Autodesk has sponsored this post.

Dania El Hassan leads a product management team in charge of Autodesk’s venerable AutoCAD. The launch of AutoCAD 2022 offers us a chance to speak to Dania and find out what it’s like to fend for such a longstanding product inside Autodesk’s considerable portfolio, as well as find out more about what’s new—and what’s next.

Despite the pandemic forcing everyone to work at a distance, the team executed a major product release with some exciting new features for customers.

AutoCAD was released on floppy disks in 1983 and has managed to roll with the times, from DOS to Windows, from perpetual license to subscription, while providing value to customers compared to a host of low-cost competitors. Throughout these changes, AutoCAD’s user base of millions has grown. It continues to be used in high schools and colleges, starting students on their journeys in architecture, mechanical and civil engineering.

Continuous Innovation Meets Large User Base

A good product manager does not rely only on what users say they want. As Henry Ford wryly observed, if he had asked what people wanted, they would have said a faster horse. Product managers need to be able to lead users who cite only a need for a faster or more reliable horse toward the latest technology so they can improve their productivity—or in the present under COVID-19, allow them to collaborate.

“Introducing technology is a little bit of a dance,” says Dania. “We make sure we show the value to our customer base, to those who need more evidence to go forward and to speak to early adopters, specifically those who are hungry to show that they have gained a competitive advantage from the technology. It can be challenging, and fun.”

“The PM role is really a balance of understanding what customers in the market want or need, and what we strategically want to invest in,” Dania said.

“We work to balance user requests with innovating to deliver a future state they might not see coming,” she adds.

News of product updates tend to emphasize new features and capabilities, either to attract early adopters or editors, both camps hungry for the latest bells and whistles. Performance and reliability improvements often get little play—until now.

“We've been able to invest in the things that are important to the wide customer base,” says Dania. “Performance enhancement is a great example of something every AutoCAD customer, regardless of industry, will benefit from. Our 2D and 3D graphics systems have gotten ten times better since 2016 when subscription was first introduced. Our installation is five times faster. It might sound minor, but installs have gone from something that's painful to something that's quick and easy.”

AutoCAD Still the Light in the Office

Not a month goes by where we don’t hear of a cloud-based product acquired for AEC. Autodesk’s investment, both with money and R&D spending, may seem to be all about the latest generation of products.

Still, AutoCAD remains increasingly important to the millions of AutoCAD users.

“Users just love AutoCAD,” Dania says. “AutoCAD is the original platform. Our other products connect to AutoCAD, and our customers develop on top of AutoCAD. AutoCAD is loved by our customers precisely because it is in the workflows they need to have.” Proof of Autodesk’s faith in AutoCAD also comes from the enhancements in industry-specific tools. Autodesk maintains add-ins for mechanical, architectural, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing), electrical, piping and process, mapping and raster data—all while still offering specific vertical applications.

Not only were the toolsets enhanced with AutoCAD 2022, but they are also in the box at no extra cost.

“When you purchase a subscription to AutoCAD you get access to seven industry-specific toolsets,” says Dania.

She sees the toolsets for AutoCAD as complementary to Autodesk’s vertical applications such as Inventor and Revit. “For instance, Inventor is for a 3D workflow. The AutoCAD Mechanical toolset is 2D.”

“Most of our customers use AutoCAD for parts of their workflow. A customer isn't necessarily all 3D or all 2D. They use 2D documentation for contractual documents, for instance, or send 2D drawings to a fabricator because that's what the fabricator understands and is able to deal with. Many AutoCAD customers are seeing the merits of the 3D applications, and use AutoCAD alongside them,” she says.

So, What’s New?

One of the main reasons for this continuing loyalty has been AutoCAD’s regular refreshes. AutoCAD 2022 offers much in the way of online functionality, such as collaboration and (easier) online storage, along with a smattering of new requested features.

“We meet our customers where they are and focus on providing the greatest value to meet changing work styles,” said Dania.

“We're investing in AutoCAD and we'll continue to do so,” says Dania. “We are always improving the product, and part of its value is connecting to AutoCAD web and mobile, as well as other Autodesk applications. For instance, customers using BIM 360 alongside AutoCAD can push their files directly from AutoCAD to Autodesk Docs and BIM 360 Docs. We also have a connection to Autodesk Drive where many files are used for other parts of our customers’ workflow. We are making continuous updates to our customers and release them on an ongoing basis throughout the year.”

“Some of the innovations we've introduced recently are in web and mobile,” Dania adds. “We are able to extend AutoCAD beyond the desktop, allowing users to access it wherever they work.”

AutoCAD 2022 makes it a cinch to store files in the cloud, for example.

“Users can access their files wherever they go via the AutoCAD web and mobile apps,” says Dania. “Now they can collaborate with other users from their mobile device in the field or onsite.”

Making It Count

We ask Dania to elaborate on the features of AutoCAD 2022 that her team is most proud of.

“We introduced the COUNT command, a really nice automation that reduces manual and error prone tasks,” she says.

COUNT will add up the number of objects or blocks similar to one you select using an internally developed geometry search. The function finds all objects of similar shape, regardless of size and orientation, as would happen with different scales and in different views used in a drawing. Individual counts are stored in a dynamic table that updates the count if objects or blocks are removed or added. The counts can be exported to a bill of material, alleviating what is considered to be chore by most CAD users.

Floating Windows

Previous versions of AutoCAD have allowed several drawings to be open at once, but with a tabbed interface that would only let you see one at a time. With AutoCAD 2022, you can drag the tab to create a new window so you can see two drawings at the same time. The new window can be docked in the same Autodesk frame or outside it on a different monitor. It is like having another version of AutoCAD running on your workstation.

“A floating window was one of the top AUGI and beta user requests,” says Dania, referring to AutoCAD’s international user group.

Sharing is Caring

Two AutoCAD 2022 enhancements have been a long time coming but got a boost from the pandemic as more users than ever before had to collaborate while being physically separated.

The Share command lets users share a version of their drawing as a URL. Your collaborator can measure, zoom, pan and more. The shared version does not maintain a dynamic link to the drawing.

The Trace command allows collaboration in a different way. Trace lets collaborators see the drawing and make markups on a separate layer—similar to using tracing paper. Collaborator’s notes or red lines do not affect the drawing itself. When the original DWG is opened, you are notified of the Trace layer and can use the markups to make the changes to the DWG.

Trace allows users to make precise geometry. Previously, markups were done with a finger or stylus, and were therefore rough.

“We were really gung-ho about Share and Trace even before the pandemic. Now users can take a drawing, create a URL and send it to someone very quickly, giving access to the drawing and associated XREFs—just like that.”

“All you have to do is click on Share, grab the URL and email it to someone. They will be able to immediately open that in AutoCAD web or mobile. They don't have to have AutoCAD installed. A project engineer can participate, give feedback or review the drawing, even do some light editing,” says Dania.

The Future of AutoCAD

The view that emerges from our discussion with Dania is one of an AutoCAD that is not only supported within the company with continued development, but which is also counted on as a valuable resource. Indeed, the AutoCAD userbase numbers show no signs of abating. While users may use Autodesk’s 3D vertical desktop applications or their cloud-based platforms, AutoCAD is a key part of their workflow. In its fourth decade of use—equal to several software lifetimes—AutoCAD remains the undisputed leader. With its annual refreshes that keep it abreast of current technology, we expect it to be around for decades to come.

For more information about AutoCAD or to download a free trial, visit the Autodesk website.