iPad

AutoCAD WS for Android – Arriving April 20, 2011

Apr 12

Finally we can answer the question many of you have been asking.

Since the launch of the AutoCAD WS mobile app last September, we have received one question more than all others: When are you going to release AutoCAD WS for Android?

And so we are delighted to announce that this free app which has already been downloaded more than one million times will be available to download from the Android Market next Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

Here’s a brief teaser from the launch video:

Android Versions

The AutoCAD WS mobile app will work on all phones and tablets running Android version 2.1 and higher.

Features

AutoCAD WS for Android will include all the features already included in the successful iPad/iPhone app. There is a comprehensive set of tools for editing and markups and a Timeline for managing all previous versions of your design.

Sharing and Cross-platform Compatibility

AutoCAD WS allows you to share your files with anyone and collaborate in real-time. Using your Android phone or tablet, you can work with clients and colleagues using any other Android device or any iOS device or any desktop computer with a browser.

Languages

AutoCAD WS will be available for Android in eight languages besides the default of English -- Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. The language is determined by the settings of your Android device.

Countdown to Launch

We will be revealing more about the release in the coming days and you can register for a reminder at our Android page here: http://autode.sk/acad_ws_android

You can also follow us on Twitter or become a fan of our Facebook page to join us as we get closer to the launch.

What Does Real-Time Collaboration Look Like?

Mar 15

Real-time collaboration is one of the great step forwards that AutoCAD WS has enabled, but I know that some of you have still not experienced this cross platform feature that allows you to work with anybody else on a computer, iPhone or iPad.

This post will try to show you exactly what real-time collaboration looks like and how it can help you. If you understand the importance of collaboration in your work, you’ll also know that you can’t always be in the same place as the people you’re working with. Whether you’re working from home, visiting a building site or just conducting a phone meeting you can look at the same drawing as you colleague or client and share changes in real time.

To start collaborating, share a drawing with one or more people. Then arrange for you and your collaborators to have the shared drawing open at the same time. To learn more about sharing, read our tutorial here: http://www.autocadws.com/tutorials/sharing-drawings/

The first thing to understand is that there are some differences depending on the platform each side is using.

Let’s investigate:

PC to PC (or Mac to Mac)

If both collaborators are using the web interface by connecting to www.autocadws.com through their PC or Mac’s browser then they will experience the highest level of real-time collaboration.

View Cursor -- You will see each other’s cursor in real time and see objects as they are drawn and markups as they are added.
Synced View -- You can pan and zoom in sync so that if one person changes the in-screen view it will also change for the other in real time.
Hide Others -- If it’s too distracting to have someone else control the pan and zoom while you are both working on the same drawing, you can click Hide Others which will disengage your views while retaining the real-time updates from each side.
Real-time Chat -- You can also chat in real time using the AutoCAD WS in-app chat feature.

PC to Mobile and Mobile to Mobile

The main difference when collaborating with someone on a mobile device is that there is no cursor to see.

Changes and updates are still made in real time, but the view is not synced so you can each pan and zoom independently.

Provided you have internet access, you will still be able to collaborate in real time with your colleagues or clients to make and record decisions together.

Transcript

At the end of every collaborative session, all participants receive an email detailing the changes that were made. You can read more about Documenting your meetings here: http://www.autocadws.com/blog/documenting-your-meetings-with-autocad-ws/

Celebrating 1,000,000 Downloads from the App Store

Mar 09

It’s official. As of yesterday, the AutoCAD WS mobile app has been downloaded over 1,000,000 (one million) times by iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users. In addition, our users have uploaded more than 1.2 million drawings.

This is especially exciting for me as I was the first and, for a long time, the only user of AutoCAD WS. I was thrilled when we reached our 10th user. Passing one million downloads within six months of launching on the App Store exceeded all our expectations. It tells a story of a million ideas being sketched on the go and a million projects designed in a new way.

Above all, one million downloads is evidence that our vision for mobile CAD is alive and kicking. We’re just at the beginning of a new era of design where it happens anywhere, in or out of the office.

The vision to create AutoCAD WS began in 2007 about two months before the first iPhone was released, well before mobile phones were expected to be “smart”. I was working as an architect. Every day, my work was happening in a different site – different projects involving different colleagues.

I had in mind a “light” version of my drawings which would follow me and be available, and always up to date, from anywhere. The evolution of the web together with the new capabilities of mobile phones created the perfect platform for my vision to become reality.

I believed so strongly in this vision that I left my job and dedicated myself to creating a product which would turn my vision into reality. Creating the technology behind AutoCAD WS was a huge challenge. We wondered, on occasion, whether it was even possible. It took us over a year just to display and edit a drawing for the first time on the web.

Even though a million downloads is a great accomplishment, I know that it’s just one milestone in our journey. We’re still planning to make the product’s design lighter and more flexible, and we’re facing more platforms, more devices and more user demands. We will continue to do our best to maintain the high quality of our existing products as well as the new products we are currently working on.

I want to congratulate the AutoCAD WS team for making it happen and to say “thank you” to a million architects, engineers, designers and managers who have joined our journey.

Iris Shoor, AutoCAD WS Product Manager.

FAQ: Changing Languages in AutoCAD WS

Mar 03

With the latest release, we added eight new languages to AutoCAD WS. Here is the first set of frequently asked questions about the localization project.

How do I change the language of AutoCAD WS on my iPad / iPhone / iPod touch?

You don’t have to do anything! With your iOS device the language you see in AutoCAD WS is governed by the language settings of the device itself. AutoCAD WS detects the language and displays the correct language as soon as you open the app. If your device’s language is set to anything other than Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese or Spanish, AutoCAD WS will appear in English.

How do I change the language of AutoCAD WS in my PC or Mac’s web browser?

Once you have logged in and opened the app at www.autocadws.com, you will see a flag and a language in the top right of your screen. Click on the flag to see a drop down menu where you can select one of the alternative languages. The language you select will be saved for the next time you open the app.

I changed the language on the web app. Why do I still see some things in English?

The localization effort for the web app is being carried out in two stages. For now we have translated all the button texts and the drop downs from all the ribbons. Some of the contextual pop-ups, such as when you share a file have not been translated yet.

I work in one language, but I’m sharing a drawing with someone who uses a different language. What will they see?

The language settings in AutoCAD WS are defined at the account level, not at the file level. That means you can share a drawing with one or more people and each person will view that drawing, in their app, in the language they have selected. Of course nothing in the drawing itself will be translated, but each of you will see the button texts in the language you defined.

I’m sure you have more questions, so let us have them and we’ll add the best ones to this FAQ and move it to our Tutorials section.