A question I get frequently is "Can I use Autodesk DWF Viewer for redlining DWF files?" Autodesk DWF Viewer does not provide the functionality for measuring or markup (a.k.a. redlining). If you or others within your design review team have a measuring or redlining requirement, Autodesk Design Review is the product for you.
The follow up question is sometimes "Why did we originally charge for Autodesk Design Review?"
- AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, and other Autodesk applications (e.g., Autodesk Inventor) have the ability to create DWF files built in. There is no extra charge for this capability.
- Autodesk makes the DWF Writer for 2D and the DWF Writer for 3D available via the web for free. These programs allow Non-Autodesk applications to create DWF files.
- Autodesk provides a free Autodesk DWF Viewer. The Autodesk DWF Viewer allows users to view, print, and program with DWF files as part of their workflows. The is true for both 3D and 2D DWF files. Advanced 3D capabilities like pull apart and sectioning are included. People seem to like "free" as over 12 million design data consumers have downloaded it.
- Autodesk products read and write DWF files using the DWF Toolkit. Autodesk includes the DWF specification and our C++ source code in the DWF Toolkit. Anyone can download the DWF Toolkit from the web for free. There are no run-time royalties associated with the DWF Toolkit either.
- Autodesk used to sell Autodesk Design Review at a modest price. Now it is free. Autodesk Design Review provides all of the capabilities of the free Autodesk DWF Viewer plus the ability to compose (aggregate content), markup, and measure. In addition to working with Autodesk Design Review, the additional data that is composed, marked up, or measured can be viewed, printed, or programmed with using the free Autodesk DWF Viewer. Only team members who need the advanced capabilities need to buy Autodesk Design Review. The other team members can use the Autodesk DWF Viewer.
Autodesk Design Review provides an electronic review process that integrates well with AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, and Autodesk Inventor. Our customers see this as the "value add" that distinguished Autodesk Design Review from simple viewers. DWF is the format upon which Autodesk will build additional value added solutions. For example, Autodesk has a Quantity Takeoff project underway.
The markups created using Autodesk Design Review provides an electronic review process that integrates with:
- AutoCAD
- AutoCAD LT®
- AutoCAD® Mechanical
- AutoCAD® Electrical
- Autodesk Architectural Desktop
- Autodesk Buzzsaw
- Autodesk Land Desktop
- Autodesk Mechanical Desktop
- Autodesk Civil 3D
- Autodesk Map 3D
- Autodesk Building Systems
- Autodesk Revit
- Autodesk Streamline
- Autodesk Inventor
The measurement capability of Autodesk Design Review is heavily used in conjunction with Autodesk Inventor. Other workflow solutions from Autodesk will integrate with these products as well as others. Workflow solutions based on DWF let Autodesk customers go beyond the paper.
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