AutoSketch 8
AutoSketch 8
| By Dale Farris, Secretary Golden Triangle PC Club June 2002 Overview AutoSketch 8 is a super precision drawing program from AutoDesk, the company that also sells and supports the preeminent computer aided design (CAD) program, AutoCAD 2002 ($3,395.00 for 1 license). In most engineering and design firms across the country, AutoCAD is the program of choice for learning this highly technical skill, and today in most all college and university design and drafting curriculum, AutoCAD is what students work with throughout their curriculum. In AutoSketch 8, AutoDesk presents a very minimally priced drawing program that competes with other desktop drawing programs, such as Microsoft's Visio and the SmartDraw Professional Plus program from the SmartDraw Company. While both these programs appeal to drawing novices and managers, AutoSketch 8 offers more technical drawing tools and more precision to the drawing process than you find in either of these other two programs. From concept sketches, information graphics, and floor layouts to presentations, electrical drawings, and home project plans, you can draw it all quickly and accurately with AutoSketch 8. Those new to computer aided design (CAD) programs, as well as experienced CAD users can get started drawing right away in this program, thanks to AutoSketch 8 productivity features like a familiar Microsoft Office-like interface, and a wizard that automatically steps you through the process of choosing the most appropriate symbols library, drawing scales, and toolsets for your drawing type. With in-place text editing, you can create and edit text boxes directly in your drawings, and precision drawing is made easy. No matter what your drawing background or your need, you can quickly create accurate, professional looking drawings with this feature-rich program. The enhanced fill support allows you to add bitmaps to enclosed areas and outline boxes on text entities to call attention to important callouts, annotations, or other text. You can also create realistic 3D effects, and the customizable grids and construction guidelines support fast drawing. Automatic snaps and locks precisely align and hold objects in position, and the powerful pan and zoom presents capabilities for moving in, out, and around your drawing. The program also comes with a full library of symbols, although it includes no where near the number of symbols you can add in SmartDraw Professional Plus, and power users can create precise technical drawings even if they do not have the time to learn or remember a full-blown CAD program. AutoSketch 8 is full of automatic features to help you get started fast, and includes power tools for preparing accurate, professional drawings. The email wizard makes sharing work easy, and the publish-to-web tool lends a compelling way to present drawings to a wide audience. The updated file navigation gives you direct access to Autodesk Point A, My Files, and Buzzsaw for a wealth of design resources and an integrated connection with design-based project management. The 3D special effects including extrusion and transformation options, and the database capabilities allow you to attach custom attributes to any object OLE editor. New Features in AutoSketch 8 Publish to Web E-mail Wizard Updated File Navigation In-place text editing Outline boxes on text entities Enhanced file navigation Autodesk Point A interface Designed for Windows XP Fill support Cloud Drawing feature Additional Features Content Librarian Drag-and-Drop Hatch and Solid Fills Enhanced Editing Handles GetNext Selection AutoSnap Enhanced AutoPoint Indicators Rich Text Capabilities Single Point Intersection Line Segment JPEG File Support AskHow! Help Application Wizard 3D Effects AutoArray Tool Real-Time Pan and Zoom Jump Snap Edit Bar Customizable Grids DWF File Support Spell Checker Hyperlinks Detail View OLE In-Place Editing Operational Features Once you’ve begun working in AutoSketch 8, one of the first things that you will notice is that it looks like you are working in AutoCAD. There are pulldown menus, toolbars, scroll bars, and a status line (although it is not as sophisticated as AutoCAD’s command prompt). The familiar "tool tips" that are available in AutoCAD are a welcome assistant when first using AutoSketch 8. Drawing in AutoSketch 8 is easy, most especially if you already know how to use CAD. If not, then the learning curve is certainly longer. As always, prior knowledge of hand drafting techniques is helpful. Note this, as AutoSketch 8 does assume some drafting knowledge and skills, whereas Visio and Smartdraw do not. To draw something in AutoSketch 8, go to the "Draw" pulldown menu and select the type of entity that you wish to create. AutoSketch 8 refers to basic geometry as "entities," not as "objects" as in AutoCAD. There are choices for Lines, Arcs, Circles, Polylines, Polygons, Curves (Splines), Markers, Text, Dimensions, and Symbols. To create a line segment, execute the "single" line command by either picking it from the "draw" pulldown or from the "All-In-One" toolbar. Then select or key in the first point. To specify a coordinate accurately, or to "jump" to an existing point, type the letter "R." When doing so, the "Enter 2D Coordinate" dialog box will appear. Within this dialogue box you can enter the X and Y coordinates, and special object snaps (such as Endpoint, Midpoint, etc.) can be selected. These osnaps are "running," so to turn an osnap off, the "snap off" button must be selected. The other drawing commands behave in a similar manner. First, issue the command. Second, specify the required points. Moving and copying entities in AutoSketch 8 is not difficult. To move an entity, simply select it and tiny "control" boxes appear. Select another point in the drawing, and the entity moves. Copying is also easy. Select the entity, then select "copy" from the "edit" pulldown menu. Then, select "paste" from the same pulldown, and then select the location point for the "paste" in the drawing. A full complement of modification commands are available in AutoSketch 8. Go to the "edit" pulldown menu, then go to "transform." There, you will find powerful commands like Scale, Rotate, Align, Mirror, Stretch, and Array. Also on the "edit" pulldown menu is the "trim" command. There is also an "explode" command and an "entities" command on the "edit" pulldown menu. These menu commands are also easily accessible in the extensive toolbar located in the vertical column next to the drawing area. AutoCAD vs. AutoSketch 8 A distinction to make between AutoCAD (LT or regular) and AutoSketch 8 is that AutoCAD is a "CAD" program, while AutoSketch 8 is a "drawing" program. This is not as simple a difference as it may seem. In computer aided design, the technical skills required are much higher than working with simpler (and cheaper) drawing tools. In any design or drafting business, AutoDesk's stellar product AutoCAD is of course the product of choice. However, for managers needing a more simple program designed to support their drawing needs, then AutoSketch 8 will meet this need, while allowing for file compatibility with AutoCAD files. The issue of file format (for data exchange), programmability (for customization), and 3D capabilities (for complex design), will also influence the decision whether to purchase AutoSketch 8, AutoCAD LT, or AutoCAD. Recommendation AutoSketch 8 is modern powerhouse of a technical drawing program that fits well in environments that have already begun to integrate AutoCAD as the design tool of choice. In companies where AutoCAD may not be relevant, but still in need of a drawing tool, I suggest that AutoSketch 8 will be of great use when these companies have staff that need to work on more precise drawings. In companies needing drawing tools of less precision, I suggest Microsoft's Visio or SmartDraw's SmartDraw Professional Plus as drawing tools that will likely meet these needs. AutoSketch 8 will also present a more steep learning curve, especially for novices, than in Visio or SmartDraw Professional Plus. About AudoDesk Autodesk is a leading design and digital content creation resource. The company provides software and Internet portal services to help customers drive business through the power of design. Serving a host of engineering and design disciplines, as well as the film, broadcast, and multimedia industries, Autodesk has more than 4 million customers worldwide. Ninety percent of the Fortune 500 largest industrial and service corporations in the United States are Autodesk customers. In addition to AutoSketch 8 and AutoCAD 2002, Autodesk also sells a complete line of AutoDesk products. Install and Setup Installation and setup should proceed with little problems, but you will need to be sure and run this program on the most advanced system you afford. While AutoSketch 8 is certainly not as demanding as state-of-the-art PC games, nonetheless you will want to strive to run it on a serious workstation. Each time you start AutoSketch 8, you will see a "start up" dialog box. Here, you can tell the program how you would like to work. There are four tabs to choose from: Wizard, Template, Open, and Classic. Just like AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, if you utilize a Wizard to start a drawing, you will be asked a series of questions via dialog boxes that will automatically setup the drawing environment for you based upon your input. For a faster startup, use one of the AutoSketch 8 templates. Network Capability Note that AutoSketch 8 does not support network installations. Each workstation must have the software installed separately. AutoSketch 8 locks files automatically. If you have multiple users on a network and the files are stored on a network location that all can access, the file is locked once someone opens it. Others can open it for viewing, but only the original user can save changes to the file. File locking will always function even though the AutoSketch 8 program must be installed on each individual workstation. Note also that multi-user network licenses are not available for AutoSketch 8. File Compatibility You can import old AutoSketch 8 files right into the new version, and old AutoSketch 8 symbols can be accessed the same way you would access new symbols. The symbol library format has not changed. You can import and export your files to AutoCAD 2000 DWG format, which means you can share files with AutoCAD 2000, AutoCAD 2000i, and AutoCAD 2002 users, as well as with AutoCAD LT users. The DXF format is also available for both import and export. There is also an import option for previously created CAD format files. There are many CAD users, but to allow people who don’t have access to CAD software to view an AutoSketch 8 drawing, you need another solution. You can export DWF files that people can view on the Internet by using a web browser as a drawing viewer. The DWF format is recognized as the best format for exchange of design information over the Internet. In addition, Autodesk’s Volo View Express is a free downloadable viewer that is compatible with both DWG and DWF file formats. Price $119.00 Minimum System Configuration Requirements Minimum Pentium II or AMD equivalent 233MHz processor Windows 98, 98 ME, NT 4, 2000, XP 32MB RAM 100MB free hard disk space 800 x 600 VGA display CD-ROM drive Mouse or other pointing device Recommended Pentium II or AMD equivalent 450MHz processor Windows 98, 98 ME, NT 4, 2000, XP 64MB RAM 100MB free hard disk space 1024 x 768 VGA display CD-ROM drive Mouse or other pointing device Hard disk requirements are 50MB for a minimum installation, with as much as an extra 40MB needed for additional symbol libraries. Contact Autodesk, Inc. 111 McInnis Parkway San Rafael, California 94903 415-507-5000 FAX 415-507-5100 www.autodesk.com |