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AWS Solutions Library

Guidance for Running Autodesk AutoCAD on Amazon AppStream 2.0

Overview

This Guidance helps customers build an Amazon AppStream 2.0 environment to deploy and stream Autodesk AutoCAD. Amazon AppStream 2.0 is a fully managed AWS end user computing (EUC) service that provides secure access to applications and virtual desktops to users. AutoCAD is a leading 2D and 3D computer aided design (CAD) drafting software created by Autodesk. By leveraging this Guidance, customers can accelerate the deployment of a high-performance and on-demand virtual desktop while spending less on expensive high-performance workstations and standardizing software and collaboration efforts.

How it works

These technical details feature an architecture diagram to illustrate how to effectively use this solution. The architecture diagram shows the key components and their interactions, providing an overview of the architecture's structure and functionality step-by-step.

Download the architecture diagram

Well-Architected Pillars

The architecture diagram above is an example of a Solution created with Well-Architected best practices in mind. To be fully Well-Architected, you should follow as many Well-Architected best practices as possible.

Amazon CloudWatch captures metrics for the managed services in this architecture. You can monitor these metrics for errors.

Read the Operational Excellence whitepaper

This Guidance provides a way to secure Amazon EC2 resources using public and private subnets and security groups to restrict traffic to the Bastion host. AppStream 2.0 provides built-in authentication capabilities. Review Amazon AppStream 2.0Integration with SAML 2.0 and Using Active Directory with AppStream 2.0 for information on setting up authentication with AppStream 2.0 .

Read the Security whitepaper

AppStream 2.0 offers two available fleet types. Always-On or On-Demand fleets automatically match the supply of available instances to user demand. Because one user requires one fleet instance, the size of your fleet determines the number of users who can stream concurrently. You can define scaling policies that adjust the size of your fleet automatically based on a variety of utilization metrics, and you can optimize the number of available instances to match user demand. This will need to be done in conjunction with the AutoCAD network license manager (NLM) license maximum allowed.

Read the Reliability whitepaper

AppStream 2.0 is built to support desktop software application workloads. Based on the application, AutoCAD user persona, and rendered file sizes, you can experiment with larger or smaller instance sizes to match the best performance and price for your workloads.

Read the Performance Efficiency whitepaper

This Guidance uses AWS managed services that scale to match demand. Most of the services are also serverless, which reduces infrastructure management and idle resources so you don’t end up paying for resource you don’t use. The AutoCAD NLM does not provide a way to scale out on Amazon EC2 and will need to be manually handled using the Guidance’s recommendation of setting up an NLM and configuring the host file.

Read the Cost Optimization whitepaper

AppStream 2.0 is designed for on-demand usage of the application and is graphics hardware-dependent. Because the service can be provisioned on demand, resources are consumed only when needed, minimizing hardware usage. The Guidance uses only the minimal Amazon EC2 resources required for operations and to support AppStream 2.0 application license usage.

Read the Sustainability whitepaper

Disclaimer

The sample code; software libraries; command line tools; proofs of concept; templates; or other related technology (including any of the foregoing that are provided by our personnel) is provided to you as AWS Content under the AWS Customer Agreement, or the relevant written agreement between you and AWS (whichever applies). You should not use this AWS Content in your production accounts, or on production or other critical data. You are responsible for testing, securing, and optimizing the AWS Content, such as sample code, as appropriate for production grade use based on your specific quality control practices and standards. Deploying AWS Content may incur AWS charges for creating or using AWS chargeable resources, such as running Amazon EC2 instances or using Amazon S3 storage.

References to third-party services or organizations in this Guidance do not imply an endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation between Amazon or AWS and the third party. Guidance from AWS is a technical starting point, and you can customize your integration with third-party services when you deploy the architecture.