The hyphen likely indicates a switch prefix. In PowerShell, -ReleaseName is standard; in some older VBScript launchers, a trailing hyphen might denote a concatenation operator. The exact intent depends on the script’s logic.
This is the root process. On Windows systems, the actual executable is typically acad.exe . However, calling autodesk autocad suggests a context outside of raw file paths—perhaps a reference within a scripting language (Python, Lua), a desktop shortcut target, or a software deployment manifest (like SCCM or Intune). autodesk autocad --env.acad release name-
Autodesk releases a new version every March. The --env.acad syntax has been stable since AutoCAD 2010, but the release name changes. The hyphen likely indicates a switch prefix
set ACAD_RELEASE=2025 start "" "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2025\acad.exe" --env.acad %ACAD_RELEASE% -ReleaseName is standard