System Requirements
Land F/X is an AutoCAD® plugin, meaning it's a piece of software that adds tools to your installation of AutoCAD or F/X CAD*.
*F/X CAD is our Autodesk® authorized AutoCAD engine developed specifically for Land F/X users. Learn more about F/X CAD.
Land F/X is for the PC version of AutoCAD only. On a Mac? Use virtual Windows software such as Parallels.
Want to work in 3D? Land F/X connects AutoCAD with the 3D modeling platforms SketchUp, Rhino, and Revit®. For more information, see the following documentation sections:
For an in-depth look at our system requirements and recommendations, watch our Hardware Recommendations webinar.
In a nutshell, here's what you need to run our software:
A CAD workstation
A "CAD workstation" is really just a computer with the capability of running a powerful program like AutoCAD. And remember: F/X CAD is AutoCAD, so these requirements also apply to F/X CAD.
Your CAD workstation can be a desktop, a laptop, or even some Windows tablets as long as it meets the following requirements:
- A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 operating system
- A solid-state hard drive (SSD)
- A good video card (we recommend 4GB or more).
- Well maintained and not more than 2 to 3 years old.
Want our specific technical recommendations? See the Land F/X workstations section below.
Planning to use AutoCAD? If you want more detailed information on the specific requirements of an AutoCAD workstation, ask your AutoCAD reseller.
Planning to use F/X CAD? Keep in mind that F/X CAD:
- Must be installed on each individual workstation where your office plans to use it.
- Cannot be installed on your server or network share.
- Requires a Land F/X plugin license (Planting F/X, Design F/X, or Irrigation F/X).
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A supported version of AutoCAD or F/X CAD
Because Land F/X is a plugin for AutoCAD, it won't run without a compatible version of AutoCAD. Land F/X is:
- Compatible with AutoCAD, AutoCAD Civil 3D, Map3D, or F/X CAD versions {jumi[*3]} – {jumi[*22]}.
- Not compatible with AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD 360, or AutoCAD for Mac*.
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*You can run Land F/X on a Mac using virtual Windows software such as Parallels or VMware Focus. More information
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An Internet connection
Land F/X requires an Internet connection to download content, access databases, and install weekly updates. The type and speed of connection you need will depend on whether you plan to have Cloud or Local Data.
- Local Data users can get away with minimally capable Internet.
- Cloud Data users: DSL Internet is good, but cable is better. A business-class fiber connection is ideal but not necessary.
What are Cloud and Local Data?
Why we recommend Cloud Data for most users
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More than one Land F/X user in your office? You'll need a server share and a good network.
If you'll have multiple Land F/X users in your office or across your firm, those designers will need to share Land F/X content. That means you'll need to have Multi-User Land F/X installed in a shared location (aka a server share) that your users can access over a network. Here's what you'll need:
- A high-quality network (and an IT administrator to maintain it):
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- You undoubtedly already share many files in your office. Land F/X is just an advanced method of doing the same thing (through the LandFX folder). For that reason, you should definitely:
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- Store your LandFX folder in an appropriate shared location.
- Give all users write access, which will allow the whole office to benefit from the ability to add and customize the available content.
- Include your LandFX folder in your backup regimen.
- Ideally, you should have a Gigabit & AC Wi-Fi network. This easy and inexpensive upgrade can increase your network performance more than tenfold. It's a no-brainer.
- A server share
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- Local Data users: You'll need an office server. See our hardware recommendations for office servers
- Cloud Data users: You can install Multi-User Land F/X on either an office server or a shared online location using a service such as Dropbox, Google Backup and Sync, Amazon Drive, etc. You can find more information about both of these options in the Server share section below.
What are Cloud and Local Data?
Why we recommend Cloud Data for most users
Want our specific technical recommendations for servers and networks? See the Technical specs section below.
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If you follow these basic requirements, you'll have everything you need to run Land F/X on a single computer.
Don't want to deal with it? We can help.
For our standard IT consulting fee (per machine), we'll provide customized hardware specs and help you get the exact equipment and setup you need. Just let us know in a technical support ticket that you'd like Land F/X to be your hardware and network consultant.
Quick video
Want to get more technical?
If you follow the simple recommendations listed above, you can feel confident that you have the correct equipment to run our software. If you want to dig a bit deeper, read on for some more clear-cut recommendations for features and specific equipment models to look for. In this section, we'll go over all the tech specs you'll need for the following essential components:
Land F/X & F/X CAD workstations (Windows or Mac)
A Land F/X workstation is any computer where you or someone in your office will use for CAD design with Land F/X.
