Many people think that AutoCAD LT is just an AutoCAD without 3D compatibilities. The truth is there are many capabilities are stripped out from AutoCAD, not just 3D capabilities. I see many customers purchase AutoCAD LT and disappointed that there are many other things are missing.
AutoCAD desktop subscription is US$ 1680 and AutoCAD LT desktop subscription is US$ 360 annually. AutoCAD is 4 times more expensive than AutoCAD LT, it makes AutoCAD LT looks very cheap. Many AutoCAD users don’t use 3D, so it doesn’t make sense if the price is that cheap. Autodesk will lose so much money it it’s the only thing missing.
If you are an AutoCAD user and plan to purchase AutoCAD LT, I strongly suggest you to download and install 30 days trial. Try if it actually works for you.
In short, these are some capabilities missing in AutoCAD LT:
- No 3D modeling (we all know this)
- No custom programming (incl LISP and API)
- No parametric constraints
- No Express tools
- No data extraction
- No Visual Styles (you can’t create sketchy lines and other styles)
- You can’t install add-on or plug-ins
- No Multi Line
There are more capabilities missing, you can see the comparison between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT here: http://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-lt/compare/compare-products/autodesk_autocad_lt_2016-vs-autocad_2016
Again, I strongly suggest you to make use of the 30 days trial. You can find a link to download the product at the bottom of the comparison matrix page above.
I don’t mean to be didactic, but the cost is exactly why firms buy autocad LT! They have drafting work to get done. If yor firm is not large it is difficult to allocate resources to keep all subscriptions up to date. And, by the way, attribute data can be extracted in LT. If data exchange is more intricate, a full version would be need in which case the firm is doing more than just cranking construction documents. If 3D is required Revit would be the way to go. Revit LT helps a small firm as well. Of course there are major features missing like rendering on a local computer, having to rely on Autodesk to do the rendering.
Hi David,
Thanks for your comment. The reason why I wrote this is because I recently see many Autodesk customers decided to purchase AutoCAD LT and expect it works like AutoCAD, just without 3D capabilities. You can see it here: AutoCAD LT LISP and AUtoCAD LT Multiline.
I’m not saying they shouldn’t buy AutoCAD LT. It is a good drafting tool, but they need to be aware that not only the 3D capabilities is missing. I tried to emphasize that they need to use the trial version before they make the purchase.
Thanks
Edwin