AutoCAD 2022 - A first look

By Dennis Collin

It’s that time of year again, getting warmer, the sun is shining, starting to plan holidays and a new version of AutoCAD has just been released!

The new AutoCAD has had a bit of a revamp in terms of its front end, still offering the same options for templates, files and online help and resources, but all located in more consistent locations compared to other Autodesk Products.

The interface now has the ability to float drawing windows off the main AutoCAD application and drag to a second monitor as required. Simply drag and drop the tab to a new desired location. To redock the window simply drag and drop the window back into the list of drawing tabs.

Also, there is a new technology preview of a 3D Graphics system. This new system utilises the power of modern GPUs and multi-core CPUs to offer a smoother navigation experience when working with larger drawings compared to previous releases.

It is now easier to share drawing files with other users by the new Share Drawing function. This will upload a copy to the cloud and enable users to access a shared link to either view or edit with the AutoCAD Web App. The shared file includes all related dependent files such as Xrefs, Images and fonts.

Like the shared view’s function access to the link will expire after several days, although this can be extended at any time.

To share PDF versions of drawings with people on site the Push to Autodesk Docs function can be used. Teams can now view project specific PDF documents via BIM 360 or the new Autodesk Docs environment.

In terms of collaboration there is now a new Trace command. Drawings in the cloud can be accessed via the AutoCAD web and mobile apps and marked up and commented on without altering the existing drawing. These traces can be viewed from the Desktop app, and modifications applied with the trace being turned off and deleted once the agreed changes have been made. This allows collaborators to provide feedback on drawings much more efficiently than conventional means.

In terms of collaboration there is now a new Trace command. Drawings in the cloud can be accessed via the AutoCAD web and mobile apps and marked up and commented on without altering the existing drawing. These traces can be viewed from the Desktop app, and modifications applied with the trace being turned off and deleted once the agreed changes have been made. This allows collaborators to provide feedback on drawings much more efficiently than conventional means.

Getting an accurate count of the number of objects in your drawing is easier than ever. The new Count command provides a Count palette to display and manage the counted blocks and other elements in the current drawing. This information can then be extracted and placed into a text or table element object.

In terms of updates this might be considered by some to be a maintenance release, but nevertheless there are some useful additional functions that may be of use to certain users. In my mind particularly the collaboration tools and count facilities. I will go through those functions in a little more depth in a future post.