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Autocad
designer - 22/3/16 at 02:30 PM

After years of using Autocad 2000 it's now done as it's not compatable with modern systems.
I know its old, but I like it and the free ones, such as Draftsight, don't feel as good to me.
Anyone got a more 'up-to-date' version of Autocad they want rid of?


owelly - 22/3/16 at 04:03 PM

A few years ago, I downloaded a free 30 day trial version of AutoCAD and just kept changing the date on my PC. I don't know if this still works as I have a regit version of AutoCAD 2016.


nick205 - 22/3/16 at 05:27 PM

We use Solid Edge 3D at work. Not cheap, but it does the job and is quite easy to use.


obr_technology - 22/3/16 at 08:40 PM

I believe the student edition is now free for a year.

As a college we used to pay £5000 a year but autodesk have now made it free for education!


nick205 - 23/3/16 at 01:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by obr_technology
I believe the student edition is now free for a year.

As a college we used to pay £5000 a year but autodesk have now made it free for education!


Companies are crafty like that - get students to learn the software then buy it when they get jobs!


loggyboy - 23/3/16 at 01:55 PM

quote:
Originally posted by obr_technology
I believe the student edition is now free for a year.

As a college we used to pay £5000 a year but autodesk have now made it free for education!


Fine if you dont want to print, export or want PDF copies as its gets plastered with 'educational use only' or similar with student versions.


obr_technology - 23/3/16 at 02:26 PM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
quote:
Originally posted by obr_technology
I believe the student edition is now free for a year.

As a college we used to pay £5000 a year but autodesk have now made it free for education!


Fine if you dont want to print, export or want PDF copies as its gets plastered with 'educational use only' or similar with student versions.


Yeah, it certainly makes sense to them, it's a shame solidworks don't do the same as they are still costing me a fortune!


obr_technology - 23/3/16 at 02:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by obr_technology
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
quote:
Originally posted by obr_technology
I believe the student edition is now free for a year.

As a college we used to pay £5000 a year but autodesk have now made it free for education!


Fine if you dont want to print, export or want PDF copies as its gets plastered with 'educational use only' or similar with student versions.


Yeah, it certainly makes sense to them, it's a shame solidworks don't do the same as they are still costing me a fortune!


Fair point. I had assumed it was for personal use, and I've never had an issue from an engineering company refusing to manufacture something because it says education on the drawing.

If you were really keen I guess there is no reason why you couldn't photoshop it out, but a cracked copy would obviously be easier if you can get one?


Sam_68 - 23/3/16 at 02:35 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
Companies are crafty like that - get students to learn the software then buy it when they get jobs!


I've long been friends with a guy who used to be European Sales Director for Autodesk.

He reckoned at the time that they weren't even slightly interested in pursuing home users of 'hooky' copies of AutoCAD for this reason... they'd much rather be the industry standard on the back of pressure exerted by all the guys who were familiar with their products than to litigate themselves out of existence.

This is an even bigger risk for them, now that extremely capable, low-cost packages like Trimble SketchUp are gaining in popularity.

Have you ever heard of a home user (not a small business user) being prosecuted for using a cracked copy of AutoCAD or Solidworks?

No, I thought not.


mcerd1 - 23/3/16 at 02:54 PM

If you like 2000, don't get anything newer than 2014

We had to give up on 2k at work when we switched to x64 machines (win7) most of us got 2013/14LT, but some new ones have 2016. The latest versions don't have the ability to switch the UI into classic mode, that means your stuck with the stupid ribbons !

For every new tool/feature that should be an improvement I find that most of them just get in my way
At least I've worked out how to make 2014 behave like 2k, but its still far slower

[Edited on 23/3/2016 by mcerd1]


Neville Jones - 25/3/16 at 11:50 PM

There's a russian rip-off of Autocad called Nanocad. There's a free version, and pay a modest yearly subscription for the 'Pro' version.

It's Autocad in every sense, at least the version I saw.

Cheers,
Nev.


Neville Jones - 25/3/16 at 11:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Sam_68

Have you ever heard of a home user (not a small business user) being prosecuted for using a cracked copy of AutoCAD or Solidworks?

No, I thought not.


