AutoCAD Release 14 software features unveiled; thoroughly-tested system boasts speed, productivity gains, and Internet connectivity.SAN RAFAEL San Rafael (săn rəfĕl`), residential city (1990 pop. 48,404), seat of Marin co., W Calif., a suburb of San Francisco on the northern shore of San Francisco Bay; inc. 1913. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 1997--Backed by the widest and most comprehensive beta test A test of new or revised hardware or software that is performed by users at their facilities under normal operating conditions. Beta testing follows alpha testing. Vendors of packaged software often offer their customers the opportunity of beta testing new releases or versions, and the cycle in its history involving 16,000 beta test users worldwide, Autodesk today -- revealed for the first time -- the fast, high quality, and customer-driven features of its much anticipated Release 14 of AutoCAD. This release is fast -- industry benchmarks show it running up to twice as fast as AutoCAD Release 13 for Windows and noticeably faster than AutoCAD Release 12 for DOS -- and it uses a new graphics pipeline and object-oriented database See object database. (database) object-oriented database - (OODB) A system offering DBMS facilities in an object-oriented programming environment. Data is stored as objects and can be interpreted only using the methods specified by its class. that speeds-up drawing operations while making efficient use of the available memory. AutoCAD Release 14 makes it easy to share and publish drawings over the Internet. And, for the first time, AutoCAD software includes raster The horizontal lines (scan lines) displayed on a TV or computer monitor. This is the origin of the term "raster graphics," which is the major category that all bitmapped images and video frames fall into (GIF, JPEG, MPEG, etc.). support capability so customers can use hybrid raster and vector drawings and it features the second-generation of object-oriented technology See object technology. for design applications, ObjectARX. "Customers made it very clear that their top three demands for this release of AutoCAD are speed, speed, and more speed," said Robert Carr
"Autodesk has a commanding presence in the $9.6 billion worldwide CAD market, with Autodesk holding nearly 11 percent market share, much more than any of its competition," said Sharon Tan, CAD/CAM/CAE/GIS Senior Industry Analyst at Dataquest. "This new major release of AutoCAD will certainly be welcomed by CAD users worldwide." Key Features Areas Building a fast, high-quality and compelling product has been an objective for the AutoCAD Market Group throughout the development of AutoCAD Release 14. Below are some of the key new and improved features in the upcoming version of AutoCAD software. -- Drawing Productivity -- Several independent industry benchmarks demonstrate that AutoCAD Release 14 software is twice as fast as AutoCAD Release 13 for Windows 95 and Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. . These benchmarks tested typical file, display, and editing operations on identical systems. Building on the core program speed, AutoCAD Release 14 also minimizes editing steps by leveraging the Windows user interface and through innovative precision drawing tools such as the AutoSnap feature. -- Enhanced Data Sharing The ability to share the same data resource with multiple applications or users. It implies that the data are stored in one or more servers in the network and that there is some software locking mechanism that prevents the same set of data from being changed by two people at the same time. and Web Access -- Improvements in traditional CAD tools, such as the addition of volumetric volumetric /vol·u·met·ric/ (vol?u-met´rik) pertaining to or accompanied by measurement in volumes. vol·u·met·ric adj. Of or relating to measurement by volume. clipping (1) Cutting off the outer edges or boundaries of a word, signal or image. In rendering an image, clipping removes any objects or portions thereof that are not visible on screen. See scissoring. See also WCA. and filtering to reference files -- combined with the integration of new tools such as Internet publishing and drag and drop A graphical user interface (GUI) capability that lets you perform operations by moving the icon of an object with the mouse into another window or onto another icon. For example, files can be copied or moved by dragging them from one folder to another. -- make it easy for customers to share their drawings with colleagues around the corner or around the world. -- Presentation Quality Graphics -- AutoCAD Release 14 features advanced technical imaging capabilities, facilitating the creation of hybrid raster and vector drawings. Built-in photorealistic Having the image quality of a photograph. rendering tools enable a "real-life" presentation of design ideas and capabilities such as solid fills, drawing order and TrueType font support help users create a crisp and professional look for drawings. -- Improved Customization Tools -- Using ActiveX Automation See COM automation. , users can customize AutoCAD Release 14 software using popular tools such as Microsoft Visual Basic, and other industry-standard automation applications to tightly integrate AutoCAD Release 14 with other Windows applications. -- Network management and configuration tools -- New capabilities built into AutoCAD Release 14 software help lower the cost of deployment and ownership for larger CAD networks. Network installation wizards, a network license manager and user profiles and batch plotting, all minimize the time required to set-up and standardize AutoCAD Release 14 on a CAD network. -- Improved Learning -- AutoCAD Learning Assistance, included in every package of AutoCAD Release 14 software, is a separate, interactive CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). that uses sound, computer graphics and computer animations to deliver the information customers need to be more productive with