stable and fastest version so far, while adding a number of new features and taking care of several bugs and other issues.

AutoCAD for Mac 2015 launches today, and is available not only in the usual perpetual license program, but also Autodesk's subscription plans designed to lower the barrier to entry for those looking to take their first steps into the company's CAD software.

Standard pricing remains the same for 2015, with AutoCAD coming in at $4195 and the more basic AutoCAD LT priced at $1200, with cheaper upgrade options also available for current users. The subscription plan will see AutoCAD priced at $210 per month or $1680 per year, while AutoCAD LT will be priced at $45 per month or $360 per year.

Article Link: Autodesk Launches AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT for Mac 2015

the bold/underlined statement above is not true. I contacted Autodesk this morning and you can only purchase a perpetual license for AutoCAD 2015 for Mac in any of the Mac versions.
 
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