AutoSketch 9 Overview

Please note: AutoSketch 10 is released and shipping now

With A Complete Set of CAD Tools from the Maker of AutoCAD Software AutoSketch® software provides a complete set of CAD tools for creating professional-quality precision drawings. A series of tutorials get you up and running fast. A Microsoft® Windows® XP–like interface provides a familiar environment for straightforward drafting. Content libraries give you the simplicity of ready-made, drag-and-drop content. And DWG format compatibility means you can create and share industry-standard drawings from the get-go.

Download AutoSketch 9 Getting Started Guide

AutoSketch Gets the Job Done

Architects, engineers, contractors, illustrators, designers, and hobbyists use AutoSketch to create

• Conceptual sketches
• Architectural drawings
• Technical illustrations
• Electrical drawings
• Product specifications
• Informative graphics
• And much more

Drafting Productivity

Straightforward drafting tools get and keep you productive. For starters, a wizard automatically steps you through the process of choosing the most appropriate symbols libraries, drawing scales, and toolsets for your drawing type. No matter what your drawing background or your need, you can create accurate, professional-looking drawings fast with a feature-rich toolset that includes:

• Customizable grids and construction guidelines
• Associative dimensioning
• 3D special effects, including extrusion and transformation options
• In-place text editing
• Automatic snaps and locks that align objects precisely and hold them in position
• Powerful pan and zoom capabilities for moving in, out, and around your drawing

Drag, Drop, Draw

Save time by using pre-drawn content from the Content Librarian. Content includes

• Kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom symbols
• Decks and landscaping icons
• Architectural graphics
• Mechanical parts
• Plumbing and electrical symbols
• Hatch and fill patterns

Minimum System Requirements

Following are minimum System Requirements for AutoSketch. However while deciding hardware, please be mindful of what other programs you are likely to run on it. All programs require processing and memory and your overall requirements may be much higher.

• Intel® Pentium® III processor or later, 300 MHz
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home Edition, or Windows 2000 Professional
• 128 MB RAM
• 180 MB free disk space for installation
• 800x600 VGA display with true color Mouse, trackball, or compatible pointing device
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (SP1 or later)
• CD-ROM drive

AutoSketch Features

AutoSketch® software provides a complete set of CAD tools for creating professional-quality precision drawings. Check out this screenshot for a look at the AutoSketch work environment.

Fast Start-up

Application Wizard: The Application wizard provides a variety of drawing types to help you get started quickly. Whether you are drawing a building, an office layout, or a mechanical part, the Application wizard configures the drawing environment by setting drawing scale, units, and toolbars. In some cases it even starts the drawing.

Getting Started Guide: Create professional drawings in no time. A series of tutorials show you everything from starting a new drawing to moving and rotating entities and adding dimensions.

Customizable Work Environment

Flexible File Management: Open as many drawings as you want at one time, with multiple windows open for each drawing document. Combined with a variety of ways to open files and AutoSave, this capability helps you easily find the files you want and know that your work is safe.

Customizable Toolbars: Customize your workspace by turning on additional toolbars and creating your own toolbars. Add any command to custom toolbars. Toolbars can be docked or floated. When floating in the drawing area, toolbars can also be resized.

Customizable Grids: Use customizable rectangular, circular, and isometric grids to easily configure the drawing space to the drawing task. Create isometric views with special drawing tools optimized for the isometric drawing grid.

Guidelines: Create geometry by snapping to user-defined construction guides. Turn the guides off and on to build on previous work. Powerful Drawing Tools

Drawing and Editing: Selecting, moving, and copying are fundamental to any type of drawing. The variety of AutoSketch® selection tools gives you several ways to select anything, anywhere in the drawing. The familiar Microsoft® Windows® interface of these and other tools increases usability.

AutoArray: Dynamically populate any area with symbols or symbol groupings. As you move the cursor, the display shows a dynamically changing number of equally spaced symbols or objects in a selection set. 3D Effects: Access tools for dressing up 2D drawings for presentations from the 3D Effects toolbar. These tools automatically take a top, front, or side view and skew it, turning it into an isometric view. Add 3D text as a final touch. An automatic extrusion tool not only extrudes at a changeable distance and angle but also automatically removes hidden lines.

Instant Precision Drawing

Content Librarian: Drag a symbol, hatch pattern, or solid fill from the Content Librarian window wherever you want it in a drawing; the area automatically fills in with the pattern or color. Drag a symbol from the Content Librarian and place in a prescribed location, using the symbol’s basepoint. AutoSketch software comes with 256-color customizable color palettes and more than 50 new symbol libraries.

Picture Support: Add photographs, scanned images, logos, or any other raster file to your drawings. You have complete control over the size and placement of images, including bitmapped images and annotations. Further enhance your drawings with textures or photorealistic images by adding bitmaps to enclosed areas. AutoSketch 9 supports BMP, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, ICO, EMF, and WMF formats.

Rich Text: Rich text capabilities support different kinds of formatting in a single block of text. Change the color, font, and formatting for individual sentences, words, or letters for visual consistency between CAD drawings and other documents. Spell Check verifies spelling for text, database information, and even dimensions.

Compatibility

DWG Support: Because AutoSketch drawings are DWG format compatible, you can create and view AutoCAD® drawings for enhanced collaboration with colleagues and clients.

Designed for Windows XP Logo Certification: This logo ensures compatibility with the latest Microsoft operating systems.