LT Unlimited

New Support Site

We’re trying a lot of new things for AutoCAD LT for Mac – new purchasing options, new licensing options, new user interface…new support system.

In addition to the traditional in-product help, and the discussion forums, we’ve launched a new community site as well, where you can post questions, ideas, problems, etc. and get responses from other AutoCAD LT users and Autodesk personnel.

The address is http://getsatisfaction.com/autocadltformac, and while it’s currently focused around the Mac platform, you can still check it out if you’re using AutoCAD LT on Windows, and let us know if you might like to see something similar for both platforms in the future.

Add your own words to the AutoCAD LT dictionary

You’re probably aware that AutoCAD LT has a built-in spell checker, accessible from the Annotate tab of the ribbon, with the SPELL command, or as you go with a dashed red line under misspelled words as seen below:

But wait a minute – that word isn’t misspelled! It’s a standard abbreviation. So what to do with it?

As always, you have more than one option. You could just ignore it. The red line only shows up in the editor, and it won’t print, so you could just leave it alone. Or you could right-click on the word and choose “Ignore all”. This turns off the red line temporarily, but it will be back. To get rid of it completely, choose “Add to dictionary” from the right-click menu.

(Anybody else entertained by the fact that “TYPO” is one of the suggested alternatives?)

This is great for adding words one at a time, but there’s also another way to manage your custom dictionary.

Start the SPELL command (from the command line or ribbon) and go to Dictionaries.

(Notice also that you have a choice of main dictionaries, in case you’re spell-checking drawings in different languages. They won’t help you with the actual translations, though.)

In this dialog, you can switch out custom dictionaries (maybe point to one you’ve got on your server), add or delete words from the list (nice of us to put “AutoCAD” in there, don’t you think?) and import other dictionary files.

By the way, a “dictionary file” is just a regular old text file with a CUS extension that contains the list of words you want to be considered as correctly spelled. Easy as pie to create, especially if you’ve already got a standard abbreviation list.

Looking for connected individuals

Autodesk is recruiting participants for a connectivity study – people who use multiple devices to stay connected to the online world. If you’re one of those folks who can’t imagine life without your smart phone, or plan your day around the location of WiFi hotspots, we might be looking for you.

Qualified participants can earn up to $150 just for taking some pictures and chatting with the research team. Click here to learn more.

And if you’re reading this blog, I’d say you’re off to a good start. :-)

AutoCAD LT for Mac: The Details

You asked, we answered: AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac is now available for purchase on the Mac App Store.

What does it look like?

AutoCAD LT for Mac looks a lot like AutoCAD for Mac, and a lot like AutoCAD LT.

The drawing window is essentially the same whether you're on Windows or Mac, as is the status bar. The Windows ribbon is replaced with the Apple Menu Bar and Toolsets. There are three Toolsets included: Getting Started, Drafting, and Annotation. You can also create your own through the CUI command.

You may also notice that the command line is turned off by default. Don't worry, it's not gone -- it's just in the Window menu (or accessed by ⌘3), along with Layers (⌘4) and Properties (⌘5).

How is AutoCAD LT for Mac similar to AutoCAD LT?

In essence, these two programs are the same. They both provide the drafting & detailing tools you need to create your professional design documents. Annotation scaling, external reference editing, associative array, command auto-complete, Delete Duplicate Objects -- all these features work exactly the same on both operating systems, not to mention the classic create/modify/annotate tools.

How about the differences between AutoCAD LT for Mac and AutoCAD LT?

We tried to make the two programs as similar as possible, but the differences between the Windows and OS X platforms mean they aren't identical. As you see in the image above, the user interface is a little different, but not so odd that you won't be able to find commands. Plus, there's always the Help search to show you where commands are in the Menu bar. (A feature that would be nice to have on Windows!)

A few features from the Windows side haven't made the leap to Mac yet, for a variety of reasons. PDF Underlay, Sheet Set Manager, and dynamic block creation are the most noticeable; we're working on a document that will give more information on the specific feature sets.

There are also a few features that only work on the Mac side. These include multitouch gestures like the two-finger pinch for zooming and the two-finger swipe for panning, the Quick View palette, and the Content palette. These last two have counterparts in Windows (Quick View Layouts/Drawings and Design Center/Content Explorer), but are their own features.

Other than that, many of the differences are cosmetic. The Options and CUI dialog are both set up differently on the Mac, but function in essentially the same way. PICKADD is set to 0 by default, but if you've read this blog for a while you know how to change that if you want to.

