I need to buy a new computer for home and I am considering the Mac. I have not only been pursuaded by their humorous and catchy advertising, but their reputation, as well.Does anyone have experience using AutoCad on a Mac? Or, anyother Cad software for that matter?
Thanks
Non Sequitur
Apr 7, 16 1:25 pm
" I have not only been pursuaded by their humorous and catchy advertising, but their reputation"
Says everything we need to know. Enjoy wasting your money.
SpontaneousCombustion
Apr 7, 16 2:03 pm
Yes, AutoCAD works fine on a Mac - there's a Mac version and in my experience it's more stable than the PC version - though I'm not a fan of AutoCAD and haven't used it at all in a few years. ArchiCAD and Vectorworks also run native on a Mac. Revit doesn't have a Mac version but I run it on my Macs with Parallels, no problems. This idea always encounters scorn here - there's a perception that Revit on a Mac runs too slowly or can't be used for large projects, though we haven't found this to be the case. I made this choice because it was less much expensive to put Parallels and Windows on several existing computers than to purchase PCs and upgrade/update all of our other software in order to switch them all to Windows licenses
thisisnotmyname
Apr 7, 16 2:48 pm
I have used Apple products since 1982 but am phasing out all of the Macs in my office due to bad experiences I have had with Apple over the past 3-4 years. They have really become more of a phone and tablet company with a small sideline in laptops and desktop machines.
We ditched our iPhones about 18 months ago, our iPads will be gone soon, and we hope to have our MacBooks retired by the end of 2016.
won and done williams
Apr 7, 16 2:49 pm
I have a 2013 MBP, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Intel HD Graphics 4000 512 MB. I run 2013 AutoCAD LT, and I'll be honest, it runs slower and locks up far more often than I remember it running on a PC. Fortunately, I rarely do intensive CAD work on my MBP, but if I were doing a ton of CAD, I probably would opt for a PC.
won and done williams
Apr 7, 16 2:52 pm
All that being said, the rest of my life is on a Mac, and I would never leave it for another two bit hussy.
Anonymoose
Apr 7, 16 3:09 pm
Oh, you were persuaded by their advertising? In that case, I have a bridge to sell you...
proto
Apr 7, 16 4:36 pm
We use it with no more hassle than I remember having with PCs when working for someone else.
arch76
Apr 9, 16 4:53 pm
I have been running ACAD LT 2014 on a mac book pro since 2014, 16gb ram and an ssd hard drive at home and ACAD 2016 on a bitching new PC at work. The PC certainly 'hangs' more than the Mac, even though the PC is a faster machine. The PC will make a mesh from contours in sketchup in the time it takes me to take a sip of coffee. For some reason ACAD will hang it up though. It may be larger files, but who knows.
I think it ultimately depends on the rest of your software- I had to replaced my PC laptop and knew I would be purchasing CAD and photoshop and went the Mac route. If you have software already, than a platform jump may not make sense, but if you are starting from scratch... it might make sense.
I have had 4 laptops over the last 16 years- mac, pc, pc, mac. The macs always seemed to have a better build quality and seemed to fail with a bit more grace. pc #2 was replaced when every session made me wonder if the machine was going to make it, both cooling fans wailing while trying to launch libre office...
Sam Watkins
Apr 11, 16 9:46 am
DraftSight is available for the mac for free (for a single user) and works pretty well:
It'll open native AutoCAD files just fine, although AutoCAD complains about it when you make a round trip. Printing/publishing between the two is a bit of a hassle.
SneakyPete
Apr 11, 16 11:52 am
Most Apple stores were designed using Adesk software running on Windows.
gwharton
Apr 11, 16 11:58 am
^^^ True story.
baker1
Apr 11, 16 4:29 pm
Thank you for your opinions.It has been quite helpful :)
I need to buy a new computer for home and I am considering the Mac. I have not only been pursuaded by their humorous and catchy advertising, but their reputation, as well.Does anyone have experience using AutoCad on a Mac? Or, anyother Cad software for that matter?
Thanks
" I have not only been pursuaded by their humorous and catchy advertising, but their reputation"
Says everything we need to know. Enjoy wasting your money.
Yes, AutoCAD works fine on a Mac - there's a Mac version and in my experience it's more stable than the PC version - though I'm not a fan of AutoCAD and haven't used it at all in a few years. ArchiCAD and Vectorworks also run native on a Mac. Revit doesn't have a Mac version but I run it on my Macs with Parallels, no problems. This idea always encounters scorn here - there's a perception that Revit on a Mac runs too slowly or can't be used for large projects, though we haven't found this to be the case. I made this choice because it was less much expensive to put Parallels and Windows on several existing computers than to purchase PCs and upgrade/update all of our other software in order to switch them all to Windows licenses
I have used Apple products since 1982 but am phasing out all of the Macs in my office due to bad experiences I have had with Apple over the past 3-4 years. They have really become more of a phone and tablet company with a small sideline in laptops and desktop machines.
This Reddit post mirrors many of my experiences with Apple, especially with forced upgrade hell and early hardware obsolescence : https://www.reddit.com/r/MacSucks/comments/28docp/25_year_former_mac_user_says_apple_sucks_and_why/
We ditched our iPhones about 18 months ago, our iPads will be gone soon, and we hope to have our MacBooks retired by the end of 2016.
I have a 2013 MBP, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Intel HD Graphics 4000 512 MB. I run 2013 AutoCAD LT, and I'll be honest, it runs slower and locks up far more often than I remember it running on a PC. Fortunately, I rarely do intensive CAD work on my MBP, but if I were doing a ton of CAD, I probably would opt for a PC.
All that being said, the rest of my life is on a Mac, and I would never leave it for another two bit hussy.
Oh, you were persuaded by their advertising? In that case, I have a bridge to sell you...
We use it with no more hassle than I remember having with PCs when working for someone else.
I have been running ACAD LT 2014 on a mac book pro since 2014, 16gb ram and an ssd hard drive at home and ACAD 2016 on a bitching new PC at work. The PC certainly 'hangs' more than the Mac, even though the PC is a faster machine. The PC will make a mesh from contours in sketchup in the time it takes me to take a sip of coffee. For some reason ACAD will hang it up though. It may be larger files, but who knows.
I think it ultimately depends on the rest of your software- I had to replaced my PC laptop and knew I would be purchasing CAD and photoshop and went the Mac route. If you have software already, than a platform jump may not make sense, but if you are starting from scratch... it might make sense.
I have had 4 laptops over the last 16 years- mac, pc, pc, mac. The macs always seemed to have a better build quality and seemed to fail with a bit more grace. pc #2 was replaced when every session made me wonder if the machine was going to make it, both cooling fans wailing while trying to launch libre office...
DraftSight is available for the mac for free (for a single user) and works pretty well:
https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/
It'll open native AutoCAD files just fine, although AutoCAD complains about it when you make a round trip. Printing/publishing between the two is a bit of a hassle.
Most Apple stores were designed using Adesk software running on Windows.
^^^ True story.
Thank you for your opinions.It has been quite helpful :)