AutoCad for Mac doesn't work on older white MacBook?

[mlynskey]

My white MacBook has an integrated graphics card, which doesn't seem to be compatible with the new Autocad.  I get an error message upon trying to install the program that the graphics card is not supported.  I run Autocad fine on the same machine using Windows, so it should be possible...

[bethtibbles]

I have the same problem for a black MacBook. I run AutoCAD on it through Parallels already.

[maczag]

Is there a way to bypass System Hardware Detection and run it anyway ? I know that I may not get all the performance and features I should expect from a brand new computer running the software, but at least I could possibly be able to do basic drawing just fine. I think it's unfair to leave older hardware in the dark, as this same hardware can run Autocad just fine on bootcamp.

[pendean]

No bypass option, the hardware requirements are strict to avoid 'issues' for end users with the program's use.

Welcome to the world of Apple 🙂

[mlynskey]

...or welcome to the world of AutoCad.  I've never had any problem running any other program designed for Mac OS, including Adobe Suite, SketchUp, Vectorworks, etc.

[RickGraham]

Autodesk was pretty explicit on what hardware they would accept. Its all in the System requirements. And no, bypassing won't work (at least not that I'm aware of.

Rick

http://macacad.com

co-author Mastering AutoCAD for Mac - coming to your bookshelves this Thanksgiving!

[skaa]

i'm a user of autocad on PC since version R14, and i've used it with bootcamp for the last 3 years on a macbook pro and an imac. It's a shame that autodesk is making this kind of selection/exclusion leaving a lot of autocad and apple enthusiasts out. Frustrating! 

[pboyce]

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@pendean wrote:

Welcome to the world of Apple 🙂

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You mean welcome to the world of AutoDesk; no other software retailers for Mac that are worth their salt integrate such strict hardware and OS into their software. It causes so many problems, especially for users that have computers the software could run on if it weren't for the fact that the company who wrote it decided that oh, that can't possibly work. Ever! It tends to frustrate people down the line, and if it's done poorly it opens another door to software bugs.

[lilopie]

I was able to bypass the code that detects system hardware prior to installation, unfortunately, even after a successful installation AutoCad merely prompts "WHIP failed to initialize" upon application startup. It is quite a shame that Autodesk is limiting us from obtaining the most from our Apple purchases, especially since they are such an investment in the first place.

[pendean]

I'm not defending anyone, but... if you're going to write software for a new platform and want to ensure it does not get tainted by failings like it does on current platofrms due to heavy 'legacy' issues, you make sure your new software only runs on the 'best' of the new platform and you give up trying to please those that want legacy compliance.

And no offense to you or any other Apple user, but you bought into an expensive system that touts very few crashes for one reason: you are forced to buy newer hardware faster than any other platform. So enjoy the Apple ride, or jump off that train and get on the Windows' hold-on-to-legacy-and-hope-it-all-works train that the other 80% of the computer world is on.

[josue_sb]

Same here.  Bypassed the restriction but when I try to launch the program, it prompts me the Whip failed to initialize!  It's a shame I have a machine to work simultaneously with two OS's, the virtualized one using Autocad, and the other with a lot of programs opened, but it turns out it can't handle autocad for mac, whoah. 

[dgorsman]

Perhaps some of the AutoDesk folks could chime in here about the hardware testing they did if posters behave themselves.  The inside testers or BETA program members may have tried the program on the older hardware and found unacceptable results.  Maybe they just didn't have access to such hardware.  The point is, we just don't know.

[jmuccigr]

I'd like a response from AutoCAD too.

Another user of AutoCAD under a virtualized Windows XP system on a MacBook that is allowed to run it.

[pheyser]

My particular MacBookPro5,5 (mid-2009 13" 2.26GHz nVidia 9400M) doesn't meet the minimum requirement but was tested by Autodesk, per the reply here.  It still crashes when I tried to load.  By the way, even though mine doesn't meet the minimum requirements, AutoCAD for Mac still installs fine.

[pl4n-b]

is there a workaround yet?

same is for me...

last black macbook - 4,1 - 2.4 ghz - 4gb ram - gma x3100 grafics...

cant get it installed due to grafic limitations... in windows7 (bootcamp) it works like a charm.

cheers a.

[jmuccigr]

And this is not an emulated system, so the Windows version is supporting a graphics card that the Mac version doesn't. Bootcamp is Windows running natively on Apple's Intel hardware.

Now, that's not surprising, given the newness of the Mac version, but it does show that this isn't a hardware limitation, it's a software one.

[RickGraham]

Autodesk CLEARLY spells out what machines work with AutoCAD for Mac.

I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere that the reason is that QA has determined that certain video cards do not perform well with AutoCAD for Mac. This is regardless if you have an application that was written back in 1974 or whether it was written yesterday. It is the software author's prerogative to lock things that just don't work. Haven't looked, so don't get huffy with me, but it seems that doing this sort of thing might be in violation of the EULA.

While most of you do not like this and are clearly trying to circumvent the requirements (something that PC users do all the time and then complain because X doesn't work), otherwise this thread would not be in existence.

Read the readme file especially the hardware requirements before downloading/agreeing to the application.

'nuff said (from me).

RIck

[mlynskey]

That's fine with me.... this will just be the final straw that gets me to learn Vectorworks.  

[TimOlson51]

Rick,

Part of the frustration expressed here by others is it seems that Autodesk really doesn't have a clue what it's doing. The published list for System Requirements CLEARLY states that my 4,1 MacBookPro (15" from early 2008) won't work! Yet, after reading in a different post (by an Autodesk employee) that it WOULD work I installed a trial version just fine. Go figure.

Part of my frustration with Autodesk is I don't think it has a clue what it's doing!. I'm a current Revit Architecture Suite 2011 subscriber. I asked my reseller and Autodesk directly if I could swap out the Windows version of AutoCAD for the new Mac version in my subscription at renewal. Holy Cow, what upheaval! Why is it so difficult for Autodesk to fathom that it's end users might want something so logical. (Not to mention my inquiries about the possibility that Revit might also be ported to native Mac!)

Unfortunately I've come to realize this Mac release is really just a .9 Beta. I'll wait for the dust to settle and others to be guinea pigs while I plug away in Bootcamp and Parallels!

Tim

PS. I'll check out your book soon.

[tom.stoeckel]

Like most system requirements published by Autodesk, these are considered minimum requirements for acceptable performance.  The sys reqs don't state that a MacBook Pro 4,1 won't work; what it states is a recommendation for MacBook Pro 5,1 or later (MacBook Pro 6,1 or later recommended). 

One of my Macs that runs AutoCAD for the Mac is a Mac Pro 3,1 (which does not meet the minimum recommended system requirements) and I haven't had any issues ... but that doesn't mean I won't.  If I start hitting my system hard with massive drawings, lots of 3D solids, rendering, etc., I could run up against limitations in what that system can reasonably handle.  We do test against the various models and versions of Macs; we don't just pull these recommendations out of the air.  As I said in another post, the AutoCAD for Mac system requirements were chosen to try and establish a minimum environment for acceptable performance on the different models of Macs that are available.

This is really no different than AutoCAD 2011 (for Windows) system requirements.  You may be able to run it on a system that is below the minimum requirements and using a graphics card that is not certified or recommended.  We're not saying you can't do it (and there is certainly nothing to stop you from trying); we're simply saying we recommend using something better for improved performance.  If it works for you, great!  If it doesn't, then your system may be considered an unsupported environment because it doesn't meet the system requirements.