What has been the best version of AutoCAD?

We often see the question over there, about which version is better or why we defend it; then when a new one arrives, it is usually said that it is only makeup.  Finally, as a starting point We consulted on Facebook, Where Geofumadas has 18,000 followers, and see what there was to answer:

• AutoCAD 2012 excels, we understand the novelty, and Facebook is a space where new generations predominate.
• But what draws attention is that in second place stands out AutoCAD 2007, despite being a version of 6 years ago.
• Then in third place, AutoCAD 2013 sounds again, we also understand the novelty and, if we ask the question two years later the same will be said of the latest version.
• It appears as fourth AutoCAD 2010, with lower score but heading a list that includes almost unique votes of all the other versions.

What makes people value AutoCAD versions 2012, 2007 and 2010?

The objective of this article is to make an analysis of the latest 10 versions of AutoCAD, to try to explain the launch patterns by AutoDesk and also the evolution that has had the consumer public now that Internet traffic and social networks play a role essential in the diffusion of novelties.

We will use for analysis the following table that summarizes the changes that have happened to AutoCAD in the last 10 years. It includes new commands that emerged per year (excluding 2004 that we do not apply this consideration), commands available in the version, commands that received change, not available due to the total number of current commands and discontinued commands (This does not include the 2013 version but in that cell are added all those who were discontinued in the 10 years). We also only review basic versions, not vertical ones (eg AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoDesk Maya, etc.)

1. The cycle of the new dwg formats

AutoDesk maintained a dwg format for each version From 1.0 in 1980 to 1998 year with AutoCAD R14. After AutoCAD 2000 onwards, a cycle of approximately three years is reached, a practice that is questioned as unnecessary by many.

There is much before the 2004 version however the milestone is that from this format onwards the dwg is no longer shared with the Open Design Alliance (ODA) as it had been until the 2000 format.

From now on we see that the versions when there was a change in format, came to stand out because they represented a supposed better use of the resource but also because it forced the user to get rid of the previous version to remain compatible in the new format. It is a curious fact that the years in which AutoCAD got rid of commands were precisely the year 2006 when 36 commands were abandoned and in 2010 another 17 commands; the rest of the years the abandonment was miniscule between 1 and 3 commands.

Hence our first conclusion:

AutoCAD milestones are usually marked by the years the dwg format had a change: AutoCAD 2000, AutoCAD 2004, AutoCAD 2007, AutoCAD 2010.

From that we also conclude that the 2013 version should have a similar pattern since the dwg format changed. Although we do not believe it so possible due to the excessive popularity it achieved AutoCAD 2012 And the tiny amount of AutoCAD 2013 enhancements.

Although, clarifying that the change in format is not necessarily associated with a version being better than a previous one. But it plays a role that could not be applied to other platforms where this change does not happen periodically and unnecessarily.

2. The amount of improvements

To analyze this I want to use the graph shown below. Notice that the yellow line represents improvements made to existing commands, while the blue represents new implemented commands. The 2007 version stands out as the year when more commands were improved (116), added to no less than 89 new commands. The changes had a lot to do with a new face of 3D visualization, improvements in handling of textures, rendering and the animated display. 3D design is no longer based on primitive objects and the concept of 3D models is inserted.

The following graph taken from AutoCAD query traffic, reflects how AutoCAD 2007 is the version that has lasted the longest (dark blue line), to the extent that in the end (as of July 2012) it is consulted as much as AutoCAD 2011 (red line), and of course it surpasses the 2009 versions (line green) and 2008 that does not appear in the graph. It is understandable why people remember the 2007 version as one of the best, since the impact of the command improvement is on existing users who decided to stay with that version despite the changes in the following years.

• These felt that AutoCAD 2008 only involved slight adjustments, and that the 2009 version just had a new interface that rather caused them resistance.
• It would be overcome until the 2010 version came with 93 enhanced commands and a greater use of the new interface. It also coincides with the 2007 version, which is when it begins a series of improvements in the handling of three-dimensional models and Support for Windows 7 in 32 and 64 bits.

AutoCAD 2007: Enhancement of existing commands enhances user loyalty to a version of AutoCAD. But it also generates resistance to change for later versions.

