The End of Land Desktop (+ New Product Announcement)

It's true. There will be no such thing as Land Desktop 2010.


Autodesk officially announces today that the current release of Land Desktop and its close relative Civil Design will no longer be upgraded or available in future releases. In other words, 2009 is the last year Land Desktop and Civil Design will be available.


What does that mean to you?
It depends.


If you are already primarily using Civil 3D as your drafting/design product, you are ahead of the game. Civil 3D will not loose the ability to convert legacy projects from Land Desktop.


If you are on subscription but still using Land Desktop things get a little more interesting. You will receive support through the end of your subscription - however you will no longer receive updates. This would be a great time to contact your reseller about cross grading to Civil 3D 2009 or the new product: Autocad Civil 2009.


If you are not on subscription and decide to upgrade after July 8th 2008, you will just get a Civil 3D 2009 disk. Land Desktop Companion will only be a downloadable product for subscription customers after July 8th.


What are your options?
The good news is that Autodesk is putting out a new product called AutoCAD Civil 2009. This is essentially a version of Civil 3D 2009, minus the Map and Hydraflow functionality. This product is meant to work in tandem with Civil 3D with seamless round-tripping of data between the two. If you've ever wished you could upgrade all your base AutoCAD seats to Civil 3D - but couldn't due to the price, AutoCAD Civil is your go-between.


Is this a good thing?
Yes! Both the Land Desktop freeze and the new AutoCAD Civil product are positive developments. If you are a Land Desktop user, you've already noticed the conspicuous lack of new functionality over the past few years. With the focus now on the newer technology in AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Civil we will see many more enhancements and improvements in the years to come. The AutoCAD Civil product is a less expensive option for users who do not need the heavy-duty analysis tools in full Civil 3D.


Where can I learn more?
This week I expect Autodesk to publish an FAQ regarding these changes. When that becomes available I will post a link ASAP. In the meantime, give your local reseller a call.