Your Land F/X workstation can be the only computer in your office (or home), or one of many. Our software works with desktops, laptops, and some Windows tablets.
You're here because you plan to purchase a desktop, laptop, or tablet to use as a Land F/X workstation. You may just need one workstation, or several for a multi-user office.
Need to check your existing computer's specs against our recommended specs? Follow our steps to find your computer's specifications, then compare them with what you see below.
Step 1: General features to look for in a Land F/X workstation
You'll ensure optimal performance if your Land F/X workstation(s) meet our Recommended system specifications listed below. At the very least, your workstation(s) will need to meet or exceed our Minimum system requirements.
Recommended system specifications:
64-bit Windows 10 or 11
32GB RAM
10GB of free space on a 1TB solid-state drive
4+GHz (Turbo) processor/CPU
Graphics/Video card: 4GB+ RAM +DX12 compliant
Two 4K monitors with 1080p to 4K resolution
Thunderbolt port
Minimum system requirements:
64-bit Windows 10 or 11
8GB RAM
2GB of free disk space on a 512GB solid-state drive
3+GHz (Turbo) Processor/CPU
Graphics/Video card: 4GB+ RAM +DX11 compliant
High-resolution monitor
Thinking about upgrading to Windows 11?
According to this Autodesk article, AutoCAD versions 2021 and newer are fully compatible with Windows 11, provided that all hardware drivers have been upgraded to Windows 11 versions prior to the installation of AutoCAD.
If you have CAD 2020 or older, do not upgrade to Windows 11.
Step 2: Hardware recommendations for Land F/X worktations
Here are some examples of Windows and Mac machines that will work well as Land F/X workstations:
Here are some Windows machines we’ve found to satisfy our system requirements for Land F/X and F/X CAD. Feel free to shop around and find computers with similar specifications, keeping in mind that you'll also need a good video card.
Windows desktops
- Intel Core I5-13700 16 Core CPU
- 32GB RAM
- NVIDIA Quadro A2000, 12GB, GPU
- 512GB SSD
- $1,859
- i7-13700 16 core CPU
- 32GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- NVIDIA T1000 8GB GPU
- $1,779
- AMD Threadripper 5955WX 16 core CPU
- 32GB RAM
- 1TB SSD
- NVIDIA A2000 12GB GPU 8GB GPU
- $3,559
Windows laptops
- 15.6" displays.
- AMD or Intel options.
- 1080p and 1440p displays
- NVIDIA or AMD GPUs.
- Thunderbolt 4
- As low as $1,599 (with GPU)
- Highly customizable
- Fully modular
- Nearly all components are user replaceable
- ~$2,300
Windows tablets
We recommend the Surface Pro 7 (starting at $599.99) and Surface Pro 8 (starting at $1099.99). Both are entirely capable of running AutoCAD and even SketchUp. We do not recommend the Surface Pro X
Keep in mind that tablets can have difficulty handling complex SketchUp models. While we support the Surface Pro, we still recommend a powerful CAD/Gamer laptop instead. You can view our recommendation for laptops that meet these criteria in the Windows laptops section above.
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Planning to use a Mac? Land F/X and F/X CAD will only run on PC operating systems. However, you can still use a Windows-based AutoCAD or F/X CAD on a Mac that has virtual software such as Parallels or VMWare Fusion.
Parallels and VMWare Fusion both create a virtual Windows computer (known as a virtual machine, or VM) on your Mac, allowing you to run AutoCAD and other Windows-based programs. Our office computers are all Macs with Parallels or VMWare Fusion installed., and we've found this setup to be a great way to use AutoCAD and Land F/X. For more information and instructions, see our article on Installing AutoCAD or F/X CAD & Windows on your Mac Using Virtual Software.
Important notes on Mac specs
Note that you'll still be running the Mac operating system in addition to the VM with Windows, which essentially amounts to running two computers at a time. As such, you'll need a powerful enough Mac to keep everything running.
If you're planning on purchasing a newer Apple Silicon Mac, note that all the RAM will be shared between the system and the GPU, which will require 32 GB (minimum) or 64 GB (recommended) of RAM. The CPU speed shouldn't matter, as a higher RAM value will bump up your CPU. However, the faster your CPU, the more cores you'll have access to, in case this is a consideration.
