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5 Ways AutoCAD WS Helps Improve Your Productivity

Let us never forget that AutoCAD WS is more than just a web and mobile app version of your favorite CAD software package. AutoCAD WS is also a key weapon in the battle for optimum personal productivity. So just to remind you here are five great ways that AutoCAD WS can save you time as you go about your every day work.

1. No more transporting files via disk on key

Once you upload your files to AutoCAD WS you can access them from any web browser anywhere in the world. If you have synched them on your smartphone or tablet, you can even view them in places where there is no internet connection.

2. No more transporting bulky printouts when you’re in the field

We have already heard from many users how AutoCAD WS has revolutionized their business trips. They are happier visiting a site with an iPad or Android tablet rather than trying to weigh down a set of paper plans with a couple of rocks.

3. No more version management headaches

With The AutoCAD WS Timeline you can revisit previous versions of your design and keep track of when comments were made and suggestions were implemented.

4. Reduce conference call nightmares

Next time you’re having a meeting with a remote office, share the designs in question with them first. Then during the call, you can see each other’s cursors as you navigate through the drawing and highlight the discussion points. You can also make AutoCAD WS the center of your presentation and we wrote about setting that up here.

5. Prevent work duplication when you come back from a site visit

Before AutoCAD WS, any notes that you took when you were out in the field would have to be painstakingly added to your design back in the office. Now when you make notes using AutoCAD WS, they are automatically synched with the original file so that you only have to do the work once.

I’m sure there are a whole set of additional advantages that you can come with to explain why AutoCAD WS works for you. Tell us about them in the comments here or on the Facebook page.

AutoCAD WS Success Stories

We love our customers and nothing excites us more than seeing  them doing amazing things with AutoCAD WS. We have taken the time to get to know them and now we have the pleasure of sharing their success stories with you. We chose to start with four customers, each one of them tells a unique story about how AutoCAD WS improved his daily work:

University of Cincinnati – Pompeii Archeological Research Project for exploring the ancient city.

Fitzroy Yachts – New Zealand’s Premier Super Yacht Builders.

Hall Engineering – Provides the electrical needs of the Specialty, Commercial, and Industrial customers throughout the Midwest since 1937.

Covert Engineering – Specializes in the design of commercial, industrial and institutional facilities.

In the near future we will add more success stories from various industries. If you have a story to share with us, you can write us at feedback@autocadws.com and maybe your story will be featured here as well.

We invite you to read the stories and will be glad to hear your thoughts.

Why It’s Better to Upload with AutoCAD

We recently made a video where we showcased four distinct ways to upload your content to your AutoCAD WS online account. You can still watch it by clicking here.

In this post we are going to revisit one of those methods and talk about the experience of uploading your designs using the Online tab in the AutoCAD desktop program.

There are two distinct advantages to uploading your drawings from within AutoCAD.

Xrefs and Support Files

AutoCAD will automatically upload xrefs and support files. The upload button not only uploads the current file you have open, but also makes sure that any referenced drawings, images, font files (SHX and TTF) and plot stylesheets (CTB, STB) are automatically uploaded as well. With one click you can make sure all the files necessary to open a drawing from your web browser, iOS or Android device are placed in your account. No more looking at partial drawings or missing fonts.

Your Drawings are Always Up to Date Online

AutoCAD will make sure you will have the most recent version in your account. AutoCAD drawings change frequently and uploading them from your computer to your online account can become quite a task. For this reason we’ve made it so the Upload option in AutoCAD knows how to sync your drawings whenever they change. AutoCAD only syncs the changes you make so syncing happens faster and seamlessly. You never have to worry about saving your files to your AutoCAD WS online account before leaving the office -- AutoCAD does it for you.

AutoCAD WS – Best of 2010

As we wrap up an eventful 12 months, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of the important milestones over the past year.

We also want to thank you, our community of users, for embracing AutoCAD WS and engaging with us whether on Facebook, Twitter or the comments in this blog. We want to thank everyone who uploaded a drawing or took part in a poll. Your feedback is crucial to the continued development of AutoCAD WS.

So here is our AutoCAD WS review of 2010.

Project Butterfly Reborn as AutoCAD WS

Throughout its development, it was known internally as Project Butterfly. But as we got closer to the launch, Butterfly was rebranded to bring it in line with other Autodesk products.

So Project Butterfly became AutoCAD WS. Once we changed the name there was some speculation about the meaning of WS. There were several wild suggestions, but the answer has stayed a mystery.

AutoCAD WS Launched as Mobile App

We knew there was demand for a mobile version of AutoCAD, but even we were surprised by the size of that demand when we launched. Back in September AutoCAD WS was released on the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The impact was huge with AutoCAD WS becoming the top app in the Productivity segment in countries throughout the world.

Since that time the app has been downloaded over 700,000 times and combined downloads for the app and its update have passed the magic 1,000,000 mark for 2010.

We Moved To New Offices

In the middle of all the excitement surround the mobile app, the AutoCAD WS team moved in to its new home overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We were proud to welcome Autodesk CEO, Carl Bass, to our offices which were designed and built using AutoCAD and AutoCAD WS.

We were also flattered when the hard work that went into designing our new workspace was acknowledged by one of the leading blogs on office design.

AutoCAD WS 1.1 Arrives

Less than three months after the AutoCAD WS mobile app was released, we were ready with a welcome update that included two major features requested by users.

Email support means that you can now open drawings that you receive as email attachments to your mobile device.

Also the update makes AutoCAD WS available even when the user is not connected to the Internet.

So, What’s Next?

Well, you’ve asked for all sorts of things. You want AutoCAD WS to support more products and you want it to be available on a range of different platforms, especially Android.

2010 has been a great year for AutoCAD WS and we guarantee that even more good things are planned for 2011.

The only thing that remains is for us to wish you all a Happy New Year!

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