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

59 REPLIES 59
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Message 1 of 60
mlynskey
8243 Views, 59 Replies

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

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...

 

59 REPLIES 59
Message 41 of 60
cococless
in reply to: MacCadder

So I guess you don't know much about hardware? At school we were running AutoCAD on PIII machines and they work just fine. It is in my believe that most users are using it as a 2D drawing program.

I have a macbook 3,1 and at first I was running AutoCAD 2010 native on true Boot Camp for school (education: building and construction), even Revit with 3D rendering. It worked perfect. Now I am running these programs through  VMWare (virtualization) because even that works still fine and now I don't need to restart my machine everytime.

It is possible, only AutoDesk doesn't have the solution.

Message 42 of 60
mlungisimhlanga
in reply to: mlynskey

so if i run a windows vista on my white macbook as a parallel, then i ll be able to install the autocad 2011, even with the same graphics card

Message 43 of 60
mlynskey
in reply to: cococless

I was running full blown Civil 3D 2010 on a MacBook 3.1 using VmWare sucessfully.  It was slow to open but ran okay once started.  Recently, however, the license expired so I uninstalled & upgraded to Acad 2011 (just Autocad Map, not full Civil).  I have not been able to get it to work correctly -- it simply shuts it self down upon startup, with no error message or anything.  I have uninstalled again and reinstalled to no success, and then just tried to reinstall 2010 and now it does the same thing.

 

I've spent countless hours downloading, installing, uninstalling, etc., and am now at the point of just giving up.  It is such an insane pain in the *** to try to get the software to work that I just don't want to deal with it any more.  I might just try to use it on my wife's Windows computer or just give up on it altogether & find another solution, such as Vectorworks or Intellicad.

Message 44 of 60
MacCadder
in reply to: mlynskey

All I'm going to add is this thread is about installing AutoCAD for Mac, which for some don't seem to understand that this is specific software for the Mac platform. It's not about installing Virtualization software on your Mac to run a PC version of AutoCAD, they are different products. When you figure that out, maybe post back with some meaningful posts that contribute to users who are trying to install the actual software designed for the Mac platform.

Message 45 of 60
mlynskey
in reply to: MacCadder

I started the post so I can post here if I want...  The post was originally about trying to install Autocad for Mac on an older Macbook.  Since that's not possible (due to Autodesk "blocking" it from installing) I have been describing my workarounds for others in a similar situation to learn from.  I have no real desire to keep the thread going but was just responding to a recent question...

Message 46 of 60
jmuccigr
in reply to: MacCadder

Several of us keep making the point that our Macs are capable of running  AutoCAD (based on their ability to run it when emulating Windows), but the software itself prevents the running based on the graphics card we have installed (about which we obviously have no choice).

 

I think we understand that there's programming that goes on to make these things work.

 

So we're asking for the software to be made to work with the graphics cards we currently have, which - again - work when Windows is being run in emulation, which strongly suggests that this is a surmountable problem.

Message 47 of 60
justabell
in reply to: tom.stoeckel

Please help!

 

I know this is a 6 month old post, but this one seems to be the only one that I have found addressing my issue:

 

I have a 15" MacBook Pro 3,1, I just downloaded the AutoCAD for Mac, but it won't install.  When I click on the installer icon...nothing happens.

 

How did you get the AutoCAD to work on your MacBook Pro 3,1..?

 

Thanks,

Justin

 

Specs:

 

Model Name: MacBook Pro

  Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1

  Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

  Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz

  Number Of Processors: 1

  Total Number Of Cores: 2

  L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB

  Memory: 2 GB

  Bus Speed: 800 MHz

  Boot ROM Version: MBP31.0070.B07

  SMC Version: 1.16f11

  Serial Number: W87381AYX91

  Sudden Motion Sensor:

  State: Enabled

 

Message 48 of 60
maxim_k
in reply to: justabell

Hi Justin,

 


@justabell wrote:

Please help!

......

I have a 15" MacBook Pro 3,1, I just downloaded the AutoCAD for Mac, but it won't install.  When I click on the installer icon...nothing happens.

 

How did you get the AutoCAD to work on your MacBook Pro 3,1..?

....

 


From System Requirements for AutoCAD for Mac 2011 you can see, that it can run on hardware, that was produced after January, 2009 (MacBookPro5,1).

