AutoCAD is a
CAD (Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting)
software application for
2D and
3D design and
drafting. It was developed and sold by
Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on
personal computers, notably the
IBM PC. At that time, most other CAD programs ran on
mainframe computers or
mini-computers which were connected to a graphics
computer terminal for each user.
Early releases of AutoCAD used primitive entities — lines, polylines, circles, arcs, and text — to construct more complex objects. Since the mid-1990s, AutoCAD has supported custom objects through its C++
Application Programming Interface (API). Modern AutoCAD includes a full set of basic
solid modeling and 3D tools. With the release of AutoCAD 2007 came improved 3D modeling, which meant better navigation when working in 3D. Moreover, it became easier to edit 3D models. The
mental ray engine was included in
rendering, it was now possible to do quality renderings. AutoCAD 2010 introduced parametric functionality and mesh modeling.
AutoCAD supports a number of APIs for customization and automation. These include
AutoLISP,
Visual LISP,
VBA,
.NET and
ObjectARX. ObjectARX is a
C++ class library, which was also the base for products extending AutoCAD functionality to specific fields, to create products such as AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Civil 3D, or third-party AutoCAD-based applications.
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are available for English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Russian, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Vietnamese. The extent of localization varies from full translation of the product to documentation only. The AutoCAD command set is localized as a part of the software localization.