What's New in BricsCAD V13

Below is a brief description of the enhancements and new features. Click on the hyperlink keywords for a detailed description.

Some features or commands might not be available yet on the Linux platform. Please check the Command Reference guide.

Click here to read the BricsCAD Release Notes (Internet connection needed).

BricsCAD V13 contains hundreds of fixes that have become available by upgrading to V3.6 of the Open Design Teigha libraries.

New items in V13.2

Native 64-bit version

• BricsCAD is available both in a 32 bit (x86) and 64 bit (x64) version.

• On machines with a 64 bit operating system, both the x86 and x64 versions of BricsCAD can be installed, side by side.
  Though both versions install and behave as separate applications, it is not recommended to run 32 bit and 64 bit BricsCAD sessions simultaneously, because this may lead to ill behavior of the COM API.

Added support for the 2013 dwg format (AC27). Please note that after upgrading, the default save format and clipboard format will be DWG 2013. The SaveFormat and ClipBoardFormat user preferences can be modified in the Settings dialog.

DMEXTRUDE: added an option to limit extrude by a face or by a 3d solid.

DRAGMODEHIDE: system variable to control whether the original entity should be hidden while a dynamic operation is performed by 3D Modeling commands; 2D Drafting commands option is not available yet.

HIDEXREFSCALES: system variable to control the display of scales contained in Xref drawings in the Standard Scale property of a layout viewport. And the Edit Scale List dialog of the SCALELISTEDIT command.

THUMBSIZE: system variable to control the size of the preview raster image saved in the dwg file.

PDFOPTIONS: control the dots per inch (DPI) resolution for bitmaps when exporting solid and gradient hatches to PDF.

PRINT and PAGESETUP: the Scale Lineweight option is added to the Print and Page Setup dialogs.

PRINT: create a new page setup from the current Print settings.

DRAWING EXPLORER: the path-type of Xrefs, Images and PDF files can now easily be converted from/to relative, absolute or none (filename).

SPLINES: The following options are added to the splines properties in the Properties bar:

• Knot parameterization

• CV frame: display of the control vertices frame

• Periodic

• Method: grips editing using fit points or control vertices

• Closed: can be used now to open/close a spline (no longer read-only)

RENDER: the Render command now allows to render to a dedicated window, the Permanent rendered mode has been removed: use the High Quality visual style instead.

RENDERPRESETS: command that brings up the Drawing Explorer - Render Presets dialog, which allows to create and edit render presets, and to set the current render preset. The current render preset is applied when using the render command or when printing using the Rendered shade plot type.

VISUALSTYLES: added support for Occluded Edges.

New items in V13.1

• Chapoo has been integrated into BricsCAD. Chapoo allows to upload, share, view and annotate drawings and documents.

• • ChapooAccount - reports the current status of your Chapoo account in the command bar.

  • ChapooDownload - downloads a drawing from your Chapoo project to a local folder.

  • ChapooLogoff - logs off from Chapoo.

  • ChapooLogon - logs on to Chapoo.

  • ChapooOpen - downloads and opens a drawing from Chapoo.

  • ChapooUpload - uploads the current drawing to Chapoo.

  • ChapooProject - opens your Chapoo project in a browser.

  • ChapooWeb - connects to the Chapoo website.

• QSELECT: composes a selection set using filters.

• EXPFOLDERS: Opens the Drawing Explorer on the Folders tab

• MATCHPROP: Added Match Properties settings dialog, allowing to select which properties are copied.

• DRAGSNAP: This system variable controls the snap behavior while 'dragging', providing an increased WYSIWIG experience. DRAGSNAP controls whether rubberband dynamics are displayed at the current cursor location or at the current snap location.

• MCAD ASSEMBLY MODELING - (Platinum version only):

  • Uses .dwg files organized in hierarchical structures of mechanical components to model complex products. An example project is provided in the \Samples\Mechanical\tripod folder.

  • Standard X-Hardware parts (screws, nuts, bearings, ...) can be used as mechanical components.

  • MECHANICAL BROWSER: browse the component hierarchy.

  • BILL OF MATERIALS: list top-level or bottom-level mechanical components used in a drawing.

  • ASSEMBLY CONSTRAINTS: apply 3D constraints between faces and edges of different mechanical components.

  • KINEMATIC ANALYSIS: use DmMove and DmRotate commands for real-time solving of forward and inverse kinematic problems.

  • Assembly Modeling commands:

  • • BmBrowser: toggles the visibility of the Mechanical Browser

    • BmUpdate: updates the hierarchy of mechanical components for the current drawing

    • BmNew: creates a new mechanical component as a new drawing document

    • BmInsert: inserts an existing mechanical component into the current drawing

    • BmForm: creates a new mechanical component and inserts it into the current drawing

    • BmDissolve: dissolves a mechanical component inserted into the current drawing

    • BmMech: converts the current drawing into a mechanical component

    • BmUnmech: converts the current mechanical component into a plain drawing

    • BmHardware: inserts a standard hardware part as a mechanical component

    • BmHide: hides a mechanical component inserted in the current drawing

    • BmShow: shows a hidden mechanical component

    • BmBom: inserts the Bill-of-Materials (BOM) table into the current drawing

    • BmXConvert: converts all X-Hardware solids in the current drawing into mechanical components

• 2D CONSTRAINTS: EXPRESSIONS can now be used to define 2DCONSTRAINT dimensions.
  CLEANUNUSEDVARIABLES command purges variables not used in constraint expressions and not linked to dimensions.

• 3D CONