Upgrading to MAP 3D 2005 from MAP 2000i

[cevans71643]

I'm new to CAD and have no experience upgrading - Is it worthwhile to upgrade from AutoCAD MAP 2000i to 2005 just yet? Should we wait a year?

Our reseller indicated we would relinquish the 2000i license - so our 2000i version would no longer be used. This raised concerns about the learning curve for 2005.

I've read posts regarding 2005 backward compatibility as the "Save As" option goes to 2000 not any further. Does this pose workflow issues for those who don't upgrade?

We are a small office with one person who really handles all the CAD drawings. Our clients and remote offices (2 other locations) may not necessarily upgrade to 2005 either. Do we then need conversion software to work with these other sites or am I being overly cautious re: how 2005 handles information exchange between versions?

I am concerned about information or attributes that previous designers may have used in older versions that may not be treated the same or get lost in converting to 2005.

Am I overly concerned?

[BrenBren]

Although you are upgrading, Autodesk allows for the old software to remain on your computer for a reasonable period of time to facilitate the upgrade (learning curve)

Also, Autodesk Map 4.5 and 2000i will be retired on January 15, 2005. That means you will not be able to upgrade after that, but you will have to purchase a new copy. There is significant cost savings in upgrading.

I also saw on the autodesk website (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=3081357)that you can get a 30 day trial copy of 2005. You could try that to see how things will work.

HTH

[Glenn Pope]

Is it worthwhile to upgrade from AutoCAD MAP 2000i to 2005 just yet? IMHO, its worth upgrading from 2000i to 2005. There are a ton of improvements in both the AutoCAD and Map functions.

2005 only saves back to 2000 format. Etransmite can convert files to R14. Also you can download the Batch Drawing Converter (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=4091676) to convert several files to R14 at one time.

So far I have never had a problem opening up older version files in AutoCAD. I don't think you will need to worry about that.

Also if you have any third-party software, they may not work with 2005. You will have to check if they have a newer version out.