With more than two million users, AutoCAD is easily the most popular
2D/3D design and drafting program in the world. Autodesk released the
latest version, AutoCAD 2000, in the fall of 1999, loaded with powerful
new commands and features. O'Reilly editorial assistant Bob Herbstman
asked Dorothy Kent, author of the newly released
AutoCAD 2000 in a
Nutshell and veteran AutoCAD trainer, to discuss the book's
highlights and new AutoCAD features.
- Herbstman:
- What are some of the important new features and changes in AutoCAD 2000
covered in your book?
- Kent:
- I have always liked enhancements that enable me to create drawings faster
but without sacrificing accuracy. As always,
Autodesk
continues to provide various tools for that purpose. More specifically,
the AutoCAD DesignCenter lets you easily view and copy data from any
drawing into your current drawing. The Properties Manager is another
wonderful feature. It combines many other commands such as Ddmodify, and
Chprop into one. Most of the values assigned to objects automatically
display when the Properties Manager window is active and these values can
be easily modified. In addition, the window stays on top of your drawing
at all times unless, of course, you disable it.
I could go on and on, but one other AutoCAD enhancement can't go
unmentioned--the ability to have multiple layouts. I know that many people
have shied away from "paper-space," but now it's been given the new name
"Layout." This feature provides greater flexibility for outputting a
drawing to various printers, paper sizes, and pen assignments. Let's face
it: everyone you ask will give you a different response depending on his
or her particular needs and requirements. I'm sure it will also be based
on what they used during their last drawing session.
- Herbstman:
- What background and expertise did you bring to writing this book?
- Kent:
- I originally started out as a scale model maker for power plants, and I
started drafting on the board. When PC's first became available, the
engineering field was laying off people. And at the same time, Autodesk
was celebrating AutoCAD's second year. My employer bought a PC and a copy
of AutoCAD. Anyone who wanted to learn AutoCAD could do so on his or her
own time. I felt that this was a good opportunity to further my drafting
skills. Since I felt the industry was moving away from scale models and
migrating to computer models, I decided to put my energy into learning the
PC and any software that was available. It was partially by luck and
partially by design that I focused on AutoCAD.
When I started using AutoCAD there were about three books on the market.
The Autodesk documentation was minimal and not well organized--it was
more of an afterthought. I began doing some training in the evenings for
an AutoCAD dealer. Word got out, and I was asked to write a companion
reference guide to one of the existing AutoCAD books. My first book was
based on Release 9, and I've been publishing ever since.
- Herbstman:
- How has the AutoCAD software changed over the years?
- Kent:
- When Autodesk first released AutoCAD, it was really geared towards drawing
lines, circles, arcs, and text. It was a drafting tool. Early on,
associative dimensions (dimensions that automatically update when the
geometry is modified), 3D, and attributes were established. Of course,
the original 3D tools were very primitive, especially when you look at
what is available today.
Each release of AutoCAD always offered editing enhancements along with
providing more object types (such as splines, solids, and mtext) and new
and improved methods to ensure drawing accuracy. With the addition of layout
space, external references, and assigning intelligent data to drawing
objects, AutoCAD has evolved from a drafting tool to a design tool.
As we speak, Autodesk is announcing new Internet-based products and
services. I'm sure many of these programs will be successful and some will
fail. Because Autodesk is market driven, they do not seem to be afraid to try
something new. They have embraced e-commerce by providing online
distribution of their products, and they are currently testing an ASP
(Application Service Provider) software distribution model. This will
allow users to "rent" software for the duration of a project. There are
other programs and buzzwords being thrown about, but since it is so new
I'm still trying to understand what it all really means and what the
implications are. Stay tuned.
- Herbstman:
- Has AutoCAD's popularity changed the drafting community and profession?
- Kent:
- When I was first involved with AutoCAD, very few people knew how to use a
PC. My students, who were getting ready to retire, were somewhat
open-minded. I think many were bored with their jobs and they liked the
diversion. They also saw it as a way to work from home. The word
telecommute did not exist. The middle-age students were the hardest to
work with since most felt threatened by this new technology. The younger
students thought they knew everything and forgot to focus on learning their
discipline. They just wanted to be CAD experts. Now PC's are no longer a
threat or a novelty. It seems that young students realize that CAD is just
a tool and the discipline is what's important.
- Herbstman:
- Do you find people don't take full advantage of AutoCAD?
- Kent:
- Yes, from my experience most people use a small portion of the software's
capabilities. There never seems to be enough time to get your daily work
done let alone learn new features on the various software packages we have
all come to depend on. In addition, there are a lot of people who resist
change and just want to be left alone. I'm sometimes like that when it
comes to other software programs.
With AutoCAD, however, I find it challenging and I really enjoy trying to
find alternative ways to achieve the same result. When I was drafting full
time I would often get bored. In order to amuse myself, I would constantly
try "what if" scenarios. I was amazed at the system's flexibility. Many
computer programs--then and now--can only perform an operation in a
specific order. AutoCAD, on the other hand, lets you explore and try out
various command combinations. I've always told my students: "Be explorers.
If you think trying out a different method might work, it probably will."
The beauty of it is, I get paid to explore.
- Herbstman:
- What differentiates your book from other AutoCAD 2000 books on the market?
- Kent:
- Historically, Autodesk has provided really clever undocumented lisp
routines to perform timesaving functions that can't be achieved using just
the basic AutoCAD commands. Although they are now documented as Express
Tools (Bonus Tools in earlier versions), they are still kept separate from
the rest of the AutoCAD commands. All of the books that I have seen also
segregate those commands from the mainstream. I placed the Express Tool
routines with all the other commands and variables in my book and reference
them when appropriate.
AutoCAD 2000 in a Nutshell contains an enormous number of tips and
warnings. In order to keep the page count down and the price to a minimum,
I had to conserve space. The only way to do that was to cram many of the
"Tips and Warnings" into the "Command Description and Options" section. When
you pick up the book you will see the "Tips and Warnings" section but there
is a lot more included, although less obvious.
- Herbstman:
- Are there any problem areas or shortcomings with AutoCAD 2000?
- Kent:
- The express tools, also known as bonus routines in previous versions, do
what the basic commands can't. I think it's too bad Autodesk keeps them
in their own separate pull-down menus and toolbars. I'd like to see them
included with the rest of the AutoCAD commands that are grouped by function.
I'd also like to see the price of the software lowered to become more
affordable to individuals.
- Herbstman:
- Do your future plans include more AutoCAD books?
- Kent:
- Of course. Writing about the software gives me the perfect excuse to sit
and play all day long. I really enjoy seeing how far I can push the product.
I actually cycle between three tasks--writing, teaching, and being an end
user. Each of these tasks helps me to do the other two better. I'm looking
forward to seeing how the Internet will impact the use of AutoCAD. I think
we will see a major change in the software and how it is currently used.
As I said, stay tuned.
