Request feedback on AutoCAD Mechanical

[bagchis]

AutoCAD Mechanical users,

The team at Autodesk is interested in hearing your feedback about the product, this will help ensure we are building the right product to meet your needs and investing in the correct areas for the future. We are looking for feedback on what things work well for you in the product, things that are currently there in the product but you feel need improvement and any new areas you would like to see us invest in for the future. Your feedback could also include other topics like product usability, installation/admininstration, learning and training, buying experience of the product etc.

We would appreciate any feedback you have to share with us, it will help us to build a better product for you. You can share your feedback with us via email, by sending it to me at shibai.bagchi@autodesk.com or if you would like to discuss via phone you can send me an email and I will schedule a time for us to connect.

Thanks, we look forward to hearing from you.

Shibai Bagchi

Product Manager

AutoCAD Mechanical

[CadMonster6]

I have been using AutoCAD since 2000.  At my work we've been using mechanical forever now.  I know that every time there is a new release of ACADM there are some growing pains.  Some things change.  Some things get dropped. Some things get added.  I was using 2010 for a long time until this month. The IT department updated my work computer to 2013 ACADM.  It was part of a design suite that was installed on my work computer.  It is common at my work for us not to upgrade every year to the newer versions of AutoCAD.  Usually there is some consistency from year to year with the look, feel, and functionality of ACADM.  Did something happen at Autodesk from 2010 to 2013 to cause ACADM to change so radically?  The menus, tool bars, right click menus, and so many other things changed from their normal locations.  It is way too much change.  I have been spending a lot of time customizing menu's and tool bars just to get things to look and function normal.  There are some things that I like but the number of things I do not like far outweigh the likes.

I do not use ribbons.  I have been using toolbars since the beginning.  Autdesk keeps adding more layers of USER interface to do simple things.  Example I cannot right click and simply paste.  I have to right click go down to the clipboard line move my pointer over to the drop down menu and then click past.  I know paste is simple and there many ways to do paste but this is just an example of too much user interaction to do something simple.  I had to make my own button and add it to a toolbar just to invoke the leader command.

I would rate 2013 AutoCad Mechanical as the worst iteration of Mechanical AutoDesk has ever released.  Sure it does a lot of cool stuff but when things work good as they are doesn’t mean they need to be changed or rearranged to show off a pretty slicked up new interface.  I do not know what kind of vision AutoDesk has for AutoCAD.  I hope this certainly isn’t it.  There are way too many good design programs out there now to be changing things that do not need to be changed.  You have so many users of Mechanical.  I have a coworker that types every command.  I use toolbars.  No one has warmed up to the ribbons.  I am not against change but some things should just be what they have always been.

[KristinLindberg]

Shibai Bagchi:

I am writing this email in response to your request for feedback about AutoCAD Mechanical via the Autodesk Community forum for AutoCAD Mechanical.

As they say: “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

I do not like the automatic Power Dimensioning feature. I would prefer to be able to dimension as normal. Power Dimensioning can be helpful at times, but most of the time I find it to be a terrible headache. I prefer 2010 over 2013 any day of the week. The changes that came about in 2013 are terrible to deal with, a pain, a hassle – to say the least.

AutoCAD Mechanical is no longer command line friendly, at least, not like 2010 was. I use a lot of command line, I don’t press buttons or click the mouse often. I do not like the feature where AutoCAD tries to figure out what you are wanting to do with command line entries. I'm typing TR for TRIM, not trackpath, not trayicons.

Another thing I use at work a lot are leaders. Leaders are finicky to deal with in 2013, I’ve resorted to using lines and polylines in order to make the leaders show properly. I never had this issue in 2010.

It feels like a “version for Dummies” now, with the AutoCAD Mechanical 2013 version.

[bagchis]

Kirstin,

Thanks for reaching out. Can we have a phone conversation around this topic, it will help us to understand your needs better. Please send me an email (shibai.bagchi@atodesk.com) and let me know your availability.

Thanks

Shibai Bagchi

Product Manager

Autodesk

[snakerancher]

After matching properties the paintbrush stays at the crosshairs.

This has been a problem with the last two or three releases. It's a know issue by Autodesk.

If things aren't going to be fixed then why ask for our input? I just don't understand.

[michaelsu]

Hi snakerancher,

Regarding the issue of paintbrush stays near the cursor, can you please try 3DCONFIG command to check for graphics update in case there's any update? See snapshot which I use 2013 for example. Also, can you try to close the drawing and reopen it to see whether the issue goes away?

Hope it helps.

[not2013]

2013 is wasting large amounts of my time with needless nonsense.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NO ONE UPDATES past 2011mech ever.  Waste of money for the product and waste of time trying to get it to do simple things.

Very disappointed. 

For those in the know about software writting.  Service Pack 2 says it all.  If It was written right to begin with there wouldn't be any service packs.

Have a nice day!

David Tichenor

[CadMonster6]

Could you give some specifics? I am curious what problems you have been having.

[snakerancher]

This has been happening for the past two or three releases.

My model is at true north, my viewport is rotated so model is horizontal left to right let's say.

When I am in layout space and I activate the model and double click on text to edit it

the two attached pictures show what happens.

Any input as to how to resolve this so text remains at 0 would help.

Thank you,

Brian

[michaelsu]

Hello Brian,

Have you tried to select the text and set in property pallette - enable the Annotative and then the Match orientation to layout property? 

Hope it helps. If it doesn't, please share me your sample drawing to zhiyuan.su@autodesk for a further look.

[CadMonster6]

Just went back to AutoCAD Mechanical 2010.  There are just to many problems with 2013.

[not2013]

To make you think that they care.

[not2013]

I envy you, we will not be able to go back (at this client) to the better older version of mech. 

I run ACAD Rel 14 on my old XP PC.  Even though my computer with mech2013 has 6 times the ram and over 5 times the processiing power.  Rel 14 on XP (a crappy operating system) runs circles around mech2013.  I type an L for the line command and it takes at least 5 seconds for the command to register.  Not sure what acad is unsure about.  This is sign of unstable software.

Inventor is not much better. I was editting a part with 8 holes, now the parent hole will not show up on the part as well as 5 of the patterned holes. Only 2 of the patterned holes show in the part, while the parent hole is not visible. If I place my mouse over the feature in the tree then the holes show up in dashed line mode unitl I move the mouse selector away from the feature.  Again I am seeing things with 2013 that I've never ever seen before.  THIS SOFTWARE IS TOTALLY UNSTABLE.

Easily lost 50hrs of work time in the 2 months we been using suite2013.