AutoCAD® software is the 2D drafting and detailing and 3D design tool used by more designers worldwide than any other CAD software. It provides native DWG compatibility, plus you can personalize or program the software or add a third-party application to meet your specific design requirements. Features of AutoCAD 2011 include: Express Tools, including layer management and dimensioning, which reduce the number of steps required to perform a task Tool palettes, which can be customized to include only the content you need on a daily basis Optimized DWG file format for shorter file open, save, and transmission times True color catalogs and presentation graphics for creating high-quality presentation drawings without exporting files. Digital signatures for validating the origin, authenticity, and unaltered state of your drawings. Difference between AutoCAD LT2011 and AutoCAD 2011 Customization: The AutoCAD 2011 platform offers fully extensible drawing and application customization through APIs (application programming interfaces) such as Visual LISP™, VBA, and ActiveX®. AutoCAD LT 2011 is not an extensible product. AutoCAD 2011 has a wide variety of add-on programs available such as Architectural Desktop and Mechanical Desktop which make extensive use of the API's available in AutoCAD 2011. 3D Design Capabilities: AutoCAD 2011 enables you to create, modify, render, and navigate 3D objects. AutoCAD LT 2011 does not have 3D capability Network Licensing: Workstation licenses for AutoCAD 2011 can be managed through a network.  These are capabilities that AutoCAD LT 2011 cannot offer.

Differences between AutoCAD 2011 and the student version of AutoCAD 2011:   The Autodesk Student Portfolio is an education version of the software. Though it is functionally identical to AutoCAD 2011, the student version of AutoCAD 2011 has been specifically designed for education use, making it unsuitable for a professional production environment by Including an education banner that will plot in the margin of printed drawings. A dialog box opens up every time a file created with the educational version is accessed that says "Created with an educational version of AutoCAD. Do you want to continue?" The educational version of AutoCAD 2011 is on a 60 month license, meaning after 60 months you will no longer be able to use the software. Student versions cannot be upgraded.

System Requirements: The recommended operating system for AutoCAD® 2011 is:

• Microsoft® Windows® 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium (compare Windows 7 versions); Microsoft® Windows Vista® Enterprise, Business, Ultimate, or Home Premium (SP1 or later) (compare Windows Vista versions); or Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home edition (SP2 or later) • For Windows Vista or Windows 7: Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® dual-core processor, 3.0 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology; for Windows XP: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon dual-core processor, 1.6 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology • 2 GB RAM • 1.8 GB free disk space for installation • 1,024 x 768 display resolution with true color • Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later • Install from download or DVD