AutoCAD has finally been released on Mac and even better, students and educators can get a three year license absolutely free. This means you can use AutoCAD completely for free for three years although a watermark is added to designs. Alternatively, students and educators in the US and Canada can purchase an unlimited license with no watermark for €395 - a 90% discount on the full price.

Both offers are an absolute steal when you consider the full version costs almost €4,000. Note that the free offer is for personal and educational use only and requires you to sign-up as an educator or student.

The new native version of AutoCAD for Mac looks great too and takes full advantage of Mac OS X, including use of Cover Flow, Multi-Touch gestures, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad. You can of course create and edit DWG files natively and you can collaborate on projects across platforms with customers, clients, colleagues etc.

The release of the Mac version is well overdue and the developers AutoCad have probably already lost a lot of Mac users to alternative CAD applications on the Mac. The hefty price tag isn't going to persuade many of them to switch either but the offer for educators and students is still an excellent one.