Autocad is one of the world's leading and best known CAD (Computer Aided Design) software tools. The first release of this software in the 1980s revolutionized the computerized design and drafting industry and, for the first time, allowed people to benefit from this kind of tool on their own PCs either at home or at work.

Prior to its release the only way to use this kind of design tool in a computerized form was on specially designed monitors/systems linked to specific types of server. This meant that CAD was not something that could be widely used by all levels of companies as it represented a significant cost and was not necessarily easy to access and to use.

Nowadays, however, Autocad can be and is used in all kinds of industry sectors and can be afforded by companies big and small. It has historically, for example, played a pivotal role in companies where drafting, modeling and design play a key function in everyday business such as in the engineering, architectural and building sectors. The beauty of this program is that it can be used by anything from a 'one man band' through to a multi national organization.

Also, today's Autocad comes in a variety of versions and special releases which has opened up the scope for this kind of software. It is now widely used by a variety of general industries such as media and entertainment sectors, the government and mapping and utilities companies as well as in specialist niches.

The role that Autocad can take on in a company is perhaps best compared to that of a computerized draftsman or designer. As the popularity and use of this package originally spread many companies found that the software made their drafting, modeling and design needs far simpler and quicker to fulfill.

This did, in fact, allow many companies to downsize the personnel that they employed for these jobs and many will now employ trained Autocad specialists instead. The work that can be done on this package can be done at a faster pace and just as accurately (if not more accurately) as it used to be by hand.

The advantages of automation and accuracy that this kind of software brought with it also meant that companies could produce better results quickly and often at a more affordable cost which is obviously a big advantage. Nowadays the limits of Autocad are few and are dictated by the people who use the software. Architects and builders, for example, can use the program to design and monitor complex building designs and inventors can use a special variation of the software to model and test their designs on a basic PC.

Few software programs have had such a wide range of benefits and advantages as Autocad over the years. The drafting and design sector as a whole has been revolutionized by the various releases of the program over the years and it is little wonder that it is now considered to be the industry standard in this field.