For example, C starts the Circle command and A switches to Arc, but then another C doesn’t switch back to Circle but instead invokes the Center option of Arc, which is still active. It also seems that keyboard shortcuts don’t work if the current command has an option the same as the shortcut. If you are accustomed to how the Esc key works in AutoCAD LT, as I am, you will likely find this functionality confusing. According to IMSI/Design, the Esc command as designed resets the command tool but does not cancel a command entirely (and you can use the space bar to cancel a command entirely). Similarly, the Arc command seems to repeat until replaced, but Circle runs only once, sometimes. If you then move the cursor and pick a point, you have selected the start point for another line. As you would expect if you were using AutoCAD LT, pressing the Esc key in DoubleCAD XT doesn’t exit from the Line command, but merely stops drawing at the end of the current segment. (Click to view larger image.)Ĭloser inspection revealed some very significant differences, however.įor starters, it seems a command of some sort is nearly always active in DoubleCAD XT. Unlike the 2009 (and 2010) versions of AutoCAD LT, DoubleCAD XT does not have a ribbon menu.ĭoubleCAD XT (top) looks more like AutoCAD 2008 (bottom) than AutoCAD LT 2009 (center). Once running, DoubleCAD XT on first impression looks like AutoCAD LT 2008, with virtually identical toolbars. The splash screen must be closed manually when the program has finished loading. This product is not the only one to commit this offense, but it still ticks me off. The problem is that the company has specified that this splash screen should always run on top of anything else you might be running, so most other applications are not available during the time it takes to launch DoubleCAD XT. When you double-click the desktop icon to launch DoubleCAD XT, a large splash screen appears immediately that takes up about two-thirds of your desktop. IMSI/Design claims that DoubleCAD XT is "an AutoCAD LT 2009 workalike." (A version 2010 workalike reportedly is on the way.) Is the claim true? I set out to test DoubleCAD XT v1.1 against AutoCAD LT 2009. (This compares quite favorably with AutoCAD LT's retail price of $1,200 per seat.)
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The DoubleCAD XT download gets you a full-featured, unlimited commercial license. It introduced DoubleCAD XT, taking dead aim at AutoCAD LT.Įven more unusual is the price of DoubleCAD XT. But early this year, with much fanfare (and after some struggles with Autodesk over the product's original name, A/CAD LT Express), the company did something unusual. Its flagship product, TurboCAD, is well regarded and has a very loyal user base. IMSI/Design is one company that markets a product that competes with AutoCAD. Autodesk discourages people from saying that LT stands for “lite,” but that is effectively what it is. Some segments of the AutoCAD user base at one point began to lodge complaints along the lines of, “Why do I have to pay for a big, full-featured, customizable 3D-capable program when all I do is flat 2D schematics?” Thus was born AutoCAD LT. A number of other CAD programs have come along to challenge that position, with varying degrees of success. Over the years, AutoCAD continued to grow, adding new power and capabilities with each release, building its position as the market leader. Probably most importantly, AutoCAD and its DWG file format rapidly became the de facto standard. Overall Grade: A (in its own right) C+ (as an AutoCAD LT "workalike"/compatible product)Ĭons: Not as AutoCAD compatible as other products on the market.
It is not quite true to say that AutoCAD took over the CAD market rather, it basically created a whole new market.
Then along came PCs and AutoCAD, and everything changed.
Needless to say, not many CAD seats existed outside the aerospace and automotive market. It was not uncommon to spend more than $200,000 for a single seat, and those were late-1970s dollars. Once upon a time, back in the last millennium, CAD systems were very expensive and ran on very costly hardware.
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AutoCAD LT (Cadalyst Labs Review) 30 Jun, 2009 By: Bill Fane IMSI/Design claims its new, free 2D drafting tool is a viable replacement for AutoCAD LT.
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