Every year, Autodesk releases a new version of AutoCAD, AutoCAD's Industry-Specific Toolsets, Revit LT, and full Revit — and every year, most subscribers use only a fraction of what changed. This guide summarizes the meaningful improvements to all four products, release by release, from 2020 through the current 2027 release.
One naming quirk worth knowing: Autodesk names each release for the year after it actually ships — "AutoCAD 2027" and "Revit 2027" were both released in March 2026, not 2027. We've listed each version under its official release name, with the actual ship year noted alongside.
8 Releases | 2020 – 2027 | AutoCAD & Revit Side by Side |
2020 Releases
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2020 |
Revit & Revit LT 2020 |
| New dark theme with sharper contrast; Quick Measure tool for instant on-hover dimensions; redesigned Blocks palette with visual galleries; enhanced DWG Compare embedded directly in the drawing; up to 50% faster SSD installs; new cloud storage connectivity (Dropbox, OneDrive, Box). | Direct PDF import as an underlay for tracing; elliptical and curved walls; Path of Travel analysis for circulation studies; major steel connection improvements (grouping, propagation, new tags); Dynamo bundled natively since this release. |
2021 Releases
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2021 |
Revit & Revit LT 2021 |
| New Drawing History palette to compare previous cloud-saved versions; Xref Compare (DWG Compare extended to external references); multi-core processor support for smoother 2D/3D pan, zoom, and orbit; new Quick mode for Trim/Extend that preselects boundaries automatically. | Generative Design launched (AEC Collection only, not available in Revit LT) — define goals and constraints, let Revit generate ranked design options; slanted walls with automatic slanted door/window handling; over 10x faster 3D view navigation with more realistic materials and lighting. |
2022 Releases
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2022 |
Revit & Revit LT 2022 |
| New Count tool for instant block/object counting; Trace feature for safe markup collaboration via web/mobile without altering the source drawing; Floating Drawing Tabs for true multi-monitor workflows; redesigned Start tab; Technical Preview of a new cross-platform 3D graphics engine. | Tapered walls without needing model-in-place; wall core visibility toggle (finish layers on/off); Generative Design refined with sample studies and a "Data Remember" function; pre-modeling systems analysis with psychrometric load reports for MEP sizing. |
2023 Releases
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2023 |
Revit & Revit LT 2023 |
| Continued performance and stability refinements to the 2022 graphics engine preview; incremental toolset content and productivity updates across Architecture, MEP, and Electrical. | Flip Rebar Set for quick reinforcement direction changes; refinements to steel and concrete detailing workflows; groundwork laid for the major UI overhaul that would ship in 2024. |
2024 Releases
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2024 |
Revit & Revit LT 2024 |
| First AI features arrive: Smart Blocks (Placement & Replacement) using machine learning; Activity Insights logging a chronological history of drawing changes; Autodesk Assistant introduced (available in both AutoCAD and, for the first time, AutoCAD LT); AutoLISP added to AutoCAD LT for the first time; up to 9x faster layout tab switching; up to 2x faster installs. | New Site Tools toolset for landscape design and documentation; dark theme and modernized UI; native STEP file import (added mid-year in 2024.2); solar energy analysis via Forma; improved IFC performance with multi-threaded processing. |
2025 Releases
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2025 |
Revit & Revit LT 2025 |
| Smart Blocks expanded with Search and Convert (AI-assisted geometry-to-block conversion); generative AI added to Autodesk Assistant for curated help resources; up to 2x faster 2D file opening vs. 2024; Markup Import from Autodesk Docs; improved 2D graphics and font rendering. | Expanded STEP file support (Link and Export); new horizontal coordinate systems for civil/infrastructure workflows; Sheet Collections for flexible sheet grouping; gbXML 7.03 export for building energy simulation; Insight add-in for embodied carbon visualization aligned with AIA 2030 goals. |
2026 Releases
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2026 |
Revit & Revit LT 2026 |
| Biggest performance jump in years: up to 11x faster 2D/3D file opening and 4x faster startup vs. 2025; Connected Support Files centralizing team drafting standards via Autodesk Docs; Connected Sheet Set Manager for cloud-based sheet sets with real-time conflict notifications. | Marked Revit's 25th anniversary. GPU-Accelerated Graphics (Tech Preview, 4–5x faster 3D navigation); ReCap Pro Mesh plugin for direct point-cloud/reality-capture import; View to Sheet Positioning automation; Toposolid fixes (negative depth, up to 50,000 shape points, better Civil 3D accuracy); Next Gen Insight merging HVAC/System Zones. |
2027 Releases (shipped March 2026)
AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT 2027 |
Revit & Revit LT 2027 |
| Geometry Cleanup — AI scans and fixes gaps, overshoots, and misaligned angles automatically; Checkout for true simultaneous multi-user editing of shared DWG files via Forma; Forma Data Management Essentials now included free with standalone AutoCAD subscriptions; upgraded Autodesk Assistant using Anthropic's Model Context Protocol; Apple Metal graphics engine for Mac (replacing OpenGL). | Revit becomes the first desktop application to be a Forma Connected Client; Autodesk Assistant (Tech Preview) enables natural-language modeling commands; Forma Carbon Insights bringing embodied/operational carbon analysis tied to the EC3 database; Forma Data Management Essentials, Site Design, Building Design, and Board now included in Revit subscriptions; upgraded to .NET 10 runtime. |
The Big Picture: What Changed Across 8 Years
| 1 | 2020–2022: Interface and workflow refinement. Dark themes, better markup tools (Trace, DWG Compare), and steady modeling improvements — evolutionary, not revolutionary, releases across both products. |
| 2 | 2021: Generative design arrives in Revit (AEC Collection only), marking Autodesk's first serious computational design push — a capability Revit LT still doesn't have. |
| 3 | 2024: The AI turning point. Smart Blocks and Autodesk Assistant mark the start of machine learning becoming a core part of both products every year since — and notably, this is also the year AutoCAD LT finally gained AutoLISP. |
| 4 | 2025–2026: Performance becomes the headline again. After years of feature-first releases, Autodesk pivoted hard to raw speed — AutoCAD's 11x faster file opening in 2026 is one of the largest single-year performance jumps in the product's history. |
| 5 | 2027: Everything connects to Forma. Both AutoCAD and Revit are now built around Autodesk's Forma cloud platform as the connective layer — multi-user Checkout in AutoCAD and Revit becoming a "Forma Connected Client" both point toward cloud-first collaboration as the clear direction for the next several years. |
A Note on Revit LT and AutoCAD LT Specifically
Across all eight releases, LT versions have consistently received the 2D/documentation and single-discipline modeling improvements that fall within their scope — but not the collaboration, analysis, or automation features exclusive to full Revit and AutoCAD. Generative Design, worksharing, Dynamo automation, and most Forma-connected analysis tools remain full-Revit-only. The clearest exception was 2024, when AutoCAD LT unexpectedly gained AutoLISP for the first time — a meaningful capability upgrade that narrowed the gap with full AutoCAD more than any other single release in this period. For the fuller picture of exactly which features separate the LT and full versions today, see our earlier breakdowns on AutoCAD LT vs. alternatives and Revit LT vs. Revit.
The DPI Recommendation
If your firm has been renewing the same subscription for several years without checking what's new, there's a good chance you're sitting on AI-assisted tools (Geometry Cleanup, Smart Blocks, Autodesk Assistant), major performance gains, or cloud collaboration features you haven't turned on yet. As an authorized Autodesk reseller, DPI Technology can walk your team through what's changed since your last upgrade and what's actually worth adopting for your workflow.
Feature summaries are drawn from Autodesk's official release blogs and product documentation for each version. Some named features (e.g. Generative Design, worksharing, Dynamo) require the AEC Collection or full product and are not available in Revit LT or AutoCAD LT.