YES! As I posted recently about a friend of my son. Dassault USA are actively pursuing users of cracked and illegal copies of Solidworks, worldwide. As I pointed out, SW pings the main server in the USA every time the computer it is installed on is booted. Info sent is MAC address, IP address, SW serial no., and even the Win serial number.

They found him on email due to his going on the SW info site. I don't know how, but it happened. And I've heard similar from others. As it turned out, the youngsters girlfriend is a barrster, and he jst told the solicitors who contacted him here to F off or prove that it was actually him. Didn't hear another word.

Cheers,
Nev.


Camber Dave - 26/3/16 at 08:50 AM

Try TurboCad

I lost the use of my cracked Solid Works and Autocad years ago and Bought a copy of TurboCad Designer.
The protocols are different to Auto cad but once mastered give no problems.

The trick is to buy an old version and upgrade.
There is a version of 20 (2013) on Amazon for £8.06

Through Paul Tracey (https://paulthecad.com/) I upgrade every two years and I am very pleased.
You could also ring him direct – he will probably do you a deal. He also offers training , manuals and support.

Turbo Cad will read your old drawing files


Sam_68 - 26/3/16 at 09:40 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Neville Jones
YES! As I posted recently about a friend of my son. Dassault USA are actively pursuing users of cracked and illegal copies of Solidworks, worldwide.

You're saying that they sent a solicitors's letter (e-mail?!), but didn't prosecute, so by 'YES!', what you actually mean is 'NO!'?

I do know of businesses who have been acted against for using illegal CAD software and, trust me, you don't get a nice letter in advance that gives you time to delete the software and scrub your computer clean of all the evidence. Their solicitors turn up on your doorstep one morning with a warrant to enter your premises, and it's game over.

Dassault Systemes and Autodesk are two entirely different companies, of course.

AutoCAD is written and published by Autodesk. Perhaps Solidworks is now taking a different approach, though your son's 'friend' is still the first person I've heard of (anecdotally, and not very strenuously, by the sound of it) to be pursued in such a way... and I know plenty of people who are running hooky copies of Solidworks.

Of course, if you're dumb enough to access services on the Solidworks website using the registration from a bent copy of the program, you might as well run up and down outside their head office with no clothes on and a placard saying 'look at me - I'm using your software illegally'. You kind of get what you deserve.

Ironically (and mainly to p1ss Autodesk off, I reckon), it is Dassault Systemes who publish DraftSight, which is a free AutoCAD compatible 2D CAD program.

quote:
Originally posted by Neville Jones
There's a russian rip-off of Autocad called Nanocad. There's a free version, and pay a modest yearly subscription for the 'Pro' version.

There are a number of products based on a software platform called Intellicad, of which Nanocad is one, I believe.

I've had the grave misfortune to have had to use one of the others, Progecad, the company for which is based in Switzerland, for several months in a professional setting. It's as flaky as hell, though I guess it wouldn't be too bad if you were using it on an amateur basis. To be fair, Progecad includes some things that even AutoCAD lacks, such as the ability to print to 3D PDF's, but that wasn't enough to make me stop hating the thing.

In my darker moments, the conspiracy theorist within me was convinced that Intellicad were none other than Autodesk in disguise and that the whole Intellicad software base was merely AutoCAD with a whole lot of new and exciting bugs introduced as a means of frustrating people into buying the genuine article.


I'm in two minds about the whole licensed software thing: whilst on the one hand I'm happy to pay a license for my main CAD software, as I make a living out of it, I'm not happy to spend several £thousand on a new software package in order to learn it, before deciding whether I want to use it commercially. The free 30-day trial periods usually offered simply aren't long enough (I have other things to do with my life, so I can't commit most of that month to learning a new software package)... perhaps they would do better to offer rolling licenses with ultra-low cost for the first 500 hours (or whatever) use, so that the cost is realistic in the early stages (when you're not going to be very productive with the software), but increased as you use it to a level where it should be making you money?

[Edited on 26/3/16 by Sam_68]


Volvorsport - 26/3/16 at 10:15 AM

I think the cloud based cad like on shape is a new step forward.....combined with draftsight for easier stuff.....


Sam_68 - 26/3/16 at 10:19 AM

Yes, I agree - makes much more sense for collaborative working, too, and you don't need to worry about data back-up.

PAYG is easy on cloud-based services, too, which makes it much fairer for light users