AutoCAD

What Does AutoCAD Mean?

AutoCAD is a computer-aided design (CAD) program used for 2-D and 3-D design and drafting. AutoCAD is developed and marketed by Autodesk Inc. and was one of the first CAD programs that could be executed on personal computers.

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Techopedia Explains AutoCAD

AutoCAD was initially derived from a program called Interact, which was written in a proprietary language. The first release of the software used only primitive entities such as polygons, circles, lines, arcs and text to construct complex objects. Later, it came to support custom objects through a C++ application programming interface. The modern version of the software includes a full set of tools for solid modeling and 3-D. AutoCAD also supports numerous application program interfaces for automation and customization.

DWG (drawing) is the native file format for AutoCAD and a basic standard for CAD data interoperability. The software has also provided support for Design Web Format (DWF), a format developed by Autodesk for publishing CAD data.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…