The Apple iMac 24" (desktop) will work great with our software, provided it's equipped with virtual software that can run a Windows operating system
With that exception, the entire Mac product line has been replaced by M series machines, which we are currently not recommending. (See below.) Therefore, we do not have a current recommendation for a Mac laptop. It's unknown how long it will be until Apple replaces the iMac with an M series model as well.
Planning on using an M series Mac with AutoCAD or Land F/X?
If you plan to run AutoCAD and Land F/X on an M series Mac (M1, M2, M3, etc.), be aware of some issues that may come up. M series Macs require the use of (at the time of this writing) a beta version of Windows for ARM. Also (at the time of this writing), Autodesk does not officially support Windows for ARM for any of their products. M series users may still have to rebuild their Parallels virtual machines periodically due to unsolvable bugs or problems.
We run AutoCAD and Land F/X on M series Macs in the Land F/X office without issue most of the time. However, we have run into problems on these machines, and users running AutoCAD and Land F/X on an M series Mac can expect to as well. With these limits in mind, using an M series Mac for AutoCAD, while it may work overall, may result in issues with the software that have no solution due to the use of a product in a manner for which it was not designed.
M series Macs currently do not support Local Data in any regard because no ODBC connectors for ARM are available, which makes a database connection impossible. If you choose to use Land F/X on an M series , you will be required to use Cloud Data.
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Your search for a good Land F/X workstation should also include some thought into the hardware that's included with that machine – most importantly, the monitor and the graphics card (also known as a graphics processing unit, or GPU). Here are our recommendations for those essential pieces of equipment:
Monitors
Most machines will come with a standard monitor if you purchase a full packaged workstation. However, we recommend using a monitor that is either High Resolution and capable of displaying resolutions of 1080p, or one that Supports 4K. We advise investing in a 4K monitor, which will not only display your drawings in a much finer quality but also help with users who already have issues viewing drawings on older monitors. Below are some video cards (graphic cards) we recommend if you are considering a new workstation or a monitor upgrade.
Graphics cards/video cards
Important note on graphics cards: If you use AutoCAD with a video card driver that's not certified (e.g., a Geforce card) you may see an error message stating that Hardware Acceleration is not supported when you launch CAD. A "certified driver" is a graphics card and driver combination that Autodesk has tested with your version of CAD – but note that Autodesk they generally only does this with the Quadro series. The Geforce series will still work with Hardware Acceleration as long as it meets the requirements, but you may still see this warning.
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Server share
If you plan to have multiple Land F/X users in your office, or throughout your firm, you'll need what's known as a server share – a shared central location where you'll store your Land F/X content and install the Land F/X Server component. This shared location can be on:
- An office server (Cloud or Local Data users), or
- A shared online folder using a service such as Dropbox (Cloud Data users only)
You're here because you plan to install Multi-User Land F/X in a central location.
Step 1: Cloud or Local Data?
Before we get into hardware recommendations, you should ask yourself:
You'll need to install Land F/X on a central office server (i.e., a computer that is a designated server).
Our Local Data Land F/X installer will install MySQL and configure it specifically for Land F/X. While you can install on any kind of server, our installer is Windows based and will be easier to diagnose and troubleshoot on a Windows server machine. Learn more about Local and Cloud Data.
Ready to start shopping for your office server? See our server features recommendations below.
Planning to use Cloud Data?
You'll need to install Multi-User Land F/X on either:
- A central office server (i.e., a computer that is a designated server), or
- A shared online folder
If you plan to use Cloud Data, we highly recommend using a shared online folder as your Land F/X server. If you do so, you won't have to worry about a central office server. More information:
- Installing Land F/X in a shared online location
- Why we recommend a Cloud setup
- Here are a few shared online services you might consider using as your Land F/X server:
Still want to use an office server instead of a shared online folder? See our server features recommendations below.
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Step 2: General features to look for in a server
If you've chosen to use an office server, you'll ensure optimal performance if that server meets our Recommended system specifications listed below. At the very least, it will need to meet or exceed our Minimum system requirements.
Here are the general features you should be looking for in a server:
Recommended system specifications:
Microsoft Windows Server 2016
1.4 GHz (64-bit)
16GB RAM
1TB+ storage
5GB available HDD space
Minimum system requirements:
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
1.3 Ghz (64-bit)
4GB RAM
512GB+ storage
2GB available HDD space
We advise against using a standard PC workstation as a server. A typical user's workstation is more susceptible to bugs, crashes, and unscheduled reboots than the standard Windows server. Using a standard PC as a server is known to provide less flexibility than a standard Windows-based server in terms of sharing and permissions.
