Under the hood of this extensive, yet friendly, product exists a powerful technology framework. AutoCAD 2000 software is designed to solve the problems of today while creating the foundation that will meet your needs tomorrow. A few of the key technologies included in AutoCAD 2000 include:

Autodesk’s industry-leading object-oriented database (ObjectDBX™) and accompanying API (ObjectARX) form the underpinnings of this release. With AutoCAD 2000 software, Autodesk has completed the monumental task of converting all AutoCAD objects and methods to the new database, years ahead of our competition. This technology is now being fully exploited by our market group products, such as AutoCAD Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Mechanical Desktop, and by our application developer partners to deliver a new generation of design products that are both powerful and easy to use.

The ObjectARX/DBX technology is extensively used throughout AutoCAD 2000 itself. Many of the new features are implemented as ObjectARX applications, creating a modular, demand-loaded environment that is packed with functionality but maintains a moderate memory footprint. Components such as Spatial Technologies’ ACIS 4.0 kernel are implemented through this interface.

The AutoCAD 2000 object model is fully accessible via Microsoft’s COM and ActiveX API interfaces, in addition to our ObjectARX environment. This enables you to use a variety of programming interfaces to customize AutoCAD, ranging from Visual Basic for Applications to Java.

Based on award-winning HOOPS technology, AutoCAD 2000 software incorporates the Heidi® graphics pipeline, providing a rich 3D environment in which to create and interact with your designs. The graphics pipeline is designed for high performance in both 2D and 3D mode, and takes advantage of OpenGL and DirectX graphics interfaces and graphics hardware acceleration. Accompanying this pipeline is a 24-bit raster imaging engine and a new hard-copy pipeline that speeds output up more than 20 percent over the previous release.

Finally, AutoCAD 2000 software is extensively optimized for the 32-bit Windows environment. From its user interface, which makes extensive use of the Microsoft Foundation Classes and adheres to Windows logo standards, to its installation and configuration settings, AutoCAD 2000 is designed to fit neatly in the Windows environment. Our relentless focus on optimization for the Windows environment continues to pay performance dividends¾ despite all the added functionality, AutoCAD 2000 is between 10 percent and 20 percent faster than AutoCAD Release 14 software, creating a new champion in the "fastest AutoCAD ever" contest.