General Autocad Resources / Autocad Add-ons & Tools / Autocad Publications / Other Software Links

General Autocad Resources:

Autodesk.  The company behind Autocad, 3D Studio, Architectural Desktop, Revit, and other graphic programs.  Their website offers a list of their products, links to 3rd party software (partner products), and discussion groups.  The Knowledge Network section offers product support, training information, and more.  Staff blogs under the Community section offer product news, expert tips, and insider resources.

AUGI.  The Autodesk User Group International.  An independent organization, closely associated with Autodesk, but not part of it.  Autodesk participates as an AUGI sponsor.

The Buzzsaw website.  Autodesk has ventured into the online project management arena with this site, offering architects, engineers, and contractors services like project hosting, online meetings, and job site web cameras.

CAD Corner.  Helpful Autocad community resource offering free blocks, details, lisp routines, text styles, hatch patterns, and user forums.  Also noteworthy for its Autocad F.A.Q. and tutorial sections.  From our Canadian neighbors, Mike Good and Allan.

Cadopolis.  Serving the general Autocad community, this site offers a rich collection of Autocad add-ons, shareware, forums, and links.  Nicely presented and organized.

CadTutor website.  Offers free online tutorials on Autocad and tips on selected web building and digital design programs.  Well written, really a treasure trove of information for almost anyone wanting to sharpen their Autocad skills.  Don't be turned away by tutorials written for older versions of Autocad.  They very much apply to recent versions as well.  The site also features a small Autocad image bank, a user forum, cadd and other program resources, and more.  By David Watson.

Cupola Consulting's Qupola.com website.  An I.S. company offering system and network administration, computer support, architectural cadd management, and Autocad support and customization services.  Serves the Silicon Valley area.  This is our business-oriented sister site.

The Autocad Cheat Sheet.  A roundup of useful command aliases (a.k.a. keyboard macros/shortcuts) in standard, out-of-the-box, Autocad.  Also lists common scale factors in the U.S. building trades.  Part of Brian M. Curran's Autocad drafting services website.

Allan Wise's Draftperson.net.  This handy website offers Autocad tips and tricks, Autocad blocks, AutoLisp routines, drafting standards, a user forum, and more.  From Australia.

The Ellen Finkelstein website.  Features tips for Autocad, Powerpoint, and Flash users.  Finkelstein is the author of a number of popular reference books on these subjects.

Fourmilab.  Personal website of John Walker, founder of Autodesk and co-author of Autocad.  Based now in Switzerland.

myCADSite.com.  Offers free online Autocad tutorials.  Also offers a modest collection of Autocad routines and a decent page of cad related links.  From Art Whitton.

Autocad Add-ons and Tools:

The Autodsys website.  Markets AcceliARCH, the latest evolution of ArchT, historically one of the stronger and friendlier architectural add-on packages for Autocad (and Intellicad).  A welcome and less expensive alternative to Autodesk's Autocad Architecture (formerly Architectural Desktop).  Some of its competitors in the architectural market are: ArchSoft, from Canadian based Grove Technologies; and CadPLUS Total AE/FM System, from National MultiTech LTD.

The Cadalog.com site (formerly the Autocad Shareware Clearinghouse).  Has oodles of Autocad add-on software and enhancements.

The Cad Depot website (formally CadSyst).  Another big site for Autocad add-on software and enhancements.

Robert McNeel and Associates.  A dealer of rendering, sketching, and cadd related software.  They also offer cadd training.

The SignatureCAD site.  Latest developers of Squiggle, a program that creates hand-drawn looking illustrations out of Autocad files.  A related program called Penguin, is available from the previously listed Robert McNeel and Associates.  SignatureCAD also sells printer utilities for converting HPGL and HPGL/2 plot files to ones understood by almost any printer.

TC Fonts.  Offers the Newplex font, which is like Autocad's Romans or Simplex font but with an extended character set.  Also offers font conversion utilities and services.

Autocad Publications:

The Cadalyst Magazine website.  An Autocad oriented magazine.  They also offer tips and custom programs for Autocad published in their magazine over the years.  This is a free service.  Merged with the similarly oriented Cadence Magazine in late 2003.

Other Software Links:

Microsoft Corporation.  The software powerhouse.  Love it or hate it, Microsoft does offer one of the most extensive software support sites on the net.  Plenty of free goodies available there too.

Symantec Corporation's Security Response website.  A good source of information regarding virus, worm, and other computer security threats, from the company who puts out Norton Antivirus.  Offers free removal tools for some of the most common malware infections, but the skills of an experienced computer support person may still be required to ensure that the system is really malware free.

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