The next releases of Design Master HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing will require AutoCAD 2007 or later. AutoCAD 2006 and earlier will no longer be supported.
We understand the cost and difficulty of upgrading AutoCAD, and do our best to support older versions of AutoCAD. Unfortunately, adding new features to our software while continuing to support older version creates technical challenges. At this point, we have too few customers using AutoCAD 2004, 2005, and 2006 to justify the effort necessary to continue to support it.
The current releases of Design Master HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing will continue to work in AutoCAD 2004, 2005, and 2006. We will continue to support them and fix bugs, but we will not add any new features.
What You Should Do If You Are Running AutoCAD 2006 or Earlier
If you currently are running AutoCAD 2004, 2005, or 2006 and are happy with it and the features of our software, you can do nothing. You can continue to work with your current configuration indefinitely.
If you want to upgrade Design Master HVAC, Electrical, or Plumbing in the future, you will need to upgrade your version of AutoCAD.
If you currently do not have licenses for AutoCAD 2007 or later, your local Autodesk reseller can assist you with purchasing an upgrade to the latest version of AutoCAD. Upgrade pricing for retired Autodesk products is available through what Autodesk calls their “Legacy Program.” It is our opinion that the subscription program is worth paying for, even if you don’t end up installing each new version of AutoCAD as it comes out.
You can also consider switching to Bricscad. Design Master Electrical is supported in Bricscad, except for a few missing features. Design Master HVAC and Plumbing are not yet officially supported, but they are very close. We are currently working with Bricsys to solve the remaining incompatibilities between our programs. Bricscad is available as of this writing for $665 for a new license, plus $235 for a yearly subscription (versus $4,425 for a new license of AutoCAD and $430 for a yearly subscription).
If you do have licenses for AutoCAD 2007 or later, but are still running AutoCAD 2006 or earlier, we encourage you to install the newer version of AutoCAD. It is easier to upgrade AutoCAD first and Design Master HVAC, Electrical, and Plumbing second, rather than doing both at the same time. Upgrading AutoCAD now will put you in a position to upgrade to the next versions of our software when they are available.