AutoCAD
Computer-aided design and drafting software
AutoCAD is commercial 3D and CAD software made by Autodesk. It was first released in 1982. Its English Wikipedia article has about 3.7k readers a month on phones.
- Made by
- Autodesk
- Since
- 1982
- Wikipedia readers on phones
- 3.7k a month
- Source code
- Closed
Judgement
- What it is
- Complete system
- What it does
- Autodesk's 2D drafting and 3D design software, the long-standing standard for technical drawings and DWG files.
- Adopt it when
- You produce technical drawings in architecture, engineering or construction and must exchange DWG files with others.
- Watch out
- Expensive subscription; cheaper DWG-compatible tools such as BricsCAD cover most drafting.
- Ready for
- Production-ready
- Runs as
- Desktop app, cloud service and mobile app
- What the license allows
- Closed source: you use it under the maker's terms and cannot change or resell the code.
Judged on 2026-11-03 from the maker's description and Wikipedia. The license and age lines are worked out directly.
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Under it
Every program, AutoCAD included, runs on a microchip.
Facts come from Wikipedia and refresh weekly. Readers are counted on Wikipedia's mobile site only, because automated traffic that Wikimedia does not flag inflates desktop counts.