It can also be seen that AutoCAD 2010 exceeds AutoCAD 2012 despite the novelty of the latter, but in consultation volume it is higher after accumulating the years. Despite being AutoCAD 2007 a very satisfactory experience for users, AutoDesk would do the opposite in new versions since it does not favor it in sales. That is why we see that the next milestone, AutoCAD 2010 repeat it but avoid it in 2012 that has more news than improvements.

3. The number of innovations

The innovation is important, it is a subject that has had greater emphasis in the version 2007 where 89 had new commands and the 2012 where it arrives at 139.

Although the impact it has on users compared to the improvement of existing commands is somewhat strange. Looking at the graph above, it is seen that the popularity of a version of AutoCAD reaches its peak in the first months of the year after its launch, just when the new version appears. AutoCAD does this in the month of April, and from there the descent begins because there is already something newer. The precipitous drop depends on whether you achieved loyalty in previous users, not new ones.

But look at how AutoCAD 2010 achieved the highest point that all versions have had, 2012 barely reached 80% of this before starting its descent. We should understand that this 2012 version reached a greater impact than the previous ones due to the degree of innovation, but it is not. And the reason is that the 2010 version has more improvements to existing commands (93) against 46 of the 2012 version even though there is more innovation in the latter. The 2010 version is still in greater use than the 2011 version and could outlive the 2012 version over the next three years. Meanwhile AutoCAD 2013 will be just a passing version, as its improvements and news are minimal despite the change in dwg format, just like the 2011 version even though it brought back The Mac version.

The first love that usually only occurs once in a lifetime with computer tools, we were all shocked with one of the first versions we saw, and we continue to believe that it was the best version "even if it is old" and even after we moved to the new we continue admiring that version. That version is usually the one that impacts us with its news. We can notice this in the users who after many versions found that the R14 was impressive, to others it was the 2000 that surprised them with the use of 32 bits, and we saw few great novelties until the 2007 version that we believed did not need much more . The milestone of novelties has been caused by 2012, although I clarify, first love with the new generations.

But the advantage of innovation is being on the minds of new users. College students, even if their teacher teaches them AutoCAD 2010, they will settle for using the latter; This is what has happened to AutoCAD 2012 with the new generation. This version is on the minds of new users, the survey we did on Facebook proves it. But closing the section, this is our conclusion:

AutoCAD 2012: The greater number of innovations entails greater popularity of a version with the new generations. Not necessarily long-term loyalty.

4. Accumulation of improvements

Perhaps this is a somewhat complex issue to handle, but we will consider it since it emulates what evolution supposes and something of the difference in how things happen with other programs such as the case of Microstation.

As time has passed, AutoCAD has kept commands unused, or abandoned. Little by little they have been discarded, improved or new commands have been incorporated:

• Up to the 2006 version there were 674 commands in use.
• Before that 97 and 2013 had been discarded 68 was discontinued.
• At 2013 there are a total of 1047 commands in use and just 86 not available from those that existed in those 10 years.
• 2006 and 2010 excel when there was an unnecessary command sweep, 53 in total.

This cleaning is perhaps not very noticeable but it represents an internal work to recover commands that were there with little use. While more command denotes more functionality, in practice a reduced amount of that total is used. AutoCAD came to solve our lives in what we did with many sleepless nights on the drawing table, in that it has not changed much in all these years, but it has changed in the handling of 3D models where although the evolution has been slow compared to other verticals of AutoDesk, has been well appropriated by users.

Counting the number of commands stopped being important a long time ago, because now the commands used are the ones you see on the buttons. But in previous years, if we did not know the command ... it did not exist. And if it was on the list, we wanted to see what it was for.

Best versions of AutoCAD

In conclusion, these are the best versions of AutoCAD:

• AutoCAD 2007 has been the version that more fidelity has achieved in the time, product of the amount of commands improved more than by its novelties.
• AutoCAD 2012 follows you as a product of the greatest amount of improvements and great acceptance of the new generations.
• AutoCAD 2010 has been an important version since it was when the generations began to accept the potentialities of the Ribbon, and many capacities were integrated in the parameterized modeling and 3D with more simplicity.

• AutoCAD 2013 ... will not be a version that reaches the shadow of 2012. To wait for another, we will have to wait a couple of years.

And for you, what was your best version?