AutoCAD versions

tonori -

I thought I had compiled a listing of this information at one time  - but I am having trouble locating the document at the moment.

Here is a similar post on Be Communities: http://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/microstation_v8i/f/19565/t/62679.aspx

Here is one piece of the puzzle - from an "Ask Inga" link - pointing to wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dwg

 AutoCAD Version History

I think most of this DGN vs. DWG information is tucked away in the ReadMe file delivered with each version of MicroStation?
I think you can safely throw out working with or saving any DWG older that AutoCAD R.14?

From the 3 versions of MicroStation installed on my computer:
MicroStation V8 (2004) - version 08.05.02.35 - the "Save As - DWG" options are:
       11/12
       13
       14
       2000/2000i/2002
       2004
       2005

MicroStation V8-XM - version 08.09.04.88 - the "Save As - DWG" options are:
       11/12
       13
       14
       2000/2000i/2002
       2004
       2005/2006
       2007/2008

MicroStation V8i (SS2) - version 08.11.07.443 - with updated (released 02-NOV-2010) RealDWG installed - the "Save As - DWG" options are:
       14
       2000/2000i/2002
       2004/2005/2006
       2007/2008/2009
       2010

These DWG versions are what was available at the time each MicroStation version was released.

We have worked with AutoCAD 2009 DWG files in MicroStation V8-XM.
We have worked with AutoCAD 2012 DWG files in MicroStation V8i (SS2) with latest RealDWG 2010 installed.
I am fairly certain that MicroStation V8i (SS3) with open AutoCAD 2013 DWG files. There was also an updated RealDWG release for that version.

These are currently the 3 "standard" versions of MicroStation we are using.
Our standard versions of AutoCAD are AutoCAD 2009 + Land Desktop Development and AutoCAD 2012 + Civil 3D

Be very careful using Object Enablers with MicroStation V8i.
Similar to AutoCAD, these Object Enablers allow you to view data from some of the Autodesk vertical products in MicroStation.
The "issue" is that if the Object Enablers in MicroStation don't match the Autodesk vertical product (version), the "Objects" get updated to whatever version is running in MicroStation - which may ruin the file if you want to open up with the original Autodesk product that created the file. I am just staying away from the MicroStation Object Enablers for now.

Typically, we ask our AutoCAD folks to save their AutoCAD + LDD 2009 <or> AutoCAD + Civil 3D files to just DWG - which writes all of the Autodesk "vertical" product information to the DWG - so no Object Enablers will be needed in MicroStation. I also know there are reasons not to do this... but we can just wait for the Autodesk users to chime in on that one!

Hope this Helps!
Probably more information than you were looking for....

David Allen
Pennoni Associates Inc.
Transportation CADD Manager

David,

Thanks - that was exactly what I was looking for!!!

Tanya

David,

Thanks - that was exactly what I was looking for!!!

Tanya

Be aware, that while those 3 year groups of DWG versions (2007/2008/2009) (2010/2011/2012) mean that the plain DWG version is the same for those three versions, if someone is using an Add-on for AutoCAD, like Civil 3D or Architectural Desktop, that the "objects" that these tools create are year specific.

Since adding Real DWG code to MicroStation, it has supported 2009 on all versions. For certain versions, 2010, 2012 and 2013 are supported. This means, if the MicroStation version supports one of those years, you can install the "object-enablers" from Autodesk and MicroStation can display these objects.

But as you might have noticed, there is no Real DWG 2011 in this list. So if you need to see 2011 objects, you can use a version of MicroStation that supports Real DWG 2012 or 2013 and install the object enablers. BUT and its a big BUT, which is why I made it upper case, if you save a DWG with a 2011 object, using either of these two versions that have the enablers installed, the objects become 2012 or 2013 objects. At that point, there is no way for the 2011 version of AutoCAD to use those objects. It can see their graphics, but these objects are the design. What you have done, at that point, is to reduce those objects from intelligent information to dumb graphics.

If someone can open the file in the AutoCAD 2012 or 2013 version, the objects exist, but even in the original AutoCAD add-on software, they provide no method to save those files back to an earlier version with the design objects intact.

We tell our users to only open DWG files as read only or as reference files to avoid this problem.