Copyright 2005 http://cad-drafting-services.com~~~ About Autodesk and AutoCAD ~~~
For many years now, the CAD drafting software industry has
been dominated by the a single piece of outstanding
software: AutoCAD.
AutoCAD is a CAD platform designed by Autodesk, Inc, and
arguably the most-used (and most respected) program of its
kind. AutoCAD is used to make a computer draw two and
three-dimensional technical drawings such as those used in
building construction and product manufacturing.
AutoCAD has been steadily evolving over the years to be
seamlessly compatible with the rest of the software
universe. For instance, in its latest version, drafting
team members scattered over the globe can collaborate
effortlessly over the Internet.
~~~ AutoCAD and Competition ~~~
In the domain of 2D and 3D drafting, AutoCAD is miles ahead
of any competition. Rival programs have less than 50% of
its drafting commands. Most importantly, competing
platforms hang when file size exceeds a few megabytes,
often corrupting the data file in the process.
For many years, Autodesk exploited the technical
superiority of AutoCAD by charging in excess of $3,000 for
a single-seat license. The product was so good that users
are known to have taken bank loans to purchase sufficient
licenses.
~~~ Recent Events ~~~
Strange things have happened recently:
(1) Autodesk purchased Alias, a company specialized in,
among other things, high-end animation software, ?Maya?
being its flagship platform in that area
(2) Autodesk crashed the price of AutoCAD by EIGHTY PERCENT
in Asia
(3) AutoCAD has begun downplaying AutoCAD 2D usage in its
press releases
~~~ What do These Events Foretell? ~~~
We strongly believe that AutoCAD will lower the priority of
its 2D CAD drafting software development. Instead, it will
devote more resources to animation software development.
Animation is used by two main market segments: their
existing architectural/engineering customer base and the
media/entertainment segment.
Our intuition tells us that Autodesk has got the heady
scent of cash wafting in from the future, and that the
source of the fragrance is the second segment:
media/entertainment.
The potential profits from this area are likely to be
several times those from the first segment and Autodesk
will, in effect, soon be moving from downtown San Francisco
to a premium spot in heaven.
~~~ What Does This Imply For the Cad Drafting Marketplace?
~~~
Expect Autodesk to be less and less interested in 2D
drafting and to at one point make its sophisticated 2D
drafting application, AutoCAD-LT? AVAILABLE FOR FREE.
----------------------------------------------------
Lucky Balaraman, who has a Masters degree in engineering,
runs the reputed CAD drafting services provider, The Magnum
Group. Learn more about him and the Company at:
http://cad-drafting-services.com
