Datasheet

Part I: AutoCAD 101

www.autodesk.com and enter VBA installer in the Search box. There

are 32- and 64-bit versions, so make sure you download the right one for

your system.

✓ Computer system requirements: For AutoCAD 2012, Autodesk recom-

mends a 1.6 GHz or better Intel or AMD processor with at least 2 GB of

RAM if running in Windows XP, and a 3.0 GHz or better chip and 2 GB

of RAM if running in Windows Vista or Windows 7. The recommended

operating system is Windows 7 (64-bit). Multiple processors and dual

core are supported. You also need a 1024 x 768 or higher display resolu-

tion with True Color graphics, 1 GB to 2 GB of available hard disk space,

an Internet connection, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later.

✓ Additional requirements for working in 3D: AutoCAD recommends a

3 GHz or better processor; 4 GB or more of RAM; a workstation-class,

Direct3D-capable graphics card with at least 128 MB of memory; and

an additional 2 GB of hard disk space beyond the 1 GB required for

installation.

I find even the recommended system requirements on the minimal side. For

example, my desktop computer runs at a screen resolutions of 1600 x 1200

and 1280 x 1024 (yes, I run dual monitors), and my tablet computer runs at

1400 x 1050. The figures in this book were shot at a resolution of 1024 x 768,

and as you can see, things can get pretty crowded at that resolution.

Suddenly, It’s 2012!

There’s been a new release of AutoCAD every spring since AutoCAD 2004 was

launched in 2003. That’s not much time for even an army of programmers to

deliver a compelling new feature set that’s going to convince all users that

they just have to upgrade. What seems to have been happening is a concen-

tration on particular areas in recent releases. For example, AutoCAD 2007

was a 3D release; the 3D modeling engine was made much easier to use, but

there was relatively little to please the 2D crowd. By contrast, AutoCAD 2008

was deemed to be “the drafter’s release” because of the number of enhance-

ments to 2D drawing capabilities — above all, the introduction of annotative

documentation objects. In AutoCAD 2009, the new interface got the lion’s

share of development (suddenly, it’s Office 2007!); major new features were

limited to some 3D navigation tools, the very useful Quick Properties tool,

and a palettized Layer Properties Manager. AutoCAD 2010 offered significant

enhancements to both 2D and 3D users, in parametric drafting tools, and free-

form mesh modeling, and AutoCAD 2011 introduced some workflow changes

and a welcome new object property, transparency.

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