What is AutoCAD? AutoCAD is the world's most popular computer-aided
drafting package for the personal computer (PC). It is a fully
functional 2D and 3D CAD program. Full 3D wire frame representation was
incorporated in the program with the launch of Release 10 in 1988.
Release 11 brought additional 3D facilities in- cluding some solid
modelling capabilities. These capabilities were enhanced with Release 12
of the program for DOS and Windows. Its popularity has made AutoCAD the
de facto industry standard for PC-CAD with a host of other program
developers providing application software conforming to the AutoCAD
format. As a fully functional drafting program, AutoCAD can achieve
anything that can be drawn on a drawing board. The main benefits of CAD
come more from being able to edit and exchange drawing information
rapidly rather than simply replacing the drawing board. Starting to use
AutoCAD is a difficult step as it requires a certain amount of new skill
development. Once you have made the commitment to learn how to use the
program and implement it in your everyday work the benefits will soon
accrue. You will quickly discover that there are many things that you
can do with AutoCAD that you could never do with a drawing board. With
AutoCAD your drawings become more than just black lines on a white sheet
of paper. The AutoCAD drawing is a database of information.