What are the differences between AutoCAD LT for Mac and AutoCAD for Mac?

Here's the comparison matrix. The short version is that if it wasn't available in AutoCAD LT before, it isn't now either. That means LISP/VBA/etc., 3D modeling, network licensing, and creation of parametric elements.

Does AutoCAD LT for Mac use the same DWG files as AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT?

You bet! We knew that this wouldn't be any good to you if you couldn't easily share files with others, so once a DWG file has been created, you can't tell by looking at it whether it came from AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT or from a Windows PC or a Mac. (Okay, if the DWG has 3D elements, you get a hint about part of where it came from.)

What are the system requirements?

They're in the FAQ (page 3). Lion and Snow Leopard (10.6.4) are both supported, and although the last few years of Mac products are supported, to be honest you'll be better off with newer hardware like a MacBook Pro 6,1 or later or an iMac 11,1 or later.

How do I try/buy AutoCAD LT for Mac?

AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac is currently available for $899.99 in the Mac App Store for users in the US and Canada only. (Notice this is not the same App Store where you get things for your iPad or iPhone -- although AutoCAD WS is available there for free.) If you'd like to be notified when AutoCAD LT for Mac is available in your country, sign up here.

Due to the restrictions of the App Store, we are not currently able to offer a trial version of AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac. If you want to try before you buy (understandable), I'd go get the 30-day free version of AutoCAD for Mac, then make sure you fully read the comparison matrix before you go get AutoCAD LT.

 

We're really on the App Store

AutoCAD LT even made the front page!! Too cool.

The product page is pretty snazzy too:

And if you don't have access to the App Store right now, more details are here: www.autodesk.com/autocadltformac

You'll get a real summary tomorrow, promise! But I wanted to share some of the pictures today. :-)

AutoCAD LT for Mac Now Available!

If you were watching the Facecast, you already know that AutoCAD LT for Mac is available NOW on the Mac App Store in the US and Canada. (If you weren't watching, now you know.)

I'm posting this from the Chesapeake Design Group offices, where we did our cameo in the webcast, so I'll have a more detailed post for you tomorrow all about AutoCAD LT for Mac.

In the meantime, if you decide to go get it, let me know what you think! Are you excited?? We are!!

Big day tomorrow

It's almost time for our big annoucement -- the Facebook page will be hosting a webcast at 10:00 am Pacific tomorrow. What do you think we're going to announce?

Look for the hashtag #design816 on Twitter to see some of the hints and guesses.

Hope to see you tomorrow on the Facecast!

Application Menu Double-Click

Most of the features in the Application Menu are fairly obvious (those buttons are pretty big).

And most of you probably just click on the big red A to access this menu. (Some of you die-hard keyboard fans may prefer Alt+F.)

But have you ever double-clicked on that A? If you do, AutoCAD LT will close, but it will give you the option to save any drawings with unsaved changes along the way.

If you click “Cancel” here, you’ll stop the closing process. The only drawings that might be closed are any ones that didn’t have changes to save.

The reason that I’m posting about this is that it is a feature, not a bug. You’ll notice the same behavior in lots of other Windows programs, including the Office suite and even Windows Explorer—which doesn’t actually have a button in the upper left-hand corner. But double-clicking there closes the window anyway. (Bonus tip!)

Match (Specific) Properties

You’ve probably used the MATCHPROP command for years to transfer one object’s properties to another’s, maybe to fix a mistake or modify a copy.

But did you know you can choose which properties to match? You don’t have to use them all!

The Settings option inside Match Properties is a little hidden, since it doesn’t show up until after you’ve selected the source object. But once you’ve found it, you get a whole bunch of choices.

As you see, everything’s checked by default, but you can remove any property you like just by unchecking it.

The top half of the dialog is dedicated to universal properties like color and linetype. In the bottom half are special objects with unique characteristics—for example, checking the “Dimension” and “Text” boxes transfers an object’s style and annotative properties along with the checked general properties.

After checking this out, you may decide to leave everything checked, or get rid of all but a few important properties…it’s up to you.

Happy matching!

AUGI Salary Survey

If it’s August, it must be time for the AUGI Salary Survey! This is the 10th year that AUGI is polling its members about salaries, benefits, job security and more.

Your input helps you and your fellow CAD professionals see how you measure up to the rest of the industry (i.e. whether it’s time to ask for a raise) and to see how the state of the economy has affected things over the last few years. (Hey, we can always hope for good news.)

Click here to take the survey.

The deadline is August 19th, but why wait? It only takes a few minutes!