- We support Windows Server 2012 or newer.
- We no longer support versions older than Windows Server 2012.
And remember: We can help. Want us to take over your server specification? We'll help get you set up for our standard IT consulting fee (per machine). Just let us know in a technical support ticket.
Step 3: Hardware recommendations for servers
Decided you want to use Land F/X with an office server (not a shared online folder)? Here are our recommendations for specific machines that will work best as a Land F/X server:
Good servers
- 296 MB/s Read/Write
- Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core 2.0 GHz processor
- 2.5GbE connectivity
- Up to 5 Gbps transfer speeds
- 2.0 GHz (bursts up to 2.7 GHz)
- 4 GB RAM
- $368.95
- macOS High Sierra
- 1TB
- 2.6GHz
- 8GB RAM
- $699.00
- Windows Server 2016
- 2TB
- 3.0GHz
- 8GB RAM
- $1041.26
Even better servers
- Windows Server 2016
- 2TB
- 3.3GHz
- 16GB RAM
- $1741.00
WD My Cloud Pro Series PR4100 (NAS)
- Pre-configured
- 8TB
- 1.6GHz
- 4GB RAM
- $799.99
Keep in mind that:
- Cloud Data will work on any server, even an NAS.
- Local Data requires MySQL, which is possible on some NAS servers, as well as on Linux and Mac servers.
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Network
If you have multiple Land F/X users, your network is what allows everyone's computers to communicate with your Land F/X Server. You'll access your Land F/X content (such as blocks and hatches) and every Land F/X tool over the network. The faster your network, the better performance you'll experience when using our software.
Basic network setup
All Land F/X users in your office will need the ability to share content and data, which will require a well-maintained office network. To ensure a well-oiled Land F/X machine in your office, you'll need to:
- Store your LandFX folder in an appropriate shared location.
- Give all users write access, which will allow the whole office to benefit from the ability to add and customize the available content.
- Include your LandFX folder in your backup regimen.
Why you need Gigabit & AC Wi-Fi
Opportunities are rare for a tenfold or greater increase in any computer capability. Regardless, many offices still lack a full Gigabit network, or are still using legacy Wi-Fi, either of which could be remedied by an incredibly easy and inexpensive upgrade.
We’ve found much success with open-source dd-wrt routers, and we recommend starting your network upgrades there. You can find the full list of supported routers on the dd-wrt website. We went with the Asus router in our office due to its solid performance and integrated high-speed Wi-Fi. With a dedicated router (one that is not also functioning as your DSL modem provided by your ISP), you guarantee full control over your network policies, as well as the ability to easily change ISPs with minimal downtime. Depending on your Internet uptime availability, consider a dual-WAN router, as mentioned in our Cloud Data webinar.
Connected to your router will be a network switch. Just as you should be moving more hardware to being network based (VoIP phones, security cameras, door security, etc.), you should strongly consider a POE switch. After a fair amount of trial and error, we’ve fallen in love with the Juniper EX2200-C switch. It offers incredible capability, and entirely silent operation – even from a POE switch! For our data-only connections, we have a Cisco SG200-26 26-port gigabit switch, which is also notable for its quiet performance. Our network closets are all in open areas, so quiet performance was a must.
Confirm your network connection from all devices, especially Wi-Fi. Consider something as simple as the Belkin N600 Wi-Fi range extender, rather than having to install additional wireless access points.
Of all the aforementioned equipment, the Juniper router is undeniably a bit of a luxury purchase, but the others are entirely affordable, and well worth the modest investment in a speedy and capable network.
Two recommendations for additional equipment we use in our office:
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Computer business leases: A great idea
Why keep buying new computers when you can lease? Dell and Apple both offer economical business leases that include fresh machines every few years. Both companies will provide the required maintenance on your machines during the lease periods, keeping you up to speed on the hardware requirements for using our software. Amazon also offers a leasing option for orders of $599 or more using the Amazon Store Card. Amazon itself offers personal leasing options using the Amazon Store Card for smaller offices or single users working from home.
Don't see a system you like?
You can contact the computer manufacturer of your choice and give them our system requirements, and they can give you options. Examples include:
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