[See below for 8-7-2015 update]

Carlson Software made the 2016 version of their desktop software available for download yesterday. The products released include all desktop products that run with the included IntelliCAD or on top of your own AutoCAD-based software. The 2016 OEM/embedded AutoCAD versions of Survey and Takeoff are expected to be released in a month or so.

The programs included in this release include Civil Suite, Takeoff Suite, Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS, Basic Mining, Geology, Underground Mining, Surface Mining, Natural Regrade, Field, CADnet, GeoTech, Trench, Construction and Point Clouds. Carlson 2016 includes IntelliCAD 8.1 and can also be installed on top of any full AutoCAD-based software from 2010-2016. This includes AutoCAD, Map and Civil 3d but does NOT include AutoCAD LT.

You can see the full list of Carlson 2016 Improvements here.

One thing that’s new for 2016 is that there are separate downloads for 32- and 64-bit systems. You can download the 150731 Build of either file here.

If you are currently on Carlson’s maintenance plan, you can click here to find your 2016 serial number. You’ll need your 2015 serial number and primary contact information for the owner of the software. If you have trouble, feel free to email me and I’ll do what I can to help get you up and going. Or, request a proposal to upgrade or renew your maintenance now.

I can provide a 30 day trial if you’d like to test-drive for a bit and am also offering a free test-drive to one of my upcoming webinars. Starting with tomorrow’s Introduction to Carlson Software – Settings, Setup, Configuration & Points webinar, I’ll be presenting in the 2016 software.

If you’re curious how Carlson compares feature- and price-wise to Civil 3d, Land Desktop, Eagle Point, Terra Model or others, email me or follow these links to request a demo or request a custom proposal.

8/7/2015 Update: One other change to the platform support for Carlson 2016 will be important to a lot of you: Carlson 2016 with IntelliCAD no longer works on top of Windows XP; however, you can run Carlson 2016 on top of an AutoCAD 2010-2016 on an XP machine.

Microsoft released the Windows 10 operating system for PCs this week and a lot of Carlson users have jumped to install the shiny (and free) new thing. I always recommend waiting a few weeks for kinks and bugs to be worked out before installing anything that affects all your program installations and can have such a big impact on your productivity. However, I’ve heard from a lot of you who’ve already tried it out with Carlson 2015 and even earlier versions. Most have had success but some have called or emailed with questions. I reached out to Carlson’s tech support to ask what Carlson users can expect with Windows 10 – this is the response I received:

We have tested Carlson 2016 on pre-release Windows 10 and did not see any issues in limited testing. We expect to have 2016 compatible with Windows 10 when it ships. We may address some minor issues with Carlson 2015 if they arise, but not older versions.

If you haven’t renewed your maintenance plan or upgraded for awhile, now is really a good time. If you renew your maintenance now, before 2016 is released, you will get an immediate upgrade to 2015 and then will also receive the upgrade to 2016. Also, if your maintenance has expired, your cost to renew maintenance will increase once 2016 is released because you’ll be an additional version behind. Click here to request a proposal for new licenses, for upgrades or maintenance renewals and find out what other goodies That CAD Girl includes with your purchase. Update: Carlson has now posted this to their website

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