MacBook to Windows question

[Anonymous]

I have a MacBook Pro. I am taking Autocad this semester. If I do my drawings in Autocad on my Mac and email them to my instructor, who uses Windows, will there be any compatibility issues when he opens the drawings to grade?

[Anonymous]

No, it will be absolutely fine.

The only issue could be if it was saved in a version your instructor didn't have. By that I mean you can save your DWG as 2004/2007/2010/2013/2018 etc. 

[john.vellek]

HI @Anonymous,

I see that you are visiting as a new member to the AutoCAD for Mac forum. Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

The only issues I think you might have other than file format as suggested by @Anonymous, is with fonts or linetypes.  The instructor would need the same fonts as those installed on your Mac.  You can use PACKAGE (eTransmit) to include them when you send your file to your instructor.

You might also have some problems with Page Setups but they are not likely to cause any major problems.

You are more likely to have problems receiving files from Windows AutoCAD because the Mac version does not have Object Enablers.

If you want to explore the drawing transfer you can install Bootcamp on your Mac, install Windows in the new partition and then install Windows based AutoCAD.  This allows you to work in the Mac environment if you pefer and then transfer to the Windows version to test for any problems.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[Anonymous]

What would you recommend? Buy a windows laptop? What is the best bang for the buck as far as buying one?

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

If you are doing this for coursework, then running in Bootcamp might be sufficient for the short term. If you are looking to go further with this type of work and know that you are going to be working with Windows then perhaps a new computer would be a good idea.  Here are the system requirements for AutoCAD 2018 for Windows.

The requirements listed are minimum requirements.  If you narrow down your search for hardware that is within your budget, please start a new thread to see if other Community members might be able to make suggestions.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.