2000

AutoCAD 2000 Preview Guide Page 35 00000-005000-5513
WITHIN A POWERFUL TECHNOLOGY FRAMEWORK
Under the hood of this extensive, yet friendly, product exists a powerful technology framework.
AutoCAD 2000 is designed to solve the problems of today while creating the foundation for your needs
tomorrow. A few of the key technologies included in AutoCAD 2000 include:
ObjectDBX/ObjectARX
Autodesk’s industry leading object oriented database (ObjectDBX) and accompanying API (ObjectARX)
form the underpinnings of this release. With AutoCAD 2000, Autodesk has completed the monumental
task of converting all AutoCAD objects and methods to the new database, years ahead of our competition.
This technology is now being fully exploited by our market group products, such as the AutoCAD
Architectural Desktop and the Autodesk Mechanical Desktop, and by our application developer partners
to deliver a new generation of design products that are both powerful and easy to use.
The ObjectARX/DBX technology is extensively used throughout AutoCAD 2000 itself - many of the new
features are implemented as ObjectARX applications, creating a modular, demand-loaded environment
which is packed with functionality but remains moderate in terms of memory footprint. Components
such as Spatial Technologies' ACIS™ 4.0 kernel are implemented through this interface.
The AutoCAD 2000 object model is fully accessible via Microsoft's COM and ActiveX API interfaces, in
addition to our ObjectARX environment. This enables you to use a variety of programming interfaces to
customize AutoCAD, ranging from Visual Basic for Applications to Java.
HEIDI™- 3D graphics pipeline
Based on award-winning HOOPS technology, AutoCAD 2000 incorporates the HEIDI™ graphics
pipeline, providing a rich 3D environment in which to create and interact with your designs. The graphics
pipeline is designed for high performance in both 2D and 3D mode, and takes advantage of OpenGL and
DirectX graphics interfaces and graphics hardware acceleration. Accompanying this piepline is a 24-bit
raster imaging engine and a new hardcopy pipeline that speeds output up over 20% over the previous
release.
Windows and Web optimized
Finally, AutoCAD 2000 is extensively optimized for the 32-bit Windows environment. From its user
interface, which makes extensive use of the Microsoft Foundation Classes and adheres to Windows logo
standards, to its installation and configuration settings, AutoCAD 2000 is designed to fit neatly in the
Windows environment. Our relentless focus on optimization for the Windows environment continues to
pay performance dividends - despite all the added functionality, AutoCAD 2000 is between 10 and 20%
faster than AutoCAD Release 14, creating a new champion in the "fastest AutoCAD ever" contest.