AutoCAD 2013 Wish List?

[nrz13]

Is there an official place to request features for the next version of AutoCAD?

What I would like to see are center-point grips added to polygonal elements, just as a center grip appears for circles.  An implied center-point grip would be useful too, for instance, for selecting two normal lines and having a center point calculated between the implied geometry area.

[Anonymous]

fix dimreassociate for angular dimensions

have only one type of leader, controlled by dimension style and get rid of mleader styles 

[Anonymous]

1. Please make the 3drotate command work in orthogonal view to, actually by specifying an axis of rotation as in previous versions.

2. In previous version (2005) when i want to use coordinates entered previously i just pres up-arrow and i get the same coordinates(or some other number). But since 2006 it wont work.

3. I wonder if there any possibility to make xrefs also with editable attributes as blocks.

4. It would be nice if the file's full path will be shown on the top of autocad window. (see attached pic)

[rkmcswain]

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@Anonymous wrote:

2. In previous version (2005) when i want to use coordinates entered previously i just pres up-arrow and i get the same coordinates(or some other number). But since 2006 it wont work.  Check out INPUTHISTORYMODE

4. It would be nice if the file's full path will be shown on the top of autocad window. (see attached pic)  

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[TexShalter]

Bring Back 3DS OUT

[heinsite]

It does seem odd to me also that a software package as old and as advanced as AutoCAD hasn't adopted the update model used by so many other programs.  Let's count a few we're all probably familar with and used to:  iTunes, Google Earth, SketchUp, PhotoShop (and most all Adobe products), and many others.  All of these have a "Check for Updates" option somewhere even those that actively remind you if an update is available.  Some even offer beta updates.

That's really what AutoCAD needs too in my opinion;  some mechanism to immediately push out fixes as soon as they're available.  The SP model is more Microsoft than modern.

Dave.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

@TexShalter:

>> Bring Back 3DS OUT

Use _EXPORT and the FBX-format, having that exported you can use FBX Converter (look >>>here<<<) to convert to many fileformats used in the visualisation industry. 3DS does not hold 10% of the options that are used from animationsystems nowadays.

@heinsite:

>> All of these have a "Check for Updates" option somewhere even those that actively remind you if an update is available

So does AutoCAD have also, it's just a question of CommunicationCenter/Exchange to get informed, being logged in, or having disabled it.

- alfred -

[heinsite]

I'm aware of CommCenter and Exchange and both are activated in my installation.  But since 2012 was released I also don't recall any update notifications other than SP1.  In that same period of time Adobe pushed updates for Photoshop and Lightroom multiple times, Google SketchUp at least several tweaks, and iTunes... who can even count their updates anymore there are so many?  Many other programs I use had a similar 2011 history.  And that's my point.  With so many software vendors now set up to provide incremental update fixes as soon as they make them why not Autodesk?  One a year?  Sorry, I'm not impressed. It's a bad metric for Autodesk.

Thankfully virtually all of the problems and bug fix requests I've read about this past year haven't affected me.  But it's probably only a matter of time.  This next release begins a new 3-yr cycle.  It's this one I'll worry about.

Dave.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I also don't recall any update notifications other than SP1

Maybe that's now beginning to be OT. What I would understand is that also releasing HotFixes may be woth to get notified for, but HotFixes (as I understand) should only be installed when I run into problems they solved.

If other products have hundred updates a week or just one a month ... it has all it's good and it's bad side of view. E.g. Microsoft's updates ==> they are coming week by week and if you started with Win7 you have now installed hundreds of HotFixes .... even if you didn't have the problem. BUT you have lost performance because of raising registry-size +fragmentation of the registry and the filesystem, a lot of saved system-states .... What do I do to avoid this perfomance problem? Set up my pc every year starting with a Win-medium that includes already servicepacks and so the HotFixes don't have to be installed separately. RegistryCleaners don't come to that performance compared to a new setup.

And now the big question, what do you like:

a) an installation of AutoCAD with all HotFixes even for problems you don't have (and so slower AutoCAD than a clean install)

b) a fast AutoCAD (without HotFixes you don't need)

It's just to look at the other side, I don't say with that my way is the only right one. Everyone has it's own understanding and way to work and to think.

I also don't forget the times where some automatic update created more problems than it solved. SysAdmins always want first to check if it's worth to install and if it does not include some new bugs that stops from beeing productive.

Just my 2c, - alfred -

[heinsite]

Mine is a single license system.  Over the years I've become very conscious of maintaining good backups, restore points, copies of old drivers, and CDs I'll probably never need.  It does help to be a natural pack rat.  But in such an environment I also have less risk accepting updates than someone with many seats to maintain. 

I'll take speed over a bloated registry too. 

Dave.

[Anonymous]

With as many complaints as have been posted on this forum, and only one service pack that's inadequate, I really have to wonder how few in Autodesk really care.

Perhape the incremental update route as mentioned previously is the way to go!

For all the "automatic" trouble reports I have allowed out (no more) I don't think one has been "solved."

ACAD froze yesterday in the layer dialogue, I had to go to task manager to "end task".

They have to many other "products" and basic Autocad seems to be at the end of the line for fixes.

Next year's upgrade being the first in the "3 year cyccle" should be real doozy for "issues".  I am on subscription but will wait at least 6 - 9 months before even thinking of upgrading!  I am trying to run a business, not fight with my "tools"!

I guess I'm in a bad mood today.

R

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> and only one service pack that's inadequate

Why do you forget the HotFixes? I always hear on one side "one update every year is to much" and on the other side "one servicepack within half a year is to less" PLUS the HotFixes are forgotten (name them "updates" instead of "HotFixes" and you got more than 1) 😉

>> They have to many other "products"

Thats part of buisness success for Autodesk, count number of products from Microsoft or any other great player in software market. If Autodesk only would have AutoCAD they would have been overtaken by other CAD software vendors.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

I don't have a problem with their other products, but more attention needs to be paid to the flag ship product - ACAD.

