Update: ArcGIS for AutoCAD Available

Update: Don Kuehne (of ESRI, but posting as himself) offers his take and a link to an ArcNews article on the product.

—original post—-

I wrote about this “new product” from ESRI after seeing a demo at Fed UC in January. It’s available for download now; I expected to wait longer, but perhaps there was significant “demand” after the preview?

The product, as I noted in the earlier post delivers ArcGIS results “in the form of map service images.” The product is free, but to use it you need AutoCAD 2007 and ArcGIS Server 9.2. The key features listed on the ESRI site:

View one or more georeferenced ArcGIS Server map service(s) in AutoCAD.
Dynamically refresh the map services(s) with AutoCAD Pan/Zoom tools.
Identify features in the map service by picking locations on the map service image in AutoCAD.
Cut and Paste values from Identify dialog to Windows clipboard.
Toggle dynamic refresh of the map service On/Off.
Toggle visibility of map service On/Off.

That sure sounds like WMS sort of funcationality to me. (screen shot) Is based on WMS? Why not just use WMS? Why has Autodesk not put WMS support into AutoCAD? I guess because they want folks to buy Map 3D. (I’m ready to drop the 3D now, how about you?)  WMS support is in Autodesk Map 2007. I was “grabbed” at Autodesk World Press Day by a rep, so they were sure I’d seen it. Third parties have offered WMS support for AutoCAD and Map in the past including IME and GlobeXplorer, now owned by DigitalGlobe.

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