Autodesk AutoCAD 2008

AutoCAD 2008 software adds features to help make everyday tasks easier. Annotation scaling and control of layers by viewport minimize workarounds, while text enhancements, multiple leaders, and improved tables help deliver an unmatched level of aesthetic precision and professionalism.

Designers can set the current scale of a viewport or model space view, and then apply that scale to each object and specify its size, placement, and appearance based on the scale set for the viewport. In AutoCAD 2008 the layer manager has been enhanced to allow users to specify color, line weight, linetype, or plot style as an override for an individual viewport. These overrides can be easily turned on or off as viewports are added or removed.

Enhanced tables now give users the option to combine AutoCAD and Excel tabular information into a single AutoCAD table. This table can be dynamically linked so that notifications appear in both AutoCAD and Excel as data is updated. Users can then select these notifications, allowing instant updating of information in either source document.

AutoCAD 2007 totally overhauled the 3D modeling and visualization (rendering) environments. Even so, lighting is an issue with nearly every rendering software. AutoCAD 2008 helps to resolve this problem by introducing photo-metric lights. Instead of placing a light and then playing with its color, intensity and so on, all you need to do is to go to the Photometric Lights tool palettes. From there, you can insert light sources such as 100W incandescent or 75W halogen.

AutoCAD 2008 now gives users a 2D drawing and annotation workspace, which includes a new 2D dashboard. In effect, the dashboard is a super toolbar that includes the most commonly used 2D drawing, editing and annotating commands in one convenient location.
Before you comment about the amount of screen real estate that the dashboard occupies, don't forget that it effectively replaces nine toolbars. If you right-click within the dashboard and then select Control Panels, you can add or remove different groups of commands that roughly correspond with their matching toolbars. In addition, the dashboards can now be customized through the CUI (customize user interface).

System Requirements:

For those using AutoCAD® 2008 (32-bit):

• Intel® Pentium® 4 processor, 2.2 GHz or greater or Intel or AMD Dual Core processor, 1.6 GHz or greater
• Microsoft® Windows Vista™, Windows® XP Home and Professional (SP2), Windows® 2000 (SP4) 512 MB RAM
• 750 MB free disk space for installation
• 1024x768 VGA with True Color
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6.0 (SP1 or higher)

Additional requirements for those using AutoCAD® 2008 (64-bit):

• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Vista 64-bit
• AMD64 or Intel EM64T processor
• 1GB RAM, 2GB for Windows Vista 64-bit
• 750 MB free disk space for installation

Recommend for Microsoft Windows Vista or 3D modeling (32 and 64-bit AutoCAD)

• Intel® or AMD® single core 3.0 GHz or greater or Intel or AMD Dual Core processor 2.0 GHz or greater
• 2 GB RAM or greater
• 2 GB free hard disk available not including installation
• 1280 x 1024 32-bit color workstation graphics card with 128 MB RAM or greater and support for OpenGL®, or Direct3D®.
• For Windows Vista, a Direct3D capable graphics card with 128 MB RAM or greater is required.