What company doesn’t pitch customers hard on the ROI of upgrading to a newer version of their software? Well, count Autodesk among the firms building a strong case for productivity boosts resulting from a move to the latest version of AutoCAD.
The firm commissioned AutoCAD expert and independent consulting firm David S. Cohn Consulting to do a study comparing user productivity using AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD 2011 when creating typical drawings and designs. The AutoCAD 2011 Productivity Study, as it’s called, found that it took more than 13 hours to complete eight designs using AutoCAD 2008 compared to 9 hours, 16 minutes to complete the same eight designs in the newest version. This represents an average improvement in overall user productivity of 31% as result of upgrading from AutoCAD 2008 to AutoCAD 2011 without any changes in the computer on which AutoCAD was run, the study contends.
Upgrading to a more modern workstation running Windows 7 yielded an even greater productivity boost to the tune of 7.5 hours to complete the same drawings-an improvement in overall user productivity by 44%. Cohn prefaced the findings with the disclaimer that the productivity gains were subject to the nature of the drawings being produced and the skill level of the individual user of the software.
For all of you nay sayers, there’s quite a bit of detail in the report on each of the drawings and how Cohn arrived at his conclusions. Check it out and decide for yourself if there’s an argument to be made that justifies your own upgrade.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
A new battery design, which replaces lithium with abundant and low-cost elemental sulfur, is still in its nascent stages but shows real promise for giving batteries more energy potential.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
2 
