Bentley Systems, Exton, Pa., last week released the initial results of its open, ongoing survey of AutoCAD users facing software phase-out.
Autodesk, the producer of AutoCAD, recently announced it will no longer sell upgrades or crossgrades from any AutoCAD 2000i-based products or Autodesk Inventor Series 6, nor will it provide technical support, apart from existing maintenance patches, after January 15, 2005.
Bentley, a competitor, received responses from more than 2,000 users—from the building, geospatial, industrial, civil and other markets—in under a week. The following results were obtained in regards to four statements:
• 87% agreed or strongly agreed: “I want my software vendor not to disrupt my project workflow by forcing me to upgrade or retire my software product.”
• 90% agreed or strongly agreed: “I want my software vendor to supply my team with free viewers so we can easily access and exchange project data.”
• 93% agreed or strongly agreed: “I want an open solution that allows me to participate in all types of projects and work with all CAD file formats and versions.”
• 92% agreed or strongly agreed: “I want to create PDF deliverables of my projects so I can freely share engineering and construction information.”
Additionally, 89% of respondents indicated that they were interested in a platform that supports both DWG and DGN projects.
Bentley is currently studying the survey’s results and developing a program to address user concerns. All AutoCAD users are invited to offer their opinions at bentley.com .