 

 

Maxim


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Etiquette and Ground Rules of Autodesk Community
Message 49 of 60
justabell
in reply to: justabell

Oh, and the video card specs:

 

GeForce 8600M GT:

 

  Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT

  Type: Display

  Bus: PCIe

  PCIe Lane Width: x16

  VRAM (Total): 128 MB

  Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)

  Device ID: 0x0407

  Revision ID: 0x00a1

  ROM Revision: 3175

  Displays:

Color LCD:

  Display Type: LCD

  Resolution: 1440 x 900

  Depth: 32-bit Color

  Built-In: Yes

  Core Image: Hardware Accelerated

  Main Display: Yes

  Mirror: Off

  Online: Yes

  Quartz Extreme: Supported

Message 50 of 60
nsda_arch
in reply to: stevejb

Currently having the same issue (installs fine, fails with "WHIP cannot initialize") with a brand-new Mac Mini 4,1 with 8 GB ram. This model is above the minimum spec (Mac Mini 3,1), and is even the recommended Mac Mini version. Frustrating, but I've sent a support request to Autodesk Customer Support and am hopeful for a positive resolution

Message 51 of 60
maxim_k
in reply to: nsda_arch

Hi,

 

FYI:

I have seen such message from AutoCAD only once: on hackintosh system with incorrectly loaded display drivers.

Check Graphics/Display state in System profiler.

 

Maxim


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Maxim Kanaev
Architect
MARSS

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Etiquette and Ground Rules of Autodesk Community
Message 52 of 60
antoniofontenele
in reply to: mlynskey

This issue remembers me the issue with 386-DX / 386-SX Intel Processors and AutoCAD R10. 386-SX did not have a math co-processor, and Autodesk blocked access to AutoCAD R10 due this hardware limitation. But someone wrote a nice and little software that cheated with this limitation, and we could run AutoCAD R10 in a 386-SX based machine. And the performance was acceptable. We just need some programmer that could cheat with AutoCAD 2011 for Mac limitation.

Message 53 of 60
c4pt1n54n0
in reply to: mlynskey

its easy, there is literally a list of "unsopported gfx cards" in it the mpkg.

Message 54 of 60
aksaks
in reply to: c4pt1n54n0

Nice work c4pt. The file is "unspt_gfx_cards". Fixing this file should get one past the instaIl checker but it may not solve the WHIP issue. This unspt_gfx_cards file is a simple text file in the Contents/Resources folder of Install....mpkg file. You get to it by selecting Show Package Contents after right clicking the mpkg. The install checker may be trying to find any of the full lines of text in the computer's graphic's name, so make sure to repair any line that you think could be found in the graphics name. The trick is saving the repaired file. The mpkg may be available only as part of a disk image and therefore locked. So copy all the files out of the disk image out to a folder. Then fix. The mpkg may want to be in a disk image to run properly. Use Disk Utility to make an large enough new disk image.

Message 55 of 60
paulbreen911
in reply to: mlynskey

I too am having this problem.

 

I've edited the unsupported graphics file within the .mpkg file after copying it out of the .dmg file. Saved it, then tried re-installing it. Perfect. Installed no problem.

 

Now all I'm getting is "WHIP failed to initialize". Sent report to Autodesk, I expect the usual "Your graphics card is not supported blah blah"

 

So is there anyone out there who can repair this WHIP and get it to initialize?

Message 56 of 60
sebasco80
in reply to: josue_sb

I´m sorry, but your answer is the kind that says it all...and nothing...

The bottom line I still can´t understand, is how the hell is my macbook´s graphic card uncapable to run AutoCad on OS X while it´s perfectly capable of running it on Windows in parallels?!!! It makes no sense 

And yes, Autodesk says.........and yes Apple says.......but they never ¨explain the reasons¨ why many of us have to dump perfectly good computers on behalf of one program.

 

 

Message 57 of 60
RickGraham
in reply to: sebasco80

Live with it. It's not going to change.

Sent from my iPhone. Pardon any misspellings or otherwise that I may have fat-fingered.
Rick

Message 58 of 60
pendean
in reply to: mlynskey

Windows by Microsoft, OSX by Apple, using two differently coded AutoCAD programs for each: what part of this don't you understand?
You are comparing apples to oranges: just because they come from the same orchard doesn't make them equal. Pay attention my friend, program coding is not so simplistic.
Message 59 of 60
David_Stacey
in reply to: mlynskey

@sebasco80

If you don't have a supported graphics card to run AutoCAD for Mac, you will have issues (duh).
The Windows and Mac versions are entirely different products. They both support different hardware and hence the issues you are having.
Message 60 of 60
maxim_k
in reply to: mlynskey

AutoCAD for Mac graphics engine works only with Hardware Acceleration, I think that should explain all. Low level graphics card can not produce acceptable results.

Maxim

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Maxim Kanaev
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MARSS

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