Editing AutoCAD (section)

{{Short description|Commercial computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting software application}}
{{Infobox software
| name = AutoCAD
| logo = AutoCad new logo.svg
| logo_size = 230px
| screenshot = AutoCAD 2016 screenshot.png
| screenshot_size = 230px
| caption = 
| developer = [[Autodesk]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1982|12}}
| latest release version = AutoCAD 2026 (25.1)
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2025|03|25}}
| operating system = [[Windows]], [[macOS]]
| language = English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Czech, Polish and Hungarian
| language count = 14
| language footnote =
| genre = [[Computer-aided design]]
| license = [[Software as a service]]
| website = {{url|https://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad/overview|www.autodesk.com/autocad}}
}}

'''AutoCAD''' is a [[2D computer graphics|2D]] and 
[[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[computer-aided design]] (CAD) [[software application]] developed by [[Autodesk]].<ref name="Lendio">{{cite web|title= Autodesk, Inc |url= http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Autodesk-Inc-company-History.html| publisher= Lendio | access-date = 29 March 2012| work =FundingUniverse| year=2012}}</ref> It was first released in December 1982 for the [[CP/M]] and [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]] platforms as a desktop app running on [[microcomputer]]s with internal [[graphics controller]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cadhistory.net/08%20Autodesk%20and%20AutoCAD.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://cadhistory.net/08%20Autodesk%20and%20AutoCAD.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Chapter 8 : Autodesk and AutoCAD |website=Cadhistory.net |access-date=2016-03-30}}</ref> Initially a [[Disk operating system|DOS]] application, subsequent versions were later released for other platforms including [[Classic Mac OS]] (1992), [[Microsoft Windows]] (1993) and [[macOS]] (2010), [[iOS]] (2010), and [[Android (operating system)|Android]] (2011).

AutoCAD is a general drafting and design application used in industry by architects, project managers, engineers, interior designers, graphic designers, city planners, and other professionals to prepare [[technical drawing]]s. After discontinuing the sale of perpetual licenses in January 2016,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.autodesk.com/licensing/overview#:~:text=What%20happened%20to%20perpetual%20licenses,a%20subscription%20on%20a%20plan. |title=What happened to perpetual licenses? |website= Autodesk.com |access-date=2023-08-16}}</ref> [[commercial software|commercial]] versions of AutoCAD are licensed through a [[Software as a service|term-based subscription]] or Autodesk Flex, a pay-as-you-go option introduced on September 24, 2021. Subscriptions to the desktop version of AutoCAD include access to the web and mobile applications. However, users can subscribe separately to the AutoCAD Web App online or AutoCAD Mobile through an in-app purchase.