Autodesk’s Project Butterfly makes it possible for Mac users to edit CAD drawings for the first time. What was until recently an uncharted territory is now publicly available, and for free.

In short, Project Butterfly from Autodesk is a Web-based application that enables CAD editing without any installation or download of any kind. Apart from web access, Project Butterfly has features that accelerate the design process by allowing multiple users to work on the same drawing simultaneously or separately. Read more in our first post.

Because Project Butterfly is Web-based, it can run on Mac and Linux just as it does on a PC, the traditional platform for CAD editing. Project Butterfly can also run on every browser, as long as it has Adobe Flash installed.

Are you a designer with a desktop PC but travel with a Macbook?
Are you a professional but your clients have Macs?
If one of the above applies to you, then try Project Butterfly.

Send us your thoughts!

Iris Shoor
Sr. Product Manager, Project Butterfly.

One of the fundamental features in Project Butterfly is its co-editing feature. People have been discussing it in forums and blogs, and we would like to present to you the key benefits of the feature.

What is it?

Co-editing is the feature in Project Butterfly that enables two people to edit the same drawing simultaneously.

Reasons to use co-editing:

• It speeds up the process of designing, when another person’s input it necessary. For instance, it’s very hard to put into words a request to change the geometry of a complex wall, or plumbing.
• You can start a co-editing session when you don’t have enough time to meet in person. For example, if you need to discuss a design with a colleague in another state, or when your schedule is just full and can’t afford the time to travel to another city.
• It eliminates the need to redraw changes that have been discussed in an in-person meeting, or changes you received in a separate DWG file. Ever had someone send you their input on a DWG after you’ve already updated your version of the same drawing?
• The documentation of the session – changes and chat history – is stored and you can view it at any time, via the Timeline (ribbon tab).

Why it’s so easy and simple:

• Both sides of the session see the exact same view of the drawing – such as pan, zoom, layers, stylesheets and fonts.
• The recipient side doesn’t need a Butterfly account of his own. He just joins in the session from an invitation you send to him.
• Your recipient doesn’t need any software or files (i.e. you don’t have to send him the DWG or anything else).

Sounds good, right? It is.

How to start a co-editing meeting? [see video]

1. Open your drawing in Butterfly
2. Click on “Co-edit” in the bottom-right widget.
3. Enter your recipient’s email address.
4. Click “Send”. Voila!

Now all you have to do is wait for your recipient to join in, and you’re good to go.

Did you have a successful co-editing session? Tell us about it in the comments, or contact us.

Asaf Sagi
Product Manager, Project Butterfly

Hello everyone,

We hope you are having a good productive time working with Project Butterfly. Have you tried co-editing yet? It’s pretty magical.

You might not know that, but the Butterfly team is always working on new features and developments to make your online CAD experience the best as possible. We upgrade Butterfly every few days, based on feedback we receive from you, our audience!

We need your help in guiding us, we want to know what you need in Project Butterfly. We are committed to give you answers on any feature you might want. We will try implementing them as soon as possible, and will update you on our blog.

Examples for features:

• “Can you allow creating custom hatches?”
• We have already implemented the zoom keyboard shortcut. Try it!

Use your imagination, tell us what you think!

Asaf Sagi
Product Manager, Project Butterfly