v2024 Autodesk AutoCAD

Features

2D Draft, Drawing and Annotation

• Text settings – Create single or multiline text (mtext) as a single text object. Easily format text, columns, and boundaries.
• Dimensions – Create dimensions automatically. Pass the cursor over selected objects to see a preview before you create it.
• Tables – Apply formulas, link to Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and create tables with data and symbols. Automatically import data to tables using features like Count.
• Leaders – Create leaders with a variety of content, including text or blocks. Easily format leader lines and define styles.
• Centerlines and center marks – Create and edit centerlines and center marks that automatically move when you move the associated objects.
• Revision clouds – Draw revision clouds around new changes in a drawing to quickly identify your updates.
• Views – Save views by name to easily return to a specific view for quick reference or for applying to layout viewports.
• Layouts – Specify the size of your drawing sheet, add a title block, and display multiple views of your model.
• Fields – Use fields in text objects to display text that can be updated automatically as the field value changes.
• Data linking – Enable simultaneous updates by creating a live link between a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and a table in your drawing.
• Data extraction – Extract information from objects, blocks, and attributes, including drawing information.
• Dynamic blocks – Add flexibility and intelligence to your block references, including changing the shape, size, or configuration.
• Arrays – Create and modify objects in circular or rectangular patterns, or along a path.
• Parametric constraints – Apply geometric and dimensional constraints to maintain relationships between drawing geometry.
• Purge – Remove multiple unneeded objects at once with easy selection and object preview.

3D Modeling and Visualization

• Solid, surface, and mesh modeling – Create realistic 3D models of your design using a combination of solid, surface, and mesh modeling tools.
• 3D navigation (orbit, ViewCube, wheel) – Use 3D viewing and navigation tools to orbit, swivel, walk, and fly around a 3D model to showcase your design.
• Visual styles – Apply visual styles to control the display of edges, lighting, and shading of your 3D model.
• Section planes – Create section planes to display cross-sectional views through solids, surfaces, meshes, or regions.
• Rendering – Apply lighting and materials to give your 3D models a realistic appearance and to help communicate your designs.
• Cloud rendering – Render 3D models online without consuming processing power or disk space on your local computer.
• Point clouds – Attach point cloud files acquired by 3D laser scanners or other technologies to use as a starting point for your designs.
• Model documentation – Generate 2D drawings including base, projected, section, and detail views from 3D models.

Collaboration

• Xref Compare – Compare two versions of a drawing, including external references (xrefs).
• PDF files – Share and reuse data from PDF files by importing, exporting, or attaching them as underlays.
• DGN Files – Share and reuse data from DGN files by importing, exporting, or attaching them as underlays.
• DWG Compare – Compare two versions of a drawing without leaving your current window.
• Sheet sets – View, access, manage, and plot multiple drawings as sheet sets.
• Model references and import – Attach Navisworks models as underlays to your drawings, and import models from other applications.
• Geographic location and online maps – Insert geographic location information into a drawing, and display a map in the drawing from an online map service.

Installation and Customization

• Simplified installer – Reduce the amount of time you spend setting up AutoCAD with faster and customizable installations.
• Start tab – The new AutoCAD Start tab lets you easily access files and other helpful content directly from the home screen.
• TrustedDWG technology – TrustedDWG® technology alerts you to a possible incompatibility when a file was not last saved by Autodesk software.
• CUI customization – Customize the user interface to improve accessibility and reduce the number of steps for frequent tasks.
• Secure load – Specify security restrictions for running executables in AutoCAD to help protect against malicious executable code.
• Action recorder – Record commands and input values that can be played back as an action macro.
• System variable monitor – Monitor current system variables against a preferred list of values. Notification balloons alert you to deviations.
• CAD standards checker – Define and monitor CAD standards to maintain consistent styles for layers, linetypes, text, and dimensions.
• Application Programming Interface (API) – Control drawings and databases with ActiveX, VBS, AutoLisp, Visual LISP, ObjectARX, JavaScript, and .NET.
• Autodesk App Store – Customize your software with Autodesk-approved extensions.

System requirements for AutoCAD 2024 including Specialized Toolsets (Windows)

Operating System

• 64-bit Microsoft® Windows® 11 and Windows 10 version 1809 or above. See Autodesk’s Product Support Lifecycle for support information.

Processor

• Basic: 2.5–2.9 GHz processor (base) ARM Processors are not supported.
• Recommended: 3+ GHz processor (base), 4+ GHz (turbo)

Memory

• Basic: 8 GB
  Recommended: 32 GB

Display Resolution Conventional Displays:

• 1920 x 1080 with True Color

High Resolution & 4K Displays:

• Resolutions up to 3840 x 2160 (with “Recommended” display card)

Display Card

• Basic: 2 GB GPU with 29 GB/s Bandwidth and DirectX 11 compliant
• Recommended: 8 GB GPU with 106 GB/s Bandwidth and DirectX 12 compliant
• DirectX 12 with Feature Level 12_0 is required for Shaded(Fast) and Shaded with edges(Fast) visual styles. Please be sure to use the latest video card manufacturer drivers from their website.

Note: AutoCAD uses your computer’s display card for a variety of essential graphics operations including but not limited to view manipulation, line smoothing, and text/linetype generation. It is recommended that you have a display card with dedicated VRAM to support these operations at optimal speeds.

Disk Space

• 10.0 GB (suggested SSD)

Network

• See Autodesk Network License Manager for Windows

Pointing Device

• MS-Mouse compliant

.NET Framework

• .NET Framework version 4.8 or later

System requirements for AutoCAD 2024 for Mac

Operating System

• Apple® macOS® Ventura v13
• Apple macOS Monterey v12
• Apple macOS Big Sur v11

Model

• Apple Mac® computers compatible with macOS Big Sur or above
• Recommended: Apple Mac models supporting Metal Graphics Engine

CPU Type

• 64-bit Intel CPU
• Apple M series CPU

Memory

• Basic: 4GB
• Recommended: 8GB or higher

Display Resolution

• Basic: 1280 x 800 display
• High Resolution: 2880 x 1800 with Retina Display

Disk Space

• 6 GB free disk space for download and installation

Pointing Device

• Apple-compliant Mouse, Apple-compliant Trackpad, Microsoft-compliant mouse

Display Card

• Recommended: Mac native installed graphics cards

Disk Format

• APFS, APFS(Encrypted), Mac OS Extended (Journaled), Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted)

Additional requirements for large datasets, point clouds, and 3D modeling

• 16 GB RAM or more
• 6 GB free hard disk available not including installation requirements
• 3840 x 2160 (4K) or greater True Color video display adapter; 12GB VRAM or greater; Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater; DirectX-capable workstation class graphics card

Please note: 64-bit Operating Systems are recommended if you are working with Large Datasets, Point Clouds and 3D Modeling and required if you are using Model Documentation or Point Clouds. Please refer to the AutoCAD 64-bit System Requirements for more information.

Software

Languages
English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Russian

File format changes
No

Save as support
AutoCAD R14, AutoCAD 2000, AutoCAD 2004, AutoCAD 2007, AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD 2013, AutoCAD 2018.
EMR has the same formats as Commercial AutoCAD, with the exception of AutoCAD 2000/LT2000 Drawing

DXF support
AutoCAD R12, AutoCAD 2000, AutoCAD 2004, AutoCAD 2007, AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD 2013, AutoCAD 2018

Binary vs. source

• ARX: Yes
• LISP: Yes
• .net: Yes
• Javascript: Yes

Script compatibility
Yes

Security (DWG)
Supports digital signatures.

Drawing size support
Full DWG compression

Object interoperability (non-ACAD object model)
New objects may require new enablers.

.NET Framework
.NET Framework Version 4.7

*DirectX11 recommended by supported OS

Specialized Toolsets

Map 3D Additional Requirements

What’s new in AutoCAD 2024

Activity Insights

Stay connected to data throughout your project lifecycle with details of multi-user activities in a DWG file. Be informed of relevant file changes and access with an activity log. Activity Insights helps bridge information gaps in your collaborative AutoCAD workflows. (video: 1:38 min.)

Smart Blocks: Replacement

Quickly find the blocks you need and replace one or more blocks via machine learning-based suggestions, recently used blocks, and manual substitute block selection.

Smart Blocks: Placement

Automatically place blocks in your drawing in the right position and scale based on where you’ve inserted the same ones thus far in your DWG file, reducing the number of clicks required and saving you time in the process. (video: 48 sec.)

Markup Import and Markup Assist

Rapidly send and incorporate design feedback. Import feedback from printed paper via mobile or PDFs and add changes to your drawings automatically. AutoCAD uses machine learning to detect and execute certain instructions in markup text including “MOVE,” “COPY,” or “DELETE” commands. (video: 1:59 min.)

Web Functionality

AutoCAD subscribers receive exclusive additional functionality in AutoCAD on the web, including AutoLISP API on the web and batch plot to PDF(s).

Apple Silicon Native Support

AutoCAD for Mac 2024 now runs natively on Apple Silicon Mac machines (M1 and M2).

What’s new in AutoCAD 2021?