AutoCAD 2011 LT

[Jonathan Smith, RLA]

Anyone have experience with buying and using an older version of CAD?  I have an old version that no longer works and 2011 LT is over $1000!

 

Any input?

 

I’d also be willing to use another CAD program if it is very similar to Autodesk.

 

Thanks,

 

Jonathan

[Eric Gilbey]

Jonathan, if you’re looking for solutions that are cheaper than $1000, then BricsCAD comes to mind. My experience with using older versions of AutoCAD brings at least two challenges…lack of Autodesk support and the pain of having your collaborating design team members save back to the version in which you are working. Though on the surface this seems to not be a problem, other than always making sure they know to do this for you, if there is functionality that is newer than your version, then saving it back, may risk how that gets translated backward to a version that does not support it, and how those objects work in your earlier version. If financing is an option to make the price a little more manageable, I would recommend Vectorworks, as it imports and exports DXF/DWG and is significantly cheaper than AutoCAD…plus you get the functionality of landscape specific CAD and 3D modeling. Throw in the Renderworks module and its like adding photo enhancement software, without having to leave the same application. Best of luck.

[Thomas J. Johnson]

Check this out… I haven’t had a chance to play around with it yet but it sounds pretty robust, uses AutoCAD commands, the dwg format and works on both Mac and PC. Oh, and it’s FREE! Brought to you by the good people at Dassault Systems (SolidWorks)

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/free-cad-software/

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

I use AcadLt 2008 at home and ACAD LDt 2009 at work (both 2007 dwg format). I believe that I have received only one file from an architect that was using the 2010 format. I’m sure it will be coming, though.

 

Bricscad sounds like the best way to stay current on a budget. I like ACAD because I work with it every day, but I’m considering Bricscad as my next upgrade, but may just do the LT upgrade (~$500 with a licensed copy of ’08). I have a friend who is going to upgrade LT 2005, but he’ll have to pay full price because they no longer support the ’05. I’m thinking about buying the Bricscad just so that I can dumb down a drawing file to ’07 in case I still don’t like Bricscad (used it several years ago and did not like the way it handled certain things – very few, but enough to mess with my habits).

 

Try a demo, it is free. Henry Cohen swears by it.

[Alan Ray, RLA]

i like BricsCad…under $400.

very acad like.

[Jonathan Smith, RLA]

I downloaded Bricscad and screwed around with it.  Very similar to Autodesk.

 

Thanks for all the input.

[Alan Ray, RLA]

Cool, it takes a little getting used to…..but  the difference in price with acad makes it easier to tolerate.

I tried the DraftSight program and found it very unstable, but it’s free…..maybe that’s why.

I use acad2004 and BricsCad…..I’m geeting familiar w/ BricsCad but like it so far……Oh, and I can open old acad dwg files in BricsCad that I can’t open in acad,…what’s with that????

Acad is good but waaaaaaay overpriced with the other good options available. I also became tired of the yearly update  extortion practices of acad…..”upgrade or we/ll drop you”….so make my day…..lol……

hope you like the BricsCad…..it’s the best alternative I’ve been able to find so far..

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