Loyal AutoCAD users have waited a long time for Autodesk to bring the leading CAD program to Windows, but AutoCAD Release 11 Extension for Windows (AEW), the recently released Windows version of AutoCAD Release 11, was well worth the wait.
AEW, an add-on module to the DOS version of AutoCAD Release 11, is a smooth move towards the Windows environment, sacrificing only a fraction of the power of the DOS version in return for enhanced functionality in other areas and greater ease of use. With the exception of Advanced Modelling Extensions (AME) and network licences, neither of which is available in the Windows version, AEW does just about everything that Release 11 for DOS does. Further, AEW users have all the benefits of working in the Windows environment. Features that appear in AEW but not in the DOS version of Release 11 include DDE support, the ability to import and export graphics through the Windows Clipboard, online access to the AutoCAD reference manual, and a programmable icon-based toolbar similar to those featured in other Windows applications.
The toolbar may be the single most important enhancement to AEW. Status panels in the toolbar show the current colour, drawing layer and cursor co-ordinates. Three preprogrammed buttons allow you to quickly toggle orthogonal and snap modes on and off, as well as switch to paper space. (Here, AEW’s designers didn’t go far enough: it would have been helpful if the toolbar could be configured to show other parameters, such as the current object snap mode.) The remaining buttons may be programmed with the command or commands of the user’s choice, permitting complex command sequences to be executed with a single mouse click.
AEW is full of surprises. The user interface is highly configurable, so if you don’t like the traditional AutoCAD command menu that occupies the right-hand side of the screen or the command line that appears at the bottom, a simple configuration change removes them. Unlike many Windows applications which disable input while a time-consuming operation is underway, AEW keeps its message queue active during lengthy screen redraws. If you don’t want to waste time while AEW redraws a complex screen, you can switch to another Windows program and return when redrawing is complete.
Surprisingly, AEW still only permits you to work on one drawing at a time. This will probably be remedied in Release 12 (due later this year), which is expected to support Windows’ Multiple Document Interface.
In performance, AEW can’t compare to the DOS-based AutoCAD. In our informal tests, AEW took an average of four times longer than did the DOS version of Release 11. If you plan to use AEW in industrial applications, you should invest in a fast processor and a video card that is optimised for Windows.
AEW’s help system should serve as a model for other Windows applications. The basic help system features help on AutoCAD commands and system variables, drawing tools and procedures, and also includes a glossary of terms. For the cost of another 12M of hard disk space, you can install Enhanced Help, which gives you online access to a hypertextbased version of the AutoCAD reference manual.
Hardy souls who tapped the Autodesk Development System (ADS) to customise AutoCAD Release 11 won’t be disappointed in the Windows version. AEW also supports ADS, enabling developers to write AutoCAD-callable routines in Microsoft, QuickC for Windows and Borland’s C++ 3.0.
Drawing files created with AEW are binary-compatible with files created with the DOS version. Windows users won’t have to worry about maintaining separate sets of drawing files. Other file types, such as .LSP and .SLD files, may also be used interchangeably.
Prior to AEW’s release, industry watchers wondered whether the name AutoCAD Release 11 Extension for Windows meant the product was a hasty port from the DOS version, designed to stall sales of other Windows CAD products until Autodesk could bring Release 12 to market. Don’t be misled by the name: AEW is a full-blown Windows application.
AEW’s low price of $150, combined with the explosive popularity of Windows, should be enough to guarantee its success. Veteran AutoCAD users will love it because they can now run AutoCAD alongside other Windows applications. New users will also appreciate it, because AEW makes learning AutoCAD easier than before.
Requires: 4M of RAM (6M recommended), 20M of hard disk space, Microsoft Windows 3.0 or later, numeric coprocessor, DOS version of AutoCAD Release 11 ($4850)
