The simplest way to describe the difference between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT is to think of the extra D: AutoCAD LT offers two-dimensional (2D) capabilities, whereas AutoCAD has three-dimensional (3D) power. As you might expect, more limited functionality in AutoCAD LT also means a lower price. Yet for many building contractors and construction companies, there are additional factors that should also be taken into account when choosing between the two versions.

AutoCAD for Mac Design and shape the world around you with AutoCAD software for Mac. Create stunning 3D designs, work with designs and drawings on any platform and across devices, and enjoy greater mobility with the new web and mobile apps. Meet AutoCAD for Mac, a leading CAD application that runs natively on Apple computers. In this course, Jim LaPier focuses on the basics of AutoCAD for Mac, helping you get acquainted with the interface, file management, and how to best leverage the application's toolset.

A Quick View of AutoCAD LT

AutoCAD LT is essentially AutoCAD minus several functions. It was brought out by Autodesk, Inc., the maker of AutoCAD, as a stripped-down version aiming to attract customers in a lower price range. In essence, AutoCAD LT is a solid but somewhat limited design package offering:

• Creation of 2D CAD drawings
• Smart dimensioning to create measurements automatically within drawings
• Locking of system preferences to prevent unwanted changes
• Flexible ‘revision clouds’ in drawings to indicate updates and changes
• Ribbon galleries for accessing drawing content directly from on-screen ribbon menus
• Compatibility with Windows, Mac, and mobile and cloud access

What AutoCAD Gives You That AutoCAD LT Does Not

AutoCAD has all of the above and more. The most notable differences involve 3D solids modeling, including wireframe views, shadows, and reflections. Other significant functionalities that differentiate AutoCAD from AutoCAD LT are:

• Built-in programming capabilities, like AutoLISP for creating your own programs to automatically generate drawings
• Network licensing for using and managing AutoCAD on multiple machines over a network
• CAD standards management tools to let you check that AutoCAD drawings you make or that you receive from others conform to your in-house drafting standards

Is AutoCAD Just for Big Companies?

The extra features of AutoCAD might suggest that bigger construction outfits should use full-function AutoCAD software, while smaller contractors would be happier with the AutoCAD LT version. After all, bigger companies have more people to learn how to use the additional features, more opportunities to leverage the labor-saving tools built into full AutoCAD, and deeper pockets to pay for all, or so the logic goes.

Smaller companies, on the other hand, can forego some of the technical wizardries and rely on tried-and-trusted manual methods to fill in the gaps (like manually sketching 3D diagrams), and solid business relationships, rather than snazzy virtual reality.

Yet other factors can also affect whether you finally plump for AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

Let Your Market Decide

The most important part of the equation is what your customers want. If your market insists on 3D design and drafting files, AutoCAD LT will not be enough. Similarly, if you work as a partner or subcontractor for another construction company that has standardized on full AutoCAD with 3D, then you may have no option but to make the same choice.

Conversely, developing a capability to use full AutoCAD could open doors for you to new business opportunities and potential company growth. Several factors can help guide your decision:

• The types of market you want to aim for (commercial construction may offer more opportunities to leverage digital 3D design, compared to residential construction)
• The resources you have in-house, not just in quantity, but also by type. Some people love full AutoCAD, while others may find it challenging. Consider a trial version to see how things are likely to work out with your own staff.
• Learning curves. Notwithstanding user likes or dislikes, it may take a while to get to grips with full 3D AutoCAD. Again, a trial version will give you a hint of the time and effort required.

• Budget and return on investment. Any extra cost and extra functionality should let you create more value and generate more profit.

How To Learn Autocad Lt 2018 For Mac Review

Product News

You may recall that we released AutoCAD 2018 for Mac back in November, and today we’re excited to reveal additional features that make you more productive in the 2018.1 update.With this update we want to help you discover new features; save steps when you plot, drag and drop images or PDFs in your drawing; and select page setup in easy ways to apply to your layouts.

Discover New Features

Autocad For Mac 2018 Download

Each release includes new features and multiple enhancements. Since we don’t want you to have to go searching for these, starting now, in the 2018.1 update, you will see orange dots to indicate improvements to a specific feature. You can hover over this dot to get more information about what’s new.

Plot Faster

Do you frequently plot using the same settings? Do you want to plot faster by skipping repetitive steps? Now you can! AutoCAD remembers your previous plot settings and you can set them as the default for all plots.

Automatic PDFs

Saving drawings as PDFs is simpler than ever before. Once you’ve applied your settings, all you need to do is click on the Save as PDF button.

Now, when you plot drawings, AutoCAD will automatically create PDFs of those drawings for you. It names these PDFs based on your drawing and layout name so you can identify and reference it at a later time.

Page Setups to Multiple Layouts

We’ve also simplified the way you apply your named page setups to layouts. By right-clicking on a drawing, you can apply a named page setup to multiple layouts from Quick View in a simple and easy workflow.

You can also apply or edit a named page setup from the Layout tab menu.

Bob Manthey, an early tester of this feature, praised it for its versatility, explaining that “Applying plot settings to multiple layouts is a great enhancement. It’s most important to me on older drawings. I work with several other people using traditional AutoCAD (PC) — and for some reason, they do not properly set up their plot settings. When I open their drawings I can easily set up plotting and apply it to all of the layouts easily.”

Performance Enhancements

Purge

When you purge objects to reduce your file size or remove unwanted objects, you now have prompts to turn on nested items and orphaned data so you don’t have to purge multiple times.

Drag and Drop

You can now drag files like DWGs, PDFs, and images from the Finder directly on to the canvas in AutoCAD.

Download the AutoCAD 2018.1 for Mac & AutoCAD LT 2018.1 for Mac Updates Now

Best Way To Learn Autocad Lt

If you’re on a Subscription or Maintenance plan, head over to your AutodeskAccount and look for the 2018.1 update today. Not yet on the latest AutoCAD for Mac version? Download a 30-day free trial of AutoCAD2018forMac or AutoCADLT2018forMac today.