Hero image CADD Logo

Autodesk 2020 Products - A Quick Overview

Kelli MarakovitsMay 20th, 2019

As you probably already know, the new Autodesk 2020 products have been released. But have you taken the time to dive in and research the new features to determine if it's time for an upgrade? If not, don't worry. You know our experts are on it and have already tested out the new software and compiled everything you need to know. Check out our recent blogs here to learn about the specific 2020 software updates for Revit, Civil 3D, and AutoCAD, or continue reading for a quick overview of the new features.

Revit 2020

There are a lot of great new features in Revit 2020, but here are our top 5 favorites:
  • We can now draw walls and curtain walls with an ellipse (or partial ellipse) with the new Elliptical Walls tool.
  • Dynamo 2.1 is now "baked into" Revit, which means it's much easier to manage your DYN files and less “fighting” between Dynamo versions.
  • You can now Copy/Paste legends across sheets. Once it’s on the clipboard you can paste it aligned to the “same place” making getting them in the same place on multiple sheets a breeze.
  • You can now insert 2D PDFs into your Revit 2020 models.
  • And finally, a new Path of Travel tool in Revit 2020 will figure out the shortest distance between two selected points on a floor plan.
Read our blog, Five Reasons Why Architects Should Upgrade to Revit 2020 for more information about these features.

Civil 3D 2020

Here are the top 5 things you need to know about the Civil 3D 2020 release:
  • The interface got a bit of a makeover and the icons are now optimized and scalable for HD. Not only are the icons now easier to see with the new background, but you can look forward to a better graphics experience overall.
  • The Gravity Network Analysis functionality has been improved in a number of ways. It is now a modeless dialog that allows you to navigate around in the drawing window without having to end the command and also offers Inlet Analysis when an inlet is present in your network.
  • Integration with Dynamo! Civil 3D 2020 introduces “Dynamo for Civil 3D.”
  • Civil 3D 2020 is backward compatible with 2019 and 2018. Not only is the basic DWG format the same (AutoCAD 2018 DWG), but even the Civil 3D objects are similar enough that the two (2) previous versions can open and edit a 2020 drawing.
  • There have been multiple improvements to Storm & Sanitary Analysis. You can now add separate, storm-specific Tailwater and outfall conditions when analyzing multiple storm events. And new and updated underground storage chamber systems from Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) and Cultec have been added to the list of storage chambers to choose from when adding storage curves.
Read our blog, Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Civil 3D 2020 for more information about these features.

AutoCAD 2020

And here's why we think you should upgrade to AutoCAD 2020:
  • Cloud storage integration - Autodesk announced integration between AutoCAD and Dropbox late last year and has now extended that functionality to Microsoft OneDrive and Box.
  • Faster installation and DWG save times - AutoCAD 2020 installs 50% faster, or about 3.5 minutes on average when using a solid-state hard drive. We see similar speed improvements when saving drawings with AutoCAD 2020. An average DWG save time is now just .5 seconds - an improvement of about one-second over previous versions.
  • Dynamically compare drawing in real-time - AutoCAD now analyzes drawing changes in real-time. Even with drawing compare toggled on, AutoCAD identifies drawing changes as edits happen.
  • Easily locate non-purgeable items - In addition to a complete redesign of the Purge dialog box, the Purge command gets some new tricks too. Most notably is the Find Non-Purgeable items. With it, not only can you see the items you cannot purge from your drawing, but there’s also a list of reasons why.
Read our blog, Top Four Reasons to Choose AutoCAD 2020 for more information about these features.

That's it! Hopefully, you find this overview helpful and are as excited as we are about the new software. Tell us your favorite new feature in the comments below.

Subscribe to the Latest Software

Did you know purchasing a subscription to the latest software will save you money in the long run? If you have yet to make the switch, now is the time to do it. Transitioning to a subscription model plan will save your organization money over time and give you access to Autodesk’s ongoing stream of innovation, updates to core products, and cloud services.

From now until October 25, 2019, upgrade from a perpetual license to a subscription and save 20% on an eligible 1- or 3- year term to a Collection, AutoCAD or additional qualifying products. Learn more about this promotion here.

If you’re not sure if a subscription is right for you, contact us here. Or, you can click here to complete a short form and we will contact you.

Interested in learning more? We'd love to chat!

Contact us