One of Carlson’s Year-End Specials this year is for existing Carlson users to add Carlson CADNet for $995 – the retail price is $1,595 and maintenance is an additional $159.50. (Hint: I provide additional discounts for existing and new customers!)

Understandably this has generated a lot of renewed interest in this module. I have received a lot of calls and emails from folks requesting more information and wondering if, and how, CADNet might increase your productivity.  So, in response, I’ve decided to post the recording of my October 8, 2015 webinar on the topic, “Overview of Carlson CADNet – Working with Images & Converting to Linework”.

Click here to request a custom proposal for adding CADNet to your existing license, for a new “Super-Sweet-Suite” that includes Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS AND CADNet or other Carlson software or hardware products.

Click here to request a custom proposal.

Click here to learn more about my webinar series that’s included with every software purchase – We help you buy what you need AND use what you buy…

See below for access to the CADNet webinar recording:

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I keep recommending you read his articles, so go ahead and subscribe to his newsletter already! Subscribe to Robert Green’s CAD Manager Newsletter Now!

Robert’s July 22nd article addresses The Rising Resistance to Cloud-Based CAD and he hits all the important points. This is the part of the whole concept that makes me so nervous…

This centralized model of CAD use obviously benefits the software and cloud vendors greatly (because it allows them to charge for their software and servers on an ongoing basis), but it also gives them ultimate control over your CAD system — they can disconnect you from your applications and data unless you keep paying them. [emphasis added by Jennifer]

I keep recommending you read his articles, so go ahead and subscribe to his newsletter already! Subscribe to Robert Green’s CAD Manager Newsletter Now!

Robert’s July 22nd article addresses The Rising Resistance to Cloud-Based CAD and he hits all the important points. This is the part of the whole concept that makes me so nervous…

This centralized model of CAD use obviously benefits the software and cloud vendors greatly (because it allows them to charge for their software and servers on an ongoing basis), but it also gives them ultimate control over your CAD system — they can disconnect you from your applications and data unless you keep paying them. [emphasis added by Jennifer]

With the end of perpetual licensing for some/most Autodesk products coming on January 16, 2016, Autodesk is running a few promotions to encourage current users to embrace the switch.

Click here for Autodesk’s Buyer’s Guide or email me to request access to the recording of my recent webinar with an Autodesk reseller and Carlson Software programmers explaining how these changes may affect us going forward.

You will want to touch base with your local Autodesk reseller or, if you don’t currently work with anyone, email me for a recommendation…

Some of the promotions include:

• Discounted purchases of AutoCAD LT
• Rebates on new seats, maintenance and desktop subscriptions – Ends July 24, 2015
• Financing options and discounts for multi-year renewals – Ends July 24, 2015

With the end of perpetual licensing for some/most Autodesk products coming on January 16, 2016, Autodesk is running a few promotions to encourage current users to embrace the switch.

Click here for Autodesk’s Buyer’s Guide or email me to request access to the recording of my recent webinar with an Autodesk reseller and Carlson Software programmers explaining how these changes may affect us going forward.

You will want to touch base with your local Autodesk reseller or, if you don’t currently work with anyone, email me for a recommendation…

Some of the promotions include:

• Discounted purchases of AutoCAD LT
• Rebates on new seats, maintenance and desktop subscriptions – Ends July 24, 2015
• Financing options and discounts for multi-year renewals – Ends July 24, 2015

It’s been about a month since Carlson released the latest build of their 2015 desktop products so I figured it was time to post them here for easy access…

Download 6/9/2015 build here  This link takes you to the page where you can download a full version of the software or updates to bring your 2015 up to date.

Updates to the following desktop modules are included in this file: Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS, Basic Mining, Geology, Underground Mining, Surface Mining, Natural Regrade, Field, CADnet, GeoTech, Trench, Construction and Point Clouds. This can be installed on AutoCAD 2007-2015 or with included Intellicad 8.0. AutoCAD 2010-2015 releases are supported on 64-bit Windows. Your Carlson 2015 Serial number is required for installation.

Carlson 2016 will be released before too long. If you’ve let your maintenance contract expire (accidentally or on purpose!), now would be a good time to get back on board. If you renew before 2016 is released, it’ll be cheaper and you’ll receive 2015 now and 2016 when it’s released. Win! Win! Win!

