The Search for an AutoCAD Alternative Ends

Four months ago an architect, who has 5 licenses of AutoCAD LT 2006 and 2 licenses of AutoCAD 2006, posted a question on the IntelliCAD.net forum wondering whether it was worth switching to an AutoCAD clone. Autodesk was due to retire AutoCAD 2006 and he was not too happy with the fact that he was being forced to upgrade, especially since AutoCAD 2006 was more than enough for his work. In his words, “This force upgradation after every three releases by Autodesk is really sucking my hard earned money.”

What followed was a lively discussion with other members offering advice and sharing their experiences with various AutoCAD clones. Today the architect arrived at some sort of conclusion. He wrote, “IMHO there is no AutoCAD Clone at present which is as fast as AutoCAD. …[snip]… I have come to a point where I am willing to pay the price of AutoCAD for its stability and speed. It is really unfortunate that no clone can do this (speed as well as stability). Since recently I am also fed up trying out every other AutoCAD Clone. I am now once for all settled for AutoCAD!”

They say quality comes at a price. The question is whether you can afford it. An equally important question is whether you have a viable option.

As far as this reluctant Autodesk customer is concerned, the search for an AutoCAD alternative has come to an end, not in the way he hoped it would.