~~~ About Autodesk and AutoCAD ~~~
For many years now, the CAD drafting software industry has been dominated by the a single piece of outstanding software: AutoCAD.
AutoCAD is a CAD platform designed by Autodesk, Inc, and arguably the most-used (and most respected) program of its kind. AutoCAD is used to make a computer draw two and three-dimensional technical drawings such as those used in building construction and product manufacturing.
AutoCAD has been steadily evolving over the years to be seamlessly compatible with the rest of the software universe. For instance, in its latest version, drafting team members scattered over the globe can collaborate effortlessly over the Internet.
~~~ AutoCAD and Competition ~~~
In the domain of 2D and 3D drafting, AutoCAD is miles ahead of any competition. Rival programs have less than 50% of its drafting commands. Most importantly, competing platforms hang when file size exceeds a few megabytes, often corrupting the data file in the process.
For many years, Autodesk exploited the technical superiority of AutoCAD by charging in excess of $3,000 for a single-seat license. The product was so good that users are known to have taken bank loans to purchase sufficient licenses.
~~~ Recent Events ~~~
Strange things have happened recently:
(1) Autodesk purchased Alias, a company specialized in, among other things, high-end animation software, ‘Maya’ being its flagship platform in that area
(2) Autodesk crashed the price - continued below ...
