This product was reviewed three years ago in AECbytes when it went by the acronym ADT. Coincidentally, at that time I was writing a book on ADT called Mastering Architectural Desktop 2006. Since then, much has evolved and changed in AutoCAD and its architectural vertical. I am honored to have been asked to write this review and pleased for the opportunity to get back up to speed on AutoCAD Architecture 2009.

Although AutoCAD Architecture still has AutoCAD at its core, it is really a much more powerful and complex program. Some say that the biggest strength of AutoCAD Architecture is that it’s based on AutoCAD. However, at the same time, I have to say that the biggest weakness of AutoCAD Architecture is its AutoCAD core. You might ask—isn’t this a contradiction? Not exactly.
If you’ve used AutoCAD for a long time, then it’s natural to grow into AutoCAD Architecture because you can leverage the skills you’ve built over time while you learn new ones. If you’re using an older version of ADT or AutoCAD Architecture, then upgrading to this latest 2009 version has many important benefits which I will review shortly.
However, it is important to consider the big picture first. Think of AutoCAD Architecture as computer-aided design software that dreams of becoming a building information modeling (BIM) system. AutoCAD Architecture gets closer to realizing that dream with every release, but it’s never really going to get there because it has CAD at its core. Revit, on the other hand, was built from the ground up as a BIM program. But Revit is a very different animal, and ultimately comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges. Both have their places and assuredly have strong futures. For those who prefer the AutoCAD-based workflow, AutoCAD Architecture will remain their design application of choice, and it will allow them to derive at least some of the benefits of BIM, which AutoCAD alone cannot provide.
Analysis and Conclusions
AutoCAD Architecture 2009 has many notable improvements over last year’s version, including a new user interface, integrated search tools, improved feature discoverability, sophisticated navigation controls, a few streamlined workflows, significant wall and space object tweaks, multiline attributed tags, and slightly improved interoperability and visualization features.
Of these features, I believe the improvements to the wall and space objects will be the most helpful in day-to-day work and the integrated search tools and streamlined access to object properties (and match properties) great time savers. I don’t like how cluttered the UI has become but have come to expect it in an application that is built on top of an application that is now 27 years old. I appreciate the fact that Autodesk is trying to make it easier to use AutoCAD Architecture with various tooltips, help files, discussion groups, knowledge bases, blogs, and videos.
In conclusion, I suggest that it is worth upgrading to AutoCAD Architecture 2009 if you are an existing AutoCAD Architecture or ADT user and your firm is manifestly unwilling or not ready to switch to a true BIM solution, preferring to stay on an AutoCAD-based platform. However, I would not recommend AutoCAD Architecture, or even AutoCAD, to students or to firms who are able to allocate enough time to train properly on an application such as Autodesk’s own Revit Architecture that is purpose-built for BIM.

Buy AutoCAD Architecture 2009 32 bit – 219$