Autodesk is proud to be the Official Design & Make Platform of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Official Supporter of Team USA.
CAD (computer aided design) design is used in almost every industry, in projects as wide-ranging as landscape design, bridge construction, office building design and movie animation . With 2D or 3D CAD programs, you can perform a variety of tasks: you can create a 3D model of a design, apply material and light effects, and document the design with dimensions and other annotations. With features like point clouds, you can add real-life context to your drawings to create a digital twin or recreate physical objects in your designs
CAD design is used by architects, construction managers, and engineers and has replaced manual drafting. It helps users create designs in either 2D or 3D to visualize construction, and enables the development, modification, and optimization of the design process. This helps designers make more accurate representations and modify them more easily to improve design quality.
Building design is used from concept through completion by professionals working in architecture, construction, MEP engineering, and structural engineering, and by building owners, operators, and managers.
Infrastructure engineers and planners use CAD design tools to create intelligent 3D models and engineering drawings for land development, transportation, utilities, water, and wastewater projects.
CAD design software is used by manufacturers and CAM professionals to machine, fabricate, 3D print, inspect, and fabricate better quality parts, faster.
Throughout the development cycle, from concept to manufacturing, CAD design software is used to create consumer products, industrial machinery, and building products and equipment.
2D and 3D CAD tools, with enhanced insights, AI-automations, and collaboration features. Subscription includes AutoCAD on desktop, web, mobile, and seven specialized toolsets.
Plan, design, construct, and manage buildings with powerful tools for Building Information Modeling.
Best-in-class tool for 2D CAD drafting, drawing, and documentation. Subscription includes AutoCAD LT on desktop, web, and mobile.
Purchase Autodesk products your way via our eStore, sales team and authorized partners. Choose between monthly, annual and 3-year subscriptions. Alternatively, check out our flexible payment scheme, for consumption-based software access that allows you to use any product whenever you need to on a pay-as-you-go basis.
We make it easy for you to buy an Autodesk subscription by offering three options: buy online, buy with our expert sales team, or buy with a certified Autodesk Partner. All purchases are secure and come with our money-back guarantee. Financing is also available for qualified buyers.
Select a subscription plan that best fits your individual or company needs. Each plan has a different level of security, reporting, automation, and support features.
Autodesk Flex is the perfect solution for occasional use and special projects. Purchase Flex tokens to access eligible products for a 24-hour period and explore new design products without committing to a long-term contract.
Create, design, and collaborate with AutoCAD Web. Experience the flexibility of accessing AutoCAD’s key design features from any computer or mobile device. Automate counting blocks, incorporate changes, display measurements, and more.
Autodesk is committed to helping educate tomorrow's leaders. Get free access to our entire portfolio of products with the Autodesk Education plan.
Stratford Festival
By using AutoCAD and experimenting with other technologies such as 3D printing, Andrew Mestern of Stratford Festival delivers incredible set designs.
Image courtesy Stratford Festival.
Technica International
Automated product systems designer Technica International makes big gains in efficiency with Autodesk Product Design & Manufacturing Collection.
Image courtesy of Technica International.
Winch Design
Discover how award-winning Winch Design relies on AutoCAD for its yacht designs, including the recent superyacht Areti.
Image courtesy of Tom Van Oossanen.
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computer technology by architects, engineers, and others for design and drawing. Before CAD, design and drafting were done using pencil and paper. Benefits of using CAD design software include more precise drawing, ease for the designer to share plans with clients and third parties (such as general contractors and engineers), and secure archiving of past projects.
AutoCAD is the industry-standard software used by most civil engineers and construction firms. Other commonly used software packages from Autodesk include Revit, Civil 3D and Fusion 360.
AutoCAD can be used for drafting and design projects that involve creation, editing, viewing or printing various types of geometric 2D and 3D entities. This includes projects like floor plans, construction layouts, building details, manufacturing drawings and layouts. Learn more.
AutoCAD is a desktop software application for 2D and 3D design and drafting used for creating blueprints and other engineering plans. AutoCAD is used in architectural drafting, civil drafting, mechanical drafting, electrical drafting, electronics, aeronautical drafting and more.
AutoCAD Mobile is a mobile drawing, and drafting application that allows users to view, edit and share AutoCAD drawings via mobile devices. It can be used by general contractors and project managers with little to no experience with CAD across a wide range of industries, including architecture, engineering, and construction, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and more.
AutoCAD’s native .DWG format and .DXF file format are used in CAD design, but there are differences between the two vector image file types. The principal difference is that DWG (which stands for DraWinG) files previously only worked with Autodesk’s AutoCAD, while .DXF (meaning drawing exchange/interchange format) was developed to allow other CAD programs to open and use information from the drawing file. There are now several free programs that can open DWG files.
Some CAD programs can’t import .DWG files, but they can import .DXF. If you’re a CAD user who doesn’t use AutoCAD, the ability to open and use the .DXF file in other CAD programs is an advantage over the DWG.
Possible limitations of DXF in comparison to DWG are:
There are many benefits to using DWG files, including:
While some programs may take time to learn, once mastered , CAD software can greatly enhance productivity and time to completion.
Advantages of CAD:
Free Autodesk software and/or cloud-based services are subject to acceptance of and compliance with the terms and conditions of the terms of use and/or other terms that accompany such software or cloud-based services. Software and cloud-based services subject to an Educational license or subscription may be used by eligible users solely for Educational Purposes and shall not be used for commercial, professional or any other for-profit purposes.
