Changes to AutoCAD 2011 Help

In case you haven't noticed already, there has been a change to the help documentation in AutoCAD 2011. In previous releases, the help was provided using Compiled HTML (CHM) files and looked something like this:

AutoCAD 2011 now uses an HTML-based help system instead of the CHM files and, by default, a request for help retrieves help content from an online Autodesk location. These help files are also installed in your local AutoCAD installation folder structure and you can force AutoCAD to retrieve help locally instead of pulling from the online location. This is especially good to know when using AutoCAD 2011 on a computer that has no (or restricted) Internet access.

You can change AutoCAD 2011 to use the locally-installed help by changing an option on the System tab of the Options dialog.

For more information, you can reference the following technical solution:
Switching to locally-installed help for AutoCAD 2011

Having the help available online has a few advantages:

First, you always have access to the help whether you have AutoCAD installed on your local machine or not. You can read the full AutoCAD 2011 help just by going to http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2011/ENU/landing.html.

Second, if you provide AutoCAD support you are likely accustomed to directing people to certain locations in the help docs to find specific topics. This is now a little easier because you can provide a URL directly to the topic.

Let's say I wanted to point someone to the topic that explains a distributed license server model.

In AutoCAD 2010, I'd have to tell them to open the Autodesk Network Licensing Guide (adsk_nlg.chm), expand "Plan Your Network Licensing", expand "Plan Your License Server Configuration", and select "Distributed License Server Model".

In AutoCAD 2011, I can simply send them the URL to that specific topic:
Distributed License Server Model

Comments

[Konrad Bauckmeier]

In Version 2011 Autocad dismissed the printed manuals. There are not even short manuals.
What a shame for the called price.

[Patrick EMIN]

The fact that help is now online does not compensate for the lost of functionnality compared to the CHM based help. All users opinions show that.