With my student ID which still survives luckily, I download and tested the most wanted software from Autodesk – Autocad for Mac.
First impression: It’s possible. It simply works as the other side of Acad does. Just opened one of my old Acad DWG file. I choose most heavy 2D drawing. It works well.
Also it supports Mac OS X’s ‘finger tips.’ I always imagine it would be great all these finger actions on track pad on graphic related software. It supports. It works. That’s all. Soon I needed the old Dell mouse. Optimization needed.
Second impression: Useless features in AutoCad for Win are still useless in AutoCad for Mac. Hello global uselessness. I don’t know what is the goal of the famous drafting software. No one actually uses Acad as 3D modeling or parametric software. Even Autodesk have other BIM / Parametric / 3D / Rendering software. The only reason for ACAD is now 2D drafting. (They even try to catch up Sketch up in 3D feature!) Actually all the redundant features only make ACAD complicated. It’s same in ACAD Mac.
After 10min’s use of this old and new software, I was inspired by the two important learning of life:
1. Throw junk in the wind, if you have one. Don’t attache to the past.
Today’s AutoCad 2011 has added up new features again and again. Most of users don’t even recognize it’s there. They just make AutoCad’s interface complicated. Therefore, the fresh-starting AutoCad can be more sophisticated. ACAD Mac only inherited the essence of long history of ACAD’s development, not the same interface.
2. What you see is what you get.
Modern softwares, especially in the field of visualization, are all powerful. Every programs are actually almost equal to each other in terms of its power. The difference comes from ease of use. Ease of use is not just service. Yes, everyone’s talking about the User Experience. It’s not just eye candy. See how sketch-up grows up. It’s not only applicable fact for software of IT gadgets.
