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More for Less?

© Jonathan Jonas

Today's topic: AutoCAD vs. ACAD LT and other less expensive programs.

Many people, upon seeing the +/- $2,400 price tag on ACAD 14, quickly turn to me and ask if there is another program that is like ACAD, but without the price. I have to admit that while AutoCAD does quite a bit, and is by far the market leader, it is still very pricey. This is even truer if you then start purchasing other software, such as MS Office, PhotoShop, and other AutoCAD third-party software such as Softdesk.

The first step in looking at the more inexpensive programs is figuring out what they are lacking in comparison with AutoCAD, and what problems one would face translating the files between AutoCAD and your program. Many programs only accept a file as a DXF file. This may work with ACAD, or it may not. While ACAD sets the rules for the DXF file format, many companies do not follow them. This results in all sorts of strange problems. The other format is DWG, which is the ACAD standard, and it is also much smaller than the DXF files. Beware that even if it reads and writes a DWG file, it may not be 100 percent compatible with your version of ACAD. Part of the reason is that there are several versions of the DWG format. R13 and r14 are the main formats, but some people still use r12, and many of the smaller programs are finally up to r13 standard, but cannot access r14 files.

Also, look at how it deals with fonts, linetypes, Xref's, and images. AutoCAD can also be programmed in LISP, ARX, VBA, DIESEL, Script, etc. Can your program access the millions of programs that are available for AutoCAD? Can you program your own hotkeys? Must you use their icons or can you make your own? Can you use icons, hotkeys and menus, or does it limit you to one format?

Do you feel comfortable with the graphical user interface?

Does it do 3D? Do you need 3D?

I work in 15-meg files everyday. How big of a file can your program handle? Can it handle it effectively? Does it flounder under heavy usage? Some programs are limited in the size of the drawing database.

How will you be able to plot your drawings? Can it interface Windows plot drivers or does it need its own? Will it even work with a plotter, or can it only work with a printer?

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