Description:
Autodesk's AutoCAD is without a doubt the industry standard for computer drafting. Its leaner sibling, AutoCAD LT, offers many of the same features as the full version at a fraction of the cost. And while LT 2002 does include a few of the important innovations of AutoCAD 2002, its capabilities are still strictly limited to 2-D drawing. Compatibility is one of the key advantages of LT 2002. It is 100 percent DWG-compatible with AutoCAD 2000-, 2000i-, and 2002-based products, allowing you to open, edit, and exchange drawing files. The software features backward-compatibility as well, letting you save files for use with AutoCAD LT 98 and 97 and AutoCAD 13 and 14. This comes in extremely handy for people sharing files with others who haven't upgraded recently. The DWF file format--basically a PDF file for drawings introduced in the 2000 version--is improved, too, with support for more raster image formats and higher resolutions. Several Web publishing tools are included, which means users receive more collaboration options. eTransmit, for example, puts drawings you currently have open--with all associated files and x-refs--into a single set so that users can edit the file on another machine. This ensures that every necessary component of a file is present without the user having to individually select all related files. Users can then post the transmitted set on the Internet or send it as an attachment via e-mail. Additional Web publishing enhancements, such as templates and themes, have been improved, giving users the ability to create Web sites using LT drawing files with no Web development knowledge. One feature that did find its way into LT from the full 2002 version is associative dimensioning. If you modify a geometric object in a drawing, associative dimensioning automatically adjusts all dimensions associated with that object. This eliminates the need to manually update or re-create dimensions for changes in geometry. All in all, this is a very useful feature. However, it does make it more difficult for users who have grown accustomed to manually forcing dimensions of objects in their drawings. AutoCAD LT 2002 is a solid choice if you're looking for a lower-cost option and have limited CAD needs. 100 percent compatibility and plenty of valuable features make it a worthwhile purchase. It does offer considerably less than the full-featured version, missing all 3-D drawing capabilities and no provisions for network licensing or license management features. But if you can live without these options, LT 2002 is certainly the way to go. --Joshua Goldman
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