As you might have already noticed, the AutoCAD 2011 Help system looks a bit different.  The CHM files have been retired from use in AutoCAD and in their place are a series of HTM/HTML files.  CHM files in of themselves are really a series of HTM and JavaScript files all bundled together into a single packaged file and were specific to the Windows platform.  The downside to CHM files is that they are bulky in size, and therefore not easy to update.  This is one of the reasons why Autodesk shifted away from CHM files to web based files that are more accessible across all operating systems.

The good part of this change:

• Files are easier to update.
• You can share your favorite pages with others by sending them a URL.
• Ability to combine multiple resources together with the help documentation.
• Platform independent. As you know, Autodesk provides software solutions on Windows, Mac, iPhone and other platforms.  The Web based help system can be used across all of these platforms with much greater fidelity and allow us to focus on one Help platform instead of multiple ones.
• Documents can be accessed without needing to install all products or languages as they can be accessed from the Autodesk website.

Of course there are always two sides to things, so the not so good:

• It is a bit slower because the new system is depended on your Web browser.  If you use IE, chances are the pages can take a few seconds to display but in browsers and this is because of the number of plug-ins installed.  Browsers such as Opera and Chrome do load pages faster than IE.  There are things that are on going to improve performance on the version of the documents on the Autodesk.com Web site.
• Local versions of the files do not contain all of the features that the online version does.

  

To get the most out of the new online Help system, you will need to be connected to the Internet.  If you cannot be connected to the Internet, you should switch to using the locally installed files.  These files for the most part look and feel like their online counterpart.  To switch between the locally installed or online help files, do the following:

1. Right-click in the drawing area and choose Options.  Make sure no command is active before doing this.
2. In the Options dialog box, click the System tab.
3. Under the Help section,
   • Clear “Use Online Help from Autodesk Website when Available” if you want to use the locally installed files.  All online connectivity is disabled, unless you click an external link which will load a requested page.
   • Check “Use Online Help from Autodesk Website when Available” to use the online version of the help documentation. (It is located here: http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2011/ENU) 
4. For the Help Browser section, select if you want to use Internet Explorer or your Default System Browser.  Default System Browser means, use Firefox or Chrome if it is set as your default Web browser on your workstation.
5. Click OK to save your changes.

 

Other recent articles you might find interesting:

• PDF Docs for AutoCAD 2011 Now Available
• AutoCAD + Wiki = “Creative Hub” for Sharing Learning Resources

Sincerely,
  Lee

Update: Changed “Platform dependent” to “Platform independent”. – LA (4/20/10)