In addition to some of the new features (Parametric Design, Free-Form Modeling and 3D Printing) introduced in AutoCAD 2010, the AutoCAD team also made many enhancements to many features that are already part of AutoCAD based on customer feedback. Some of these are:

Dynamic Blocks

• Easier to author dynamic blocks
• Easier to understand and later edit authored behavior
• More flexible and powerful dynamic blocks with Constraint Parameters
• Test block without exiting Block Editor
• More compelling authoring environment

Deployment

• Added the ability for a CAD Manager to create Advanced User Profiles
• Dynamic paths in the registry
• All user-customizable support files should be installed to Roaming AppData by default
• Allow choice for support content location

Performance

• Improved graphics fidelity, stability and performance through GS Architectural projects
• Unified precision and temporary graphics for a consistent user experience in 2D and 3D
• Layer Manager Performance improvements

Hatch

• Red Circles indicating areas where invalid boundary were detected for area being hatched
• Stretchable, resizable hatching using grips
• Improvements to hatching large coordinate objects
• Performance increase

External References

• The ability to attach PDF’s as underlays (including OSnap capability to the PDF file)
• Inverse X-Clip for all reference files (Image, DGN, DWF, DWG, PDF)
• Reference files Fading/Dimming (XDWGFADECTL)
• Show but don’t print the frame of reference files capability
• General Reference commands on Ribbon for Attach, Clip and Adjust
• XREF: XCLIPFRAME (2 displayed not plotted)

Printing and Publishing

• Improved PDF publishing
  • including reduced file size
  • True type fonts
  • ability to print file with PDF
  • quick export to single or multi-sheet PDFs from Ribbon Panel
• Improvements to the Publish Dialog box
• Performance improvements when publishing to DWF and DWFx with layer information

3D Enhancements

• Enhanced Section Plans (can now generate one layer in block per layer in drawing)
• Point filters ( for Vertices, faces or points)
• 3D Gizmo improvements
• Added the new Scale Gizmo
• Right click brings up all gizmo options for Rotate, move and Scale
• Align Gizmo to World USC, Current USC or face of an object
• Ability to relocate Gizmo
• Larger graphical representation of the Rotate, Move and Scale gizmos
• Conversion of polyface mesh coming from 3ds max and Image Modeler into solids (via converting them into a level 0 SubD mesh first).

Ribbon Enhancements

• 3 rows of icons
• Sticky panels
• Improved performance
• Introduction of Contextual tabs
• Express Tools on the ribbon

MLeader Enhancements

• Per Segment Leader Properties
• Multileader attachment updates

Sheet Set Manager Updates

• Sheet and Subset Level Publish Control Improvements
• Insert Sheet list table updates

Action Recorder Updates

• Fix tooltip when using <Enter> key and new task dialog
• Changes to Request User Input & User Message task dialogs
• Insert Macro (Set Base point)
• Action Macro Manager

MText Enhancements

• MText column default
• Change Mtext corner grips to match table corner grips

Seek Integration

• Ability to upload drawings or blocks to Seek

Misc. Design Enhancements

• AUGI Wishlist #5 : Rotating a Viewport Rotates the View in the Viewport - The ability to rotate a rectangular or non-rectangular viewport and have the view of the objects rotate with the viewport.
• MEASURE: Enhanced Measurement Tools
• QUICK VIEW: Model Space Thumbnail Cache
• PEDIT - Reverse Polylines
• SPLINE: Convert SPLINE to PLINE
• Rotating a Viewport Rotates the View in the Viewport
• Quick Properties: Palette Close Issue
• Spell Check: Add Undo Button in Check Spelling Dialog
• ETRANSMIT- Added option to include unloaded references
• PURGE: Erase unreferenced unnamed objects
• Color dialog improvements
• Ability to change color from swatch in layer drop down list in Ribbon
• Ctrl+Click a pline to select just a portion of it
• Polylines can now be sub-selected i.e. segments of plines (also called as sub objects) can be sub selected using CTRL key
• Users can sub select the segments of Polylines during 2D editing commands such as move, rotate etc.
• STLOUT: Ability to select multiple solids
• Find and Replace Usability Enhancements
• Display Model and Layout tabs by default
• Add Preview Checkbox to Insert table
• Enabled Attsync; batman; eattedit; Refclose; RefEdit; -Refedit; refeditname; refset; xclip; xfadectl; xopen; xrefnotify in AutoCAD LT 2010
• Command line and GUI effect name for -3dconfig command now match
• Allow an option to have all horizontal dimensions read left to right and vertical dimensions read bottom to top
• Additions to the CER log: list of stuck modules
• Expose Bind type in eTransmit
• Provide an API to specify that the current drawing being eTransmitted should be opened in the Editor
• Support for Geographic Location in AutoCAD Xref Attach and Insert
• Redo support in RealDWG API
• Better ACA Object support and visual fidelity with export layout
• Introduce a new protocol extension that refedit checkin() can use to determine if a particular object type should get the swapid processing.
• Plot components cleanup
• Allowed an option to have all horizontal dimensions read left to right and vertical dimensions read bottom to top
• The dimension object will support dimension less than 1m with the prefix of “0.” Or “.”.
• Mechanism to allow for vertical Publish add-ons to demand load along with publish
• Exposed bind type in eTransmit
• Provided an API to generate a Thumbnail on a side database
• Provide an API to specify that the current drawing being eTransmitted should be opened in the Editor
• Layer Manager Performance improvements
• Support for Geographic Location in AutoCAD Xref Attach and Insert
• PEdit and JOIN command enhancements
• Turn on SSE2 Instructions
• CUI image editing updates
• CUI performance increase
• Added Ribbon tab for Express tools
• -SPLINE: Convert SPLINE to PLINE (Splinedit)
• PEDIT - Reverse Polylines (Pedit)

Bugs fixed (many)

• yourfile.DWG has a command in progress is often reported at the command line while executing a quick save.  This error usually occurs after the user has been executing the 3DORBIT command.
• Fixed problem that occurred when executing the lisp function  (entmod) on any annotative mtext entity will kill the annotative properties

Thank you to AutoCAD Product Manager Kathy O'Connell, Autodesk Product Designers, and QA personell for helping me compile the list.

Cheers,
Shaan