AutoCAD LT

[#1]

The AutoCAD LT team would like to talk to people who are interested in or have thoughts on web-hosted CAD programs, where you run the program over the internet instead of on your desktop.

If you’ve got an opinion or would like more information, email me at kate.morrical@autodesk.com or Robb Bittner, the AutoCAD LT Product Manager, at robb.bittner@autodesk.com.

[#2]

Personally, I don't think I would ever use something like Autocad, MS Office, Quickbooks (I also do bookkeeping) as online services. I rely on them working regardless of an internet connection. I will sometimes work on them on my laptop in someone's office or at a worksite, and there is no way to always have a reliable internet connection. I also rely on backups, multiple copies etc. to always have my data to hand.

This is why I think of something like the Chromebook as a brickbook, or paperweight on a windy day on a hillside jobsite with no or poor reception for things like cell phones, internet.

In the area of backups, I can take responsibility for my data security, but if it's in a cloud in Sweden somewhere and it isn't working, who do I turn to?

Something like email is by it's nature an online srevice, but a working program like Autocad, no way would I rely on an online program or data storage.

GChapp

[#3]

I agree with gccad.  I do see how there could be one advantage though.  Could you access online and be able to run cad from any machine you're able to install AutoCAD on?

[#4]

Being able to log in to a web application and run it from anywhere in the world (or above it) with any computer that has net access is one of the advantages of cloud services. Also, the "horsepower" is done in the cloud, so you only need a machine fast enough to to run web access and a browser quickly, it does not need to run Autocad quickly. You no longer need such a high performance PC, not as much memory, things like that.

And you could set your clients up with "view and markup" permissions, so they could log in and review it. MEP and structural could have their permissions, that kind of thing. All very accessible to various players with their own permissions.

This could spill over into when the plans are being built, whether a construction project or whatever. Access by building officials, construction management, contractors, etc. could all have their own permissions. Progress could be tracked.

RFIs could be answered with RTFPs please (with links) or revisions as needed, and the transfer of the information could be pretty quick. It could be a whole package on the cloud.

You might be perfectly happy with a $1,000 PC instead of a $3,500 PC, with most of your money in the monitor.

At least that is my understanding.

Autocad is "point and click" intensive, and it seems to me that web applications that have to send those commands back and forth are a bit more laggy than applicatons on the computer. I would not like that. But maybe that could be taken care of so that it's not an issue.

I'm just guessing on another point, but it also might free up Autodesk from some constraints in their programming. They would not have to make their core program compatible with anything other than the main computers it runs on. Would give them more freedom to choose their own OS, design their own hardware and add more features that might cripple or be hard to implement for typical PCs.

The OS on the PC might become less relevant as long as it can run a browser standardly.

I'm sort of thinking Revit would really benefit from the cloud.

GChapp

[#5]

More like a $300 computer + huge monitor price: another advantage is we would all be using the same exact current version all the time, no more of this LT97 on Win7 type issues or saving down.

There are many pluses, too many infact, not to ignore. But the two central issues that are not resolved is these: you have an end of day deadline and your internet connection is dead, where are your files and how are you going to work on them to meet your deadline? where are your most current files held in such situations?

We don't live in Japan: high speed Wifi (free or not) is not prolific on every street corner, and most offices do not have dual/redundant internet services.

[#6]

Hi Katie,

We have just been moved from one company to another and had to have all our systems replaced.  Some of the surveyors have been given stand alone laptops but the majortity have been given what they call Rabbit boxed with acccess through Citrix.  These people are naving no end of problems with setting up AutoCad and the resolution of their screens.  Perhaps if CAD was web based these problems would not occur.

Regards

[#7]

Start a new thread with the screen resolution issues

Include OS and Graphics specs as well as the relevant Autodesk product in use.

Could be nothing more than a setting or two either in CAD or Windows.

Someone just the other day lamented that they should have posted thier graphics problem that was solved in short order here rather than the two laptops he went through blaming the hardware for the last six months.