Forgot abut the "hot fixes", but they are still too few for all the issues we have.

R

[LeafRiders]

"I am on subscription but will wait at least 6 - 9 months before even thinking of upgrading!  I am trying to run a business, not fight with my "tools"!"  - GREAT IDEA

I've been down for about 30 hours over the past month or so trying to uninstall and reinstall 2012 Civil 3D and AutoCAD so I can "run a business". I wonder if Autodesk will pay the bill?

Getting back to the 2013 Wishlist... Autodesk should try not releasing 2013 at all, and focus on releasing a game changer for 2014. Since 2005 we've been working backwards, draftspeople are getting slow, and software is FATAL ERROR, crash, fill out an error report and submit. Reboot for 5 minutes and so on... Ultimately the same task 5 years ago takes longer to complete today because of Autodesk software issues.

I personally won't be spending a drop on Autodesk training, until Autodesk releases Civil 3D and AutoCAD without any errors or old commands that don't work. The software continues to blow up when you put it to the test. I'm guessing productivity across the globe is dropping as a result, meanwhile software costs are going up.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

I agree that it's a good option to wait a few months before installing a new version, a good time is to wait for SP1 (valid for any software, not just AutoCAD or Autodesk products).

>> until Autodesk releases Civil 3D and AutoCAD without any errors

Stay at reality, that is no option nowadays. Think of I would by a car, but the vendor has to promise me that it will not have any troubles within the next 10 years (I compare 1 software-year with about 5 car-years).

Software currently can't be free of errors as it's much to complex in development and the software is used in so many different ways you can't test in hundreds of years.

>>  trying to uninstall and reinstall 2012 [...] I wonder if Autodesk will pay the bill?

Great idea for my next 2-3 days (needed to get my systems running with the complete dev-stuff I use).

Another question: Will you pay Autodesk (or anyone else) there time if they find some settings on your pc that crashes the setup? ... and they had to search for these mis-settings 2 days?

I think it's not as easy in some cases, but millions of users have no problems getting software installed. The problems we read here seems to be a high rate because we see only these having troubles; all the others having success don't come here just to mention "All is OK, great work"!

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

- instead of adding new features, try improve similar existing ones . i e  content explorer and design center, mleader and qleader

- make autocad able to have several windows of same drawing . this way users can really benefit from dual monitors

- fix cui so users can customize without modifying acad menu group and make upgrade easier

[Anonymous]

- make any file browsing dialog capable of display preview as large as desired  ( like design center does )

- also fix preview to make it the same BG color as the dwg - 

i e black background in file should be black background in thumbnail .

a white bg makes a thumbnail useless as we can barely see light colored geometry  

[Anonymous]

Totally AGREE!!!

R

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> try improve similar existing ones . i e  content explorer and design center, mleader and qleader

Do you have more details to this?`Just "approve it" does not give much info. What is your wish, what can be approved for the leader-objects, for content-explorer (of course there I would suggest performance and ressources), also what about designcenter?

>> make autocad able to have several windows of same drawing

That may be a little bit difficult if you have multiple instances opened, what changes will then be saved if you have one drawing opened 3 times in 3 different editor sessions .... and do modifications in all of them.

Anyway you can resize your AutoCAD application window to start on the left side of the left screen and go up to the right side of the right screen ==> and if you open one drawing, create a layout with 10 different viewports (I do that with 3-4 when working with 3D) and place 5 viewports on the right and the others on the left monitor (whereas 10 is just a sample) .... wouldn't that work also for you. In this case the advantage is you can split not only in two sessions for two monitors, you can split as much as you like, .... but there is only one drawingfile in one editor-session opened.

>> fix cui so users can customize without modifying acad menu group and make upgrade easier

There is again "make it easier" without telling what or how it should be made easier. You have by default a custom area included for user-modifications ... just use it.

But anyway, it starts always with ideas, so just continue and go in depth ...!

- alfred -

[heinsite]

> make autocad able to have several windows of same drawing . this way users can really benefit from dual monitors

This request puzzles me too, because you can already do this in a number of ways, the most common one: creating viewports - either in Model space or as different Layouts or Viewports within a single layout.

The example below is a view of Model space and is all part of the same drawing file.  The views split it into four (4) equal windows.  Each is a different area of the drawing at its own scale.  Is this the point of the comment?  I'm not sure. 

I use dual monitors too, but I will usually keep the model all on one and use the extra monitor for palettes mostly.  Now and then I'll Maximize the AutoCAD window itself so it spans both monitors.  That gets me a lot more screen real estate but also puts palettes on top of things.  .

Dave.

[Anonymous]

- about multiple windows
i know about the multiple viewports, a good feature.  But as it is , it is not as convenient as i think multiple windows would be.  Independant windows would allow users to move them around and for instance arrange one (ore more)  on 2nd monitor with tool palettes.  I believe that would maximize screen space  . Microstation has a similar feature .

-  about duplicating features  
i think one has to agree that mleaders and content explorer are more or less duplicates of resp . qleader and adcenter .  
Wouldnt it have been more simple to add new functionalities to those existing commands, rather than start from scratch ?  
Also in the case of multileaders  ,  it doesnt seem logical to have a separate style for that particular object . Mleader is a dimensioning feature . there is no reason why it should not be controlled by dimstyle .  Think of  dimension / apply for instance . Consider how much less efficient that is with mleaders in a drawing.

-  about cui
in acad 2008 through 2010 , The "Edit" shortcut menu only works from Acad.cui . This issue was confirmed by R. Robert Bell in class from AU online . Perhaps it has been fixed . If not it it should be.