AutoCAD. Autodesk Technology AutoCAD Release 14 is an application designed for Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. and it's based on Autodesk's focus on Windows-Objects-Web (WOW) technology. The product also marks the second generation of Autodesk's widely used object-oriented technology, ObjectARX. ObjectARX technology represents a significant leap in performance, interoperability, and design intelligence for applications that leverage its capabilities. ObjectARX technology is the foundation for building the next-generation of intelligent applications using real-world objects. Using ObjectARX technology, for example, a door is an object (not just a set of lines and arcs), as is a bolt in mechanical CAD, or a contour line in GIS. Availability and Pricing AutoCAD Release 14 software, currently being tested by more than 16,000 international beta users, is expected to be available worldwide in the first half of Autodesk's Q2FY98 (May-July 1997). The suggested retail price (SRP SRP - A data link layer protocol. ) of AutoCAD Release 14 on CD-ROM in the U.S. is US$3,750. The upgrade SRP for AutoCAD Release 13 customers in the U.S. is US$495. The upgrade SRP for AutoCAD Release 12 and earlier AutoCAD customers in the U.S. is US$695. For pricing information outside of the U.S., local offices should be contacted. AutoCAD Release 14 software runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0/3.51 operating systems, on Intel microprocessor-based systems. VIP Subscription Program The VIP Subscription program is available for customers of AutoCAD Release 14 and other Autodesk products, in the U.S., Canada, Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. , and Europe. Subscription program members will receive a quarterly VIP CD Library, containing software updates, a database of technical documents, add-on software, and other valuable tools and information. AutoCAD Release 14 Quotes "Speed, stability, standards is what (AutoCAD) Release 14 is all about. It sets a new standard for 2D drawing system function, performance, productivity, and Web integration and all indications are that it's the most reliable AutoCAD release in recent memory." Charles M. Foundyller, president of Daratech Inc. "This implementation of AutoCAD Release 14 combines industrial-strength CAD and the intuitive Windows interface so that end-users can perform real production work with greater speed. AutoCAD Release 14 software's usage of OLE 2.0 enables design professionals to exploit the Windows Desktop in a seamless manner, improving their productivity to new levels. Which is imperative in this competitive world today." Brian Seitz, worldwide engineering industry manager at Microsoft "With (AutoCAD) Release 14, AutoCAD has matured like a bottle of fine wine. It has a clean user interface, performance is excellent, and new functionality fills in the missing gaps. Based upon the fact that the Beta test version is being shipped to 16,000 evaluators, Release 14 should meet the needs of the most demanding AutoCAD users once it is generally available." David Weisberg, publisher, Engineering Automation Report and A-E-C Automation Newsletter "I really like the new Xref and image clipping options. These features will save me a tremendous amount of time and hassle. Thanks for adding these functions, you have made my life easier." Howard Hurley, AutoCAD Release 14 alpha user, McDonough Associates Inc. "AutoCAD Release 14 is the first time I've seen a Windows application running faster than a DOS version. This is especially significant when loading a drawing, but also for most of the graphic commands using the processor and RAM resources." M. Dufour, PC Vision, AutoCAD software developer The matters discussed in this news release contain forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These include the timely development and acceptance of AutoCAD Release 14, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and the other risks detailed from time to time in Autodesk's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q See 10-Q. filed in December 1996. Autodesk is the world's leading supplier of PC design and drafting software and multimedia tools. The company's 2D and 3D products and data management tools are used in many industries for architectural design This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since September 2007. , mechanical design, mapping film and video production, video game development and Web content development. Its Kinetix division is the leader in PC-based 3D modeling and animation software, providing a full range of products for digital media and design professionals. The fourth largest PC software company in the world, Autodesk has 3 million customers in over 150 countries. Autodesk products are sold through Autodesk Systems Centers, dealers and distributors worldwide. For more information on Autodesk, please call 415/507-5000, or type GO ADESK on CompuServe, or visit its World Wide Web site at http://www.autodesk.com . Kinetix can be reached by calling 800/879-4233, or through its World Wide Web site at http://www.ktx.com . Autodesk shares are traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ADSK ADSK Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ stock symbol) . -0- Note to Editors: Autodesk, the Autodesk logo and AutoCAD are registered trademarks of Autodesk Inc. in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and certain other countries. AutoSnap, Kinetix and ObjectARX are trademarks of Autodesk Inc. Microsoft Windows See Windows. (operating system) Microsoft Windows - Microsoft's proprietary window system and user interface software released in 1985 to run on top of MS-DOS. Widely criticised for being too slow (hence "Windoze", "Microsloth Windows") on the machines available then. , Windows 95 and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. CONTACT: Autodesk Jennifer Reidy, 415/507-6536 jennifer.reidy@autodesk.com |
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