During the past ten years there have been many changes in the world of computer aided design. Working on the first XT machines with 10 megabyte hard drives compared to today?EUR??,,????'???s 486 machines with a 66 megahertz clock speed, is almost the same as the difference between a tricycle and a Lear Jet.

Today the design professional has many avenues open in terms of software suitable for producing professional drawings. In a move to get ready for the next generation of operating systems, Autodesk has created a windows compatible version of their ?EUR??,,????'??industry standard?EUR??,,????'?? cad package, AutoCad.

AutoCad 12 for Windows is a step in the right direction. It is a more visual version of the old AutoCad, with icons and buttons right on the screen. No more looking away from the screen to a digitizer for the symbol for a ?EUR??,,????'??P-Line.?EUR??,,????'?? This visual improvement also means that it is easier to learn than the DOS version. Be sure to understand that easier does not mean easy. The AutoCad for windows workbook that was available in a local bookstore was 1200 plus pages in length. Not something you would pick up and master in a few weeks.

Although the Windows version is slower than the DOS version, a 486 66 runs like a 486 33, it offers many advanced features that are not found in the DOS version. Some of the major enhancements are:

• Icons instead of words in some pull down menus
• A newly styled status line with customizable icon buttons.
• A movable, customizable toolbox. Allows you to select commands as you would from a digitizing tablet.

Other Windows features that can be used with AutoCad are:

• Dialogue boxes that conform to the basic Windows format.
• Editing of multiple drawings at one time.
• Use of the Windows clipboard and paste commands for both text and graphics.

The program itself is your basic AutoCad standard with one twist. You now have the ability to run it from the standard Windows environment.

Another bump in the system is that of selecting a printer. During the initial configuration of the printer for AutoCad, be sure to select the Autodesk driver. Selecting ?EUR??,,????'??system printer?EUR??,,????'?? will only slow down the process almost to a standstill.

Another bump occurs if you are using a digitizing tablet. Most of the time you would configure the tablet as the ?EUR??,,????'??system pointing device.?EUR??,,????'?? This works well and functions as designed. However, if you need to actually use the tablet as a digitizing device it becomes cumbersome and difficult to use. The reason for this is that in order to use the pull down menus while you are in digitizing mode, you need to select a predetermined button, freeze the crosshairs, select the menu item, unfreeze the crosshairs, and finally carry out your command.

After working with AutoCad for Windows, it was time to add a second party software to the package, Landcadd. Having Landcadd loaded into the Windows environment allows for some great flexibility. You can combine files from several drawings. The Windows Clipboard lets you copy entities & from one drawing to another or to any other Windows application. You can easily import any Landcadd drawing directly into any word processing application.

Professor Scott Weinberg

LASN Associate Editor on Computers