Datasheet

Part I: AutoCAD 101

Seeing the LT

AutoCAD LT is one of the best deals around, a shining example of the old

80/20 rule: roughly 80 percent of the capabilities of AutoCAD for roughly 20

percent of the money. (Actually, with recent price creep, it’s now more like a

70/30 rule.) Like AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT runs on mainstream Windows com-

puters and doesn’t require any additional hardware devices. With AutoCAD

LT, you can be a player in the world of AutoCAD, the world’s leading CAD

program, for a comparatively low starting cost.

AutoCAD LT is a very close cousin to AutoCAD. Autodesk creates AutoCAD

LT by starting with the AutoCAD program, taking out a few features to jus-

tify charging a lower price, and adding a couple of features to enhance ease

of use versus full AutoCAD. As a result, AutoCAD LT looks and works much

like AutoCAD. The drawing areas, Ribbons, and Application Menu of the two

programs are nearly identical. (LT is missing a few Ribbon tabs, panels, and

commands.)

In fact, the major difference between the programs has nothing to do with the

programs themselves. The major difference is that AutoCAD LT lacks sup-

port for several customization and programming languages that are used to

develop AutoCAD add-ons. That means that almost none of the add-on pro-

grams or utilities offered by Autodesk and others are available to LT users.

AutoCAD LT also has limited 3D support. You can view and edit 3D objects in

AutoCAD LT, so you can work with drawings created in AutoCAD that contain

3D objects. However, you can’t create true 3D objects in LT.

Although you may hear claims that AutoCAD LT is easier to master and

use than AutoCAD, the truth is that they’re about equally difficult (or easy,

depending on your NQ [nerd quotient]). The LT learning curve doesn’t differ

significantly from that of AutoCAD. AutoCAD was originally designed for max-

imum power and then modified somewhat to improve ease of use. AutoCAD

LT shares this same heritage.

Fortunately, the minimal differences between LT and AutoCAD mean that

after you climb that learning curve, you have the same great view. You have

almost the full range of the AutoCAD 2D drafting tools, and you can exchange

DWG files with AutoCAD users without data loss.

This book covers AutoCAD 2012, but most of the information in it (except for

the 3D chapters in Part V) applies to AutoCAD LT 2012 as well. The icon that

you see to the left of this paragraph highlights significant differences.

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