This week Autodesk released product information for the next release of AutoCAD Mechanical. The 2012 release comes with some nice improvements that considerably expand the usability of the software. While the core tools that give AutoCAD Mechanical its leverage over plain AutoCAD have been available for well over a decade now, it’s nice to see the product feature set continuing to expand.
Productivity
Let’s start at the beginning and by that I mean Startup. With optimization for Windows 7, common grumble areas like startup time and overall responsiveness have seen a noticeable boost; there have even been some nice performance improvements with the Ribbon. The BOM Migration tool makes generating that Bill of Material data a snap by batch importing DWG™ data.
Model Documentation
For shops using AutoCAD Mechanical with other 3D modelers, the Model Documentation tools will streamline the process for creating and updating those critical 2D drawings from a list of popular 3D modelers, including Inventor®, Pro/Engineer®, and SolidWorks®.
Standards Updates
As is typical for each release of AutoCAD Mechanical, 2012 again brings the latest updates to the 8 international standards that are integral to the tool.
Updates for the recently updated ISO standard include:
•Dimensioning
•GD&T
•Leaders
•Parts lists (for example, 3040:2009)
Ease of Use
Fusion is now accessible from right inside the interface for those designers who want to experience a new standard in 3D modeling ease of use. AutoCAD WS has been integrated in allowing users to view, edit, and share drawing on many web-enabled devices. The Content Explorer provides easy indexing of your design content so it can be quickly located and reused. You can stay connected to the Autodesk design community with Autodesk Exchange.
Let's here what our friend Rob Cohee has to say about the new release of AutoCAD Mechanical.
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