20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
20+ Years of Design, Technology & More
This podcast episode explores Autodesk's unexpected origins, focusing on its evolution from a UNIVAC hacker network to a billion-dollar enterprise. Key themes include the challenges of early software development, strategic decisions that shaped AutoCAD, and the company's growth trajectory. The narrative underscores the significance of primary sources in understanding this tech history.
Why cascading data references and circular loops degrade Civil 3D performance and stability, how to prevent them, and what Autodesk could build to kill the problem.
Shaan has developed a Civil 3D plugin in C#, functioning as an audit tool to analyze AutoCAD drawings efficiently. It captures essential data on references and project health, providing detailed reports and insights. The plugin can run in headless mode, enhancing performance for large batches of drawings. Future enhancements will address sheet set detection and layer audit calibration.
My session "The Stack Inversion Is Real" was accepted for Autodesk University 2026, focusing on AI's impact on CAD management. While I'm disappointed my favorite submissions were declined, this presentation will reflect my current role as a practitioner. Attendees will learn about AI's changes in CAD functions and strategies for evolving expertise.
Managing a Civil 3D shop can lead to complex issues with circular data shortcuts that obscure visibility and hinder performance. Many users unknowingly create tangled reference chains, resulting in file corruption and slow operations. The author seeks insights from other CAD managers on preventing and managing these challenges for better collaboration and efficiency.
Most CAD managers underestimate the significance of Autodesk crash data found in Customer Error Reports (CERs). Regularly analyzing these files reveals underlying issues affecting user environments, often overlooked by support tickets. Cer data can identify patterns leading to crashes and help implement fixes, thereby reducing user frustration and improving productivity.
A new open-source toolkit, That Open Engine 3.4.0, addresses long-standing issues in BIM workflows by offering an integrated 2D technical drawing system. It enables users to generate, annotate, and export plans directly from BIM models in a browser without relying on external CAD tools. This innovative solution eliminates licensing barriers, making it accessible for all.
AutoCAD 2027, released on March 25, 2026, emphasizes AI-assisted workflows, featuring the Autodesk Assistant for enhanced user interaction with DWG files. Key updates include multi-user DWG editing, a Geometry Cleanup tool, improved layout tab switching, and significant upgrades in Civil 3D, especially in drainage tools, enhancing collaboration and efficiency.
If you’ve been managing or using Autodesk products for a few years, you’ve probably cracked open a CER file at some point. Customer Error Reporting is Autodesk’s built-in crash reporting system, and it’s been around for a long time. When…
Mike Riddle wrote a CAD program in his spare time and became one of the most important — and most contested — figures in AutoCAD’s origin story. Here is the complete account, including the parts he would tell differently than Autodesk would.