Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Most important to many people — especially if you work in 2D drafting exclusively and
don't see a need to spend a lot of time learning AutoCAD's customization languages — is
the much lower cost of AutoCAD LT. You can buy either version online (visit
www.autodesk.com and click Purchase, then Shop Online) and in the first month of 2011,
AutoCAD listed at $3,995 and AutoCAD LT at $1,200 (both prices are for boxed packages
and don't include a subscription).
3D Abilities
This may be the most significant difference for some users. If you want to model in 3D,
you have no choice but to use the full version. In AutoCAD LT, you can open and view 3D
models created in the full version of AutoCAD, but you can't edit them or create new
ones. The only 3D construction you can do in AutoCAD LT is to apply a thickness prop-
erty to linework. (In AutoCAD, thickness means perpendicular to the drawing plane; don't
confuse it with width , which applies to objects on the drawing plane.)
And even if you can open 3D models from the full version in AutoCAD LT, it's not easy to
view them. There are only a limited number of preset viewing positions, unlike the full
version where you can rotate or orbit around your model to your heart's content.
Finally, because AutoCAD LT is really a 2D drafting program, there are no visualization or
presentation capabilities, unlike the full program, which has several built-in visual
styles, such as Conceptual and Realistic, as well as a humongous materials library for
rendering models.
Customization Options
This one is also a biggie for many people. Talk to seasoned AutoCAD users at work or
your local user group, and you'll find that their key to happiness is being able to custom-
ize AutoCAD so it does what they want with the minimum amount of time or effort. The
full version of AutoCAD supports a number of Application Programming Interfaces, or
APIs. These include AutoCAD's very own programming language — AutoLISP — and its
marginally friendlier sibling Visual LISP, ActiveX Automation, and compiled language
programming using ObjectARX or Microsoft's .NET framework.
Although you can do fairly simple customization in AutoCAD LT — for example, creating
or modifying toolbars, writing scripts, or using custom hatch patterns or linetypes —
none of the higher-level programming described in the preceding paragraph is possible
in LT.
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