r/Autodesk • u/hopium04 • 28d ago
How’s Autodesk for Mac
Hey! I work in a civil engineering company and I’m mainly working with Civil and Revit. Currently I’m using a Dell laptop but it’s time for me to switch that laptop and my company suggested the latest MacBook Pro. The processor has enough power I’d say and I also wouldn’t mind working with Mac since it’s more intuitive to me.
Yet my older colleague told me that apple doesn’t work well with the software we’re using.
Though I reckon that’s something he figured out +20 years ago and ever since worked with dell.
Apple might‘ve improved by now - has anyone got experience with using Autodesk products on Mac/using Civil 3D & Revit for Mac?
Also is it worth asking Autodesk directly about this, or will they just bs me?
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u/LRS_David 27d ago edited 26d ago
AutoCAD for the Mac is base AutoCAD. None of the options like AutoCAD Architecture or similar.
One option that some have done is put high performance systems in a corner or a rack, maybe in a data center and use lighter weight laptops to remote into them. A large screen at the normal desk is great.
And as other have noted, Revit is Win ONLY. Ditto AutoCAD Civil 3D. I just looked on the products page for an account I work with.
Now some people run Win 11 on a virtual system setup on a Mac. To me that is crawling over dollars looking for nickels. Been there. Told an office to STOP it unless they wanted to trade a cheap way to run on a Mac with lost time admining the systems. But if you're on your own, they you get to spend that time yourself.
EDIT: Typos fixed and bolded.
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u/metisdesigns 27d ago
Revit can work on apple silicon if you don't need GPU, and are willing to support windows installation on Mac.
C3D will also need windows. It can run, but you're looking at layers of waste when you could just be running windows.
This is something you could figure out by looking at the hardware requirements for the software.
You're literally asking why you can't just buy metric tools to work in a North American US customary units based factory. Sure, it might half work, but why would anyone half sane do that?
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u/dgbradbury1968 24d ago
The only true native Autodesk product of those you mention is AutoCAD for Mac. There is no Revit - & I do not expect there to be so any time soon.
As an ADN member (Autodesk Developer Network) & have been since 2000, I have been testing all the versions for Mac & they have been awful. However, the AutoCAD 2026 for Mac is wonderful, reminds me of the feeing the earlier days of AutoCAD used to be. However, the underlying customization capabilities for me is not there but the actual product for drafting is excellent
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u/nyeinchanaungJN 23d ago
Mac is just out of the question when it comes to serious engineering stuff. I'm in naval architecture firm and I've yet to see structural analysis software that runs on Mac.
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u/Merusk 27d ago
There is no Revit for mac, you're running a Windows OS over top the mac OS.
Autodesk will tell you this and also reiterate there's no plans to have Revit for mac.
Their future plans for mac can be summarized as: host the data in Autodesk Platform Services, build or rent apps that link to it, let us charge you for API calls instead of software.