iPhone

What do you want to see in the next update for Android / iOS? – Poll

Apr 27

From this point forwards we will be releasing all updates for the mobile app simultaneously across all platforms. This means any feature added to AutoCAD WS for Android will also be available in AutoCAD WS for iOS and vice versa.

As always after a release, we like to ask you what you think is missing.

This time we’re going to take one item out of the list because we are already working on adding a function for turning Layers on and off in AutoCAD WS.

You should also check out our Facebook page and tag yourself alongside your mobile device. We’ll send some of the taggers a piece of AutoCAD WS swag in the near future.

As you know by now we try to introduce new features into our products based on the responses we get to polls likes these. Your vote counts. Tell us what you think and you might see your pick in a future release.

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.