AutoCADder

Did you know that there is a benchmark program hidden in your AutoCAD? If you want to compare the performance of different graphics cards, computers or different performance settings, you can simply load and execute the GSTEST.ARX benchmark stored in your AutoCAD directory.
It is present not only in AutoCAD 2008 - I have succeeded to track it back to the AutoCAD version 2004 (maybe it was also in older versions). It is interesting that nobody has found it so far.
Read more on Undocumented benchmark utility installed with AutoCAD.

Labels: benchmark AutoCAD

In February (AutoCAD speaks Microstationish) I have complained about the limited support of the DGN file format in AutoCAD 2008 (V8 only). Autodesk has probably heared that also from other users. Both DGN V8 and the older DGN V7 Microstation formats will be probably supported in the new AutoCAD 2009.
It is good that the file format compatibility problems are being solved by CAD software vendors.

Labels: AutoCAD 2009, DGN

Autodesk has published a "white paper" about using its current applications in Windows Vista.

Almost all current versions of Autodesk software are compatible with Windows Vista and almost all run in Vista at the same performance level as in Windows XP.

The white paper mentions two exceptions - but in the opposite way you would expect after reading all those skeptical articles about Vista.

1. Autodesk Inventor 2008 sp1/sp2 in Direct3D mode runs about 5% faster in Vista than in Windows XP.
2. AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 can be slower in some operations (depending on the RAM available) but its functions using .NET Framework (e.g. corridors) run up to 10x faster(!) in Vista.

I expect more Vista optimizations in future versions of Autodesk software. Especially promising are the .NET Framework advantages - as more and more functions e.g. in AutoCAD are developed on the .NET Framework platform.

Labels: .NET, performance, Windows Vista