Student - Acquiring AutoCAD cheaply

[82beauty]

I'm a first year CAD student in MD and I'm trying to get AutoCAD on my laptop at home but don't want to pay $800. Anyone know how to get a free copy?

[aaronrumple]

I'm a first year CAD student in MD and I'm trying to get AutoCAD on my laptop at home but don't want to pay $800. Anyone know how to get a free copy?
No such thing as free...

[Mike.Perry]

Hi "82beauty" (Sorry, I don't know your real name)

Please note I have *moved* this thread from the [Training (http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35) forum to this one as I feel this particular Forum is a more appropriate place for such a topic.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Moderator

[Mike.Perry]

I'm a first year CAD student in MD and I'm trying to get AutoCAD on my laptop at home but don't want to pay $800. Anyone know how to get a free copy?Hi

Have you looked at Autodesk Education (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=3268542) products (options)?

Have you looked at joining a Local User Group ( Local User Groups (http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=37) forum ) ? They have a small number of NFR to give away per calendar year.

A friendly heads-up, please be aware if this thread starts to go down the "pirate / illegal" software route, I will delete this thread immediately and without notice.

:beer: Mike

[arcadia_x27]

I'm a first year CAD student in MD and I'm trying to get AutoCAD on my laptop at home but don't want to pay $800. Anyone know how to get a free copy?
You wont be able to get it for free but you should be able to find a student or educational version for between 300 and 500 dollars. You may want to check with your educational instuition they maybe able to order one in for you for a decent price.

[aledtaylor79401]

AutoCAD for $800 !!!!!!!

I'm in the UK and the best I can do is £2,482.50 (that's $4,341.15 in the US)

There seems to be something of a discrepancy here. Why?

Where can I purchase AutoCAD from for $800?

[jaberwok]

AutoCAD for $800 !!!!!!!

I'm in the UK and the best I can do is £2,482.50 (that's $4,341.15 in the US)

There seems to be something of a discrepancy here. Why?

Where can I purchase AutoCAD from for $800?


LT ?

[CADKitty]

LT ?Yup - according to the Autodesk page, you can get a physical shipment of 2006LT for $899, or just download it for $879 USD. The school bookstores all sell the educational version of AutoCAD for a few hundred dollars less, I'd guess $500-600 USD. Of course, then you're stuck with the educational version, but depending on what you're using it for (practicing, homework, etc.) then no biggie.

[Wanderer]

You wont be able to get it for free but you should be able to find a student or educational version for between 300 and 500 dollars. You may want to check with your educational instuition they maybe able to order one in for you for a decent price.Here's a link (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=3268995)to the autodesk site, speaking about student versions (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=3268975)of the software. Of course, you won't be able to use anything created by these versions in legit/production versions without carrying over the student label.

I'd go for trying to win one from a LUG (http://forums.augi.com/augilogout.php?url=LUGs)as your only real option for getting it free, or just buying the Lite (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=2498418) verion... here's a comparison matrix (http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/AutoCAD_LT_2006_Comparison_Matrix.pdf)showing you the differences between the light version and the full version of acad.

[aledtaylor79401]

Are we talking about AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT ?

I can get AutoCAD LT for £721.60 ($1,271.96 USD)

The comparison matrix seems only to show differences between versions of LT.

I’ve noticed that if AutoCAD is installed without its authorisation code, it works as a 30-day demo. How should this function be legitimately used?

Aled Taylor
Design Engineer

[Mike.Perry]

The comparison matrix seems only to show differences between versions of LT.Hi

Try here - Product Comparison - AutoCAD LT / AutoCAD (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=5129908) and here - What are the key differences between AutoCAD LT 2006 and AutoCAD 2006? (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=5130011#section2)

Have a good one, Mike

[Wanderer]

Hi

Try here - Product Comparison - AutoCAD LT / AutoCAD (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=5129908) and here - What are the key differences between AutoCAD LT 2006 and AutoCAD 2006? (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=5130011#section2)

Have a good one, Mike:Oops: my bad, I posted the wrong matrix. Thanks, Mike... :)

[aggockel50321]

Take a look here. (http://www.cadcampus.com/)

They sell a one year student license, I think.

[james.eustace]

Check with the school bookstore. When I was going through I got a full copy from the bookstore with proof of actually going there. A class schedule and a student Id takes care of that. I can't remember the price but for a full time student to think something is cheap it must have been pretty easy to afford. The only draw back is it comes with a software lock that has to be connected to the printer port. Not sure how that works. Anyways on all prints no matter where you print it you will get some sort of text saying something to the affect of this is a student copy not to be used as a real version.Autodesk actually has a deal that you can upgrade to a full version and get rid of the lock. That's how I got my first full version of the program back in the R14 days.I so thought I was the man with that. =) You might check with upperclassmen and see if they will sell you there student copy if they are graduating. Check on the legality of that though, not sure about the whole resale issue there.
Good luck with the classes.

[RANDY.HURLEY99777]

I'm a first year CAD student in MD and I'm trying to get AutoCAD on my laptop at home but don't want to pay $800. Anyone know how to get a free copy?
Be very careful what you ask for - :wink: - you may get corrupted files and there goes your (laptop) investment !! :???:

[Brian Myers]

Be very careful what you ask for - :wink: - you may get corrupted files and there goes your (laptop) investment !! :???:

The only "corrupt" files would be the files produced by the educational version. These wouldn't actually be corrupt, just they wouldn't be able to be shared with the professional version without an annoying "mark" placed inside the file that can't be removed (without the help of Autodesk).

[Augi Doggie]

The only "corrupt" files would be the files produced by the educational version. These wouldn't actually be corrupt, just they wouldn't be able to be shared with the professional version without an annoying "mark" placed inside the file that can't be removed (without the help of Autodesk).
I know how hated the educational version mark is but there is certainly a good reason for it. I've had several people at past companies try to work on thier copies at home and bring it in to the office.

What's to stop companies with less than good intentions from taking advantage of the student versions. The only thing I don't like about it, is that it will spread like a virus through other drawings on your system. I'm not sure why that happens.

[Wanderer]

I know how hated the educational version mark is but there is certainly a good reason for it. I've had several people at past companies try to work on thier copies at home and bring it in to the office.

What's to stop companies with less than good intentions from taking advantage of the student versions. The only thing I don't like about it, is that it will spread like a virus through other drawings on your system. I'm not sure why that happens.'why' it happens is pretty easy... someone has violated a licensing agreement. ;) the only way it can spread from one drawing to another is from copying entities from that student-created file.
It's not like you have the student created file on a server and it automatically 'infects' all of the others... THAT would be a virus.