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Guest Post from Chen Harel – Lead Developer for AutoCAD WS for Mac

Aug 25

Hi, I’m Chen and I’m the lead developer for AutoCAD WS for the Mac. In the following post I’m going to talk about how we took our mobile application and turned it into the Mac app that you can get now on the Mac App Store.

I’ll start with a brief introduction to AutoCAD WS. In September 2010, AutoCAD WS was released for both the web (Adobe Flash) and iOS. In April 2011 we released our Android client. The Android and iOS apps share a lot of code which is written in C++. Some of the code that is in C++ includes the streaming and rendering algorithms.

Ben Raziel, Chen Harel, Erik Sapir (& Nili)

When we developed our iOS app in 2010, we already made the code as portable as we could because we knew that we weren’t going to stay in just one platform. The rest of the code (mainly UI and platform services) in the iOS was written in Objective-C on top of the Cocoa-Touch framework.

After a while we started working on our Android client. We used the Native Development Kit that enables Android apps to run C++ code. We had to write the services and UI in Java this time. Moreover we had to build a whole new bridge layer (JNI) in order to make the two components talk to each other.

Once I was assigned to lead the AutoCAD WS for Mac development, the first thing I did was to check all the code I could reuse from the mobile app. Code that was written in C++ was shareable between all three platforms, and code in Objective-C that wasn’t iOS exclusive was shared with the Mac.

If the Android and iOS apps share 85 percent code in version 1.3, the Mac app shares around 95 percent code with the iOS version. That number even takes into account several new features available only for the Mac app such as plotting capabilities and control over Snap and Ortho.

The Mac app is built using the Cocoa framework as opposed to the Cocoa-Touch framework the iOS uses. Some of the technology issues we faced with switching from Cocoa-Touch to Cocoa were multiple windows rendering, rendering on large screens and using a mouse as a pointing device. Having a mouse (or Trackpad) meant that our iOS tools weren’t robust enough.

We had to develop a new set of tools and choose the right tool for the right platform. The job was placed in the hands of Ben Raziel a member of our team and he did a great job!

I would also like to mention another member of the development team, Erik Sapir. Erik brought great ideas for implementing better product performance in terms of rendering, zooming and panning.

I have tried not to get too technical in this post. I would love to read comments here or on our Facebook page or Twitter feed regarding future posts you would be interested in reading from me or the other developers.

Chen Harel

Наконец доступны на русском языке – AutoCAD WS (Available now in Russian!)

Aug 24

Фантастическая новость!

AutoCAD WS is now available in Russian for the first time.

On the web version of AutoCAD WS (www.autocadws.com), you can select the language from the drop down list in the top right corner.

If you are using the latest version of the AutoCAD WS mobile app, you should have already noticed the Russian support. The app automatically matches its language to the language you have set for the phone or tablet. If you change your languages settings to Russian and restart the app, it will detect the language and present the app in Russian.

The same is true if you’re using the new AutoCAD WS for Mac app. Your Mac computer will identify the language settings you have selected for it and apply them automatically to AutoCAD WS when you open the app.

Let us know if you’re using AutoCAD WS in Russian and what you think of it.

Announcing AutoCAD WS for Mac

Aug 19

We’ve got some great news to share with all our Mac users. Ever since the new Mac App Store opened, we thought it would be a great place for people to access AutoCAD WS.

Today we’re happy to to announce the release of AutoCAD WS for Mac, which you can now download for free from the Mac App Store.

AutoCAD WS for Mac combines the flexibility and functionality of AutoCAD WS with a fully native Mac experience. The new app lets you view and accurately edit DWG files, including the ability to plot drawings to PDF and DWF. Similar to the iPad app, AutoCAD WS for Mac supports both online and offline modes, so you can view and edit files even when you’re not connected to the internet.

To find out more about AutoCAD WS for Mac go to our Mac page, mac.autocadws.com, or download the app directly on the Mac App Store.

But don’t take it from us, see how this DWG block insert couple feel about our new Mac app:

AutoCAD WS Mobile Update – August 2011 – Available Now

Aug 18

We’re very happy to tell you that we have just released the latest version of AutoCAD WS mobile. You can download it now for iOS from the App Store or for Android from the Android Market.

This latest update introduces some features that have been much in demand from you over the past few months. As always, we’ve worked hard to include as much of your feedback as possible as we continue to use your comments and suggestions to drive the product’s development.

Layers

We have added support for Layers to the AutoCAD WS 1.3 mobile app. Now you can turn each layer on and off as required to give you a better view of the way your design is put together.

Accurate Input

Now with AutoCAD WS you can input the exact length or radius you want on the pop-up keypad. Each drawing command, such as setting the radius of a circle or determining the vertical offset of a move operation can now be typed in using a special pop-up keyboard to ensure complete accuracy.

Area Measurement

We have added this much requested feature to allow you to select an area and instantly calculate its area and perimeter. This new tool will allow you to accurately measure a set of points to determine their enclosed area and perimeter. Very useful for capturing vital information wherever you find yourself.

File Management

You no longer have to rely on access to a PC or Mac to manage files in your AutoCAD WS account. You can now duplicate, delete and rename files by simply tapping the arrow next to each file or folder within the app’s drawings view and choose the desired operation.

We’ll be talking about about these new features and others in the coming weeks. Download the new version for iOS or Android and tell us what you think, and don’t forget to check out all the brand new features in the release video: