AutoCAD 2009 – What’s New

By Gary Bergero,
MCAD Solutions Engineer
Hagerman & Company
San Jose, CA

Autodesk has just released their new 2009 series of products and AutoCAD® 2009 has been greatly improved. Hagerman & Company wants to keep you up to date on this latest technology by providing you information on “What’s New”. So, please spend a few minutes to see why you can create and edit drawings faster than ever before.

As soon as you execute the new AutoCAD 2009 product you will instantly see a dramatic interface change. AutoCAD 2009 contains a Vista – like “ribbon” interface. With the ribbon interface, overall drafting productivity is increased as the number of steps to reach a command is decreased.

The ribbon presents command options in a concise visual format that enables users to quickly select the appropriate command based on the work they are doing. With the ribbon, it is easier to find command options so that they are readily available when needed. The ribbon is customizable so that users can optimize it to meet their needs.

Another new part of the user interface is the “Menu Browser”. The menu browser allows you to browse through files and examine large thumbnail images. This will help users find their files faster.

A new “ViewCube” and “Steering Wheels” have been added to improve your work in 3D. The ViewCube feature provides a single visually interactive tool that allows you to quickly rotate and orient your 3D solid and surface models. The ViewCube is annotated with “Top, Front, Right, etc.” labels to assist you in choosing your view. By selecting a face, edge, or corner of the cube, your 3D model quickly rotates to that orientation.

The Steering Wheels tool provides quick access to Center, Zoom, Rewind and Pan commands. The rewind command allows you to navigate to previously displayed views in the steering wheel.

A new “Quick Properties” functionality has been added to AutoCAD 2009. This functionality was added to increase your speed. With just a single click on an object, you have access at your mouse location for the object’s layer, color and linetype. In addition, if you hold your mouse over the quick properties palette, the palette will expand giving you access to additional properties.

For those users who are not computer programmers, a new “Action Recorder” tool has been added. The new tool allows a user to quickly record a repetitive task as they perform it. You can then add text messages and requests for input to help streamline processes. Programming skills are not necessary to run this tool.

As you can see, AutoCAD 2009 is a significant productivity boost for your company. These new tools allow you to create and edit drawings faster than ever before. Hagerman & Company wants to help you and your company to be more productive with the new 2009 products. Please contact your nearest Hagerman & Company office and schedule an onsite demo or a WebEx presentation so that you can see it in action.