AutoCAD A Great Drafting Tool Diminishes to Complaints

[cad-pe]

In 1988 I started using AutoCAD. There was no Forum to express problems. There seemed to be no problem with creating construction drawings using AutoCAD. Until AutoCAD Architecutre 2015 I have been almost completely content with AutoCAD. AutoCAD Architecture 2015 is a bust. The individuals at Autodesk stearing the direction of the product seem to be doing what they want and not listening to the people who use their product to make a living. I've been making my living using AutoCAD and creating drawings for my employers and clients to get a pay check for 42 years.

I don't know if the people at Autodesk have lost sight of who they are working for or not. They seem to be working for themselves, creating a product that is to satisfy themselves instead of creating a product for people who buy their product to use to make a living in creating drawings. The people at Autodesk have been giving the users the option to turn new features on and off, but now there is not an option to turn most new features off if the new feature does not fit the psychology of the individual user.

This forum is a nice thermometer for Autodesk. This forum should tell Autodesk personnel how well their product is doing. All I read is complaints. I never read anything about how nice AutoCAD has become. I can say that AutoCAD 2014 is probably the last version of AutoCAD that is the best. For now?  Will AutoCAD be able to keep adding features that make it the best drafting and design tool available? There are better software packages for creating construction drawings for houses and buldings better than AutoCAD Architecture, but they don't have the "bang" of LISP, VisualLISP, VBA, and ObjectX that allow a user to perform repetitive commands.

I pray Autodesk will survive until I retire, which isn't likely to be soon. I would like to see Autodesk allow any new feature they deciide is best for their themselves and their users to have the option of being turned off, because a new feature might be of benefit all users.

I'll continue to use AutoCAD to make my living, but I will only move up from Autodesk AutoCAD Architecture 2014 (AAA 2014) when the AAA 20xx will help me produce drawings with speed and accruacy for my employers and clients to get a pay check.

[Patchy]

in 1972 ?  Which version was it ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoCAD

[braudpat]

Hello from France

In 1972 ---> In 1982 !?

I am 57 years old and I began to use ACAD with R1.4 in 1984 ... It's difficult today for a software editor to implement real new features !?

Please ask Oracle Users about new versions : A lot of people are always using Oracle 10G (plus many patches - 10G2 is the right choice) then we get Oracle 11G (plus many patches - 11G2 is the good one) then now we have 12C (+patches) ...

The main difference for me between Autodesk and Oracle (I don't know if it's a good comparaison) is that Oracle release a new version every 3/4 years not EVERY year as Autodesk ... So often we have only minor improvments each year : it's normal for me !?

But regarding 2/3/4 releases (2/3/4 years) of ACAD, I estimate that the improvments are significative !

Autodesk has decided since 1999 (ACAD 2000) to release a new version every year ... It's the life ... So I follow Autodesk ...

[cad-pe]

Sorry, the memory cells short circuited. It was 1988 when I started AutoCAD  and Release 9. I do have a 5 1/2" floppy disk in the garage that has AutoCAD 1.1 on it.

[Patchy]

Yep, no doulble lines that can be curved for how many years is not an improvement at all.

[braudpat]

Hello

+1 with Patchy

YES, Multi-Lines have a great potentiel ! But Autodesk has never (almost) improved them ! Why ??

[darawork]

I enjoy the new releases every year, mainly the challenge of finding how to turn all the unessesary features off.

I can do it in about 1/2 an hour now; Classic Workspace. About 6 toolbar buttons when needed, then I just press [ctrl]+[0] and pretend it's '90 again.

I type all commands, so I have no need for ribbons, quad-menus, steering wheels, altimeters... any sort of HUD element gets switched off.

I feel sorry for you using Acad Architectural, it must be a lot harder to turn stuff off.... but it must be possible.

I stopped using vertical Acad versions after ADT3.3

What feature is annoying you this year?

[rkmcswain]

cad-pe wrote:

This forum ......... All I read is complaints. I never read anything about how nice AutoCAD has become.

That is just human nature. Few people seek out the forums to express satisfaction. The vast majority of forum posts are almost always going to be questions, complaints, support issues, etc.

It's a free market, there is nobody forcing anyone to use Autodesk products. However I suspect sales are doing pretty well and this is probably a huge feedback indicator for Autodesk IMO.

One thing is probably 99% sure is that posting your complaints here does little good. I don't believe the dev and marketing teams are hanging out here looking for ideas, issues, etc. Use the feedback form under "Contact Us" (bottom of this page) to get your message into the proper hands.

[pendean]

R9 start for me too: whether it took them 1-year or 3-4years for newer versions, I can't say I've ever used a flawless AutoCAD this whole time.

Let me count the problem versions back in the 'good old days'... R10-386, R12-Windows, R13, R2000 (R200i fixed it).

I personally don't understand why anyone upgrades every version immediately after release and expect miracles. Never a good idea IMHO, especially when something annoys the heck out of me 🙂

[dbroad]

Losing text labels on mode toggles was a dealbreaker for me.  The other features just aren't that much improved to overcome that loss.  This is probably the first time in 10 years that I will probably not install the software upgrade I've paid for.  Luckily 2014 was pretty good other than annoyingly incorrect autocorrects and autocompletes and the ubiquitous navcube and navbar.

The favorite 2015 features that I will probably forgo are : the dark theme, the printable map image, the viewport controls, and the lasso selection.

[braudpat]

Hello

As I alreday said on an other Topic (I don't remember which one), 2 features are "less or more" important for me :

- Windows 8.1 Support - Not an ACAD Fetaure

- Print/Plot BingMaps Photos (But we can't zoom in too much !  ---> GRRR !!)

(At the beginning of the 2014, we can zoom IN deeper and a few monthes later we CAN'T)

Lasso is a nice gadget : Capture Polygon Selection is enough for me !

[Ron-C]

Why do I pay for Subscrition ?

Works best for my company.

Why do I install ASAP.........Hoping for the next BIG thing that WILL speed up my production.(WRONG !)

2014 Was excellent for me..........never a problem (2D work only)

Now with 2015.....even I have seen the bugs !!!!!!

Lost items/production time  severly outway the the gains in 2015

Did the Beta testers miss these obvious bugs ! COME ON !   No horisontal scrowl bar !,  Gradient Hatch display problem ! Selection view does not show correct when doing "Area". I would think everyone (Beta testers included) that use Autocad would have seen these obvious items.

Yes.....I know they will work on these......but may not see SP1 until July ! ARG !

Ron

[dgorsman]

BETA testers are typically one-percenters/power users, so lack of horizontal scroll bar wouldn't even be thought of.  Some problems won't show up until its released to a much larger audience.  Even items which may be "obvious" wouldn't be changed if they don't crash the program, don't cause technical issues (ie. 10 unit line reporting as 8 units long), or are "just" an inconvenience (ie. lack of horizontal scroll bar).

[rkmcswain]

dgorsman wrote:

....... lack of horizontal scroll bar wouldn't even be thought of

I know people have varying preferences, but that is one thing I've been turning off since MDI was introduced in A2K. I really can't think of a more useless piece of the GUI.

On the other hand, I really despise the fact that the text labels for the status bar buttons are gone. IMO, there was no reason to change that. It was an option, so leave it as an option. I'm sure most other users don't care about that.

I suppose they can't please everyone.

[GrantsPirate]

On the other hand, I really despise the fact that the text labels for the status bar buttons are gone. IMO, there was no reason to change that. It was an option, so leave it as an option.

I too am not happy with the icons / text option being removed.  Icons can't convey an idea as quickly as a word or a few letters, not for me anyway.

[GrantsPirate]

I am working at going back to 2013 as we speak.  2014 introduced a problem with the keyboard input, 2015 added nothing I am interested in (ok I would make use of the model space viewport enhancements, but it isn't a must have) so back to 2013 for me.  Most of the 2015 visual stuff I have turned off where I can and not keeping the icon / text labels is enough to make me not upgrade.

[cad-pe]

I totally agree.

[dgorsman]

The icon-only option might be to do with internationalization support - different languages would need different text icons.  With a graphic icon language becomes irrelevant.

I'd be happy if those icons were customizable through the CUI editor.  That way, users can get what they want: text, picture, whatever.

[pendean]

Ron-C: hoping? Install and test, never commit until your testing pans out that it is worthy.
Don't have time to test? Well, who does: we are all swamped, that's why I never EVER mess with my Production tools.
Your previous version ought to be your primary while you transition (if you decide to transition).

[Steve_Johnson]

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@dgorsman wrote:

The icon-only option might be to do with internationalization support - different languages would need different text icons. 

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Maybe, but this is just as true for all the releases that provided the option before it was yanked in 2015. It's just a tiny part of the cost of supporting international language versions, something that many customers pay large sums for.