You can request pricing for new licenses or upgrades here

And, while I’m at it, here are the links to download the latest updates for other programs:

Survey 2015 OEM (embedded AutoCAD 2015) – Download the 5/8/2015 build here

Takeoff T8 OEM (embedded AutoCAD 2015) – Download the 3/23/2015 build here

SurvCE 4.0 – Download the 5/15/2015 build here

SurvPC 4.05 – Download the 5/15/2015 build here

It’s been about a month since Carlson released the latest build of their 2015 desktop products so I figured it was time to post them here for easy access…

Download 6/9/2015 build here  This link takes you to the page where you can download a full version of the software or updates to bring your 2015 up to date.

Updates to the following desktop modules are included in this file: Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS, Basic Mining, Geology, Underground Mining, Surface Mining, Natural Regrade, Field, CADnet, GeoTech, Trench, Construction and Point Clouds. This can be installed on AutoCAD 2007-2015 or with included Intellicad 8.0. AutoCAD 2010-2015 releases are supported on 64-bit Windows. Your Carlson 2015 Serial number is required for installation.
Carlson 2016 will be released before too long. If you’ve let your maintenance contract expire (accidentally or on purpose!), now would be a good time to get back on board. If you renew before 2016 is released, it’ll be cheaper and you’ll receive 2015 now and 2016 when it’s released. Win! Win! Win!

You can request pricing for new licenses or upgrades here

And, while I’m at it, here are the links to download the latest updates for other programs:

Survey 2015 OEM (embedded AutoCAD 2015) – Download the 5/8/2015 build here

Takeoff T8 OEM (embedded AutoCAD 2015) – Download the 3/23/2015 build here

SurvCE 4.0 – Download the 5/15/2015 build here

SurvPC 4.05 – Download the 5/15/2015 build here

Robert Green seems to have answers for everything – if you haven’t subscribed to his CAD Manager Newsletter yet, you should!

Here, in How Will You Buy CAD Software in 2016?, he tackles Autodesk’s move to a Subscription only (rental) distribution model and encourages everyone to prepare for the transition now.

The only quibble I’d have is with this quote:

It’s important to note that this change will affect only those customers who already own perpetual licenses of standalone desktop software; it does not affect customers using Autodesk product suites or those already on a desktop subscription plan or using cloud services.

Anyone who has been through the Land Desktop transition to Civil 3d should understand that statement is probably best read with a big YET inserted at the end…

Robert Green seems to have answers for everything – if you haven’t subscribed to his CAD Manager Newsletter yet, you should!

Here, in How Will You Buy CAD Software in 2016?, he tackles Autodesk’s move to a Subscription only (rental) distribution model and encourages everyone to prepare for the transition now.

The only quibble I’d have is with this quote:

It’s important to note that this change will affect only those customers who already own perpetual licenses of standalone desktop software; it does not affect customers using Autodesk product suites or those already on a desktop subscription plan or using cloud services.
Anyone who has been through the Land Desktop transition to Civil 3d should understand that statement is probably best read with a big YET inserted at the end…

Problem: You’re running Carlson Software and need a new computer… What do you need and how much do you need to spend?

The shortest answer is to follow this link to Carlson’s website: Carlson Software System Requirements

The short answer, if you’re running one of Carlson Software’s programs with embedded AutoCAD/OEM or on top of a full AutoCAD, is to follow Autodesk’s system recommendations/requirements for the platform. The Carlson part that runs on top has a relatively light footprint compared to the AutoCAD underneath, so you’ll need to make sure your new computer can run the AutoCAD-engine and the rest will be fine.

Carlson running on top of IntelliCAD also has a pretty light footprint compared to anything developed by Autodesk. Unless your drawings are loaded with a lot of layout tabs and viewports, there’s a very good chance an off-the-shelf computer from Best Buy or Wal-Mart will be sufficient.

Since I’m a self-described hardware “dummy” and that’s not the most technical answer, I asked Leonid Entov, the Assistant Director of Office Software Development at Carlson Software, for a better, layman’s-terms answer:

In one sentence, I would summarize recommended computer as i7 processor, discrete graphics (not integrated), preferably Nvidia chip since we seen more of driver issues with ATI/AMD and 8 gb of RAM (Windows tends to eat too much of 4gb these days). You do not have to go to gaming computers, something like this would be possible to find in $700+ range in laptops.

Since there are too many CPUs on the market, this site helps to compare individual CPUs : http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Thanks Leonid!

And I can’t post this without reminding everyone that Carlson’s tech support team is great and will be happy to answer any specific questions you have. Their tech support is free, all the time, whether you’re using a 30-day trial or if you’ve already purchased and whether you’re using the most current version of the software or one that’s 10 years old.

Click here to request a 30-day trial of Carlson Software