Last month, IMSI/Design's home page for DoubleCAD XT showed a half-drawn curtain with the words "Coming Soon!" On February 4, the curtain went up, revealing two versions of the company's new software: DoubleCAD XT Free and Pro ($695).
IMSI/Design describes DoubleCAD XT as "a free AutoCAD LT work-alike." Its premiere coincided with the debut of a slew of Autodesk products, including AutoCAD LT 2010. "We'd like to say we timed [the release of DoubleCAD XT] strategically for this week," says Royal Farros, IMSI/Design's CEO, "but the truth is, it's just an accident." 
Fig 1. IMSI/Design's DoubleCAD XT (Pro version shown here) is a 2D drafting and drawing program targeting the AutoCAD LT users. | Accidental or intentional, the simultaneous debut of DoubleCAD XT and AutoCAD LT 2010 set the stage for a contest between two products targeting the same user segment: those in search of affordable, intuitive 2D drafting and drawing tools.
IMSI/Design hopes those who purchase AutoCAD LT licenses to read, write, and share AutoCAD files would consider DoubleCAD XT as a viable alternative. In the development phase, DoubleCAD XT was called A/CAD LT, but Farros revealed he and his colleagues renamed their product to avoid a confrontation with Autodesk, whose products AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are frequently referred to as ACAD and ACAD LT. Highlighting DoubleCAD XT's features, IMSI/Design points out the software contains "productivity tools not found in AutoCAD LT," such as "Special line, arc, and circle tools [that] automatically create tangent, parallel, and perpendicular entities without snaps," or "multiline, bezier curves, and fixed ratio ellipses." 
Fig 2. DoubleCAD XT lets you open and work with SketchUp files. Here, a SketchUp model found in Google 3D Warehouse is displayed in DoubleCAD XT's Conceptual view (other display options include Wirefame and Hidden Line modes). | The company also points out DoubleCAD XT's compatibility with both Autodesk Architectural Desktop (ADT) and Google SketchUp as an advantage. AutoCAD LT currently doesn't support Google SketchUp files. According to Autodesk's press office, "SketchUp is primarily used for the purposes of presentations using model views with added styles, and is not intended for the purposes of CAD. We will continue to evaluate SketchUp as part of the AutoCAD LT workflow." On the other hand, AutoCAD LT 2010 lets you attach a PDF drawing and use it as an underlay, with the option to snap key points to the PDF geometry. This feature is not yet available in DoubleCAD XT. Whereas many freeware products are confined to personal and educational use, IMSI/Design says, "Our free DoubleCAD XT can be used for unlimited personal and commercial use."
DoubleCAD XT Pro is priced $695; AutoCAD LT 2010's manufacturer suggested retail price is $1,200. Both the Free and Pro versions of DoubleCAD XT are available now at the product's home page. AutoCAD LT 2010 will be available in mid-March, according to Kate Morrical, Autodesk's technical marketing manager for AutoCAD LT. 
Fig 3. As shown in this close up of the menu bar, the upcoming AutoCAD LT 2010 will allow you to use a PDF drawing as an underlay.
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Kenneth Wong writes about technology, its innovative use, and its implications. He has written for Computer Graphics World, Cadalyst, Game Developer, and Manufacturing Business Technology. You can reach him at kennethwongsf@earthlink.net, follow him on Twitter at KennethWongCAD, or send e-mail about this report to DE-Editors@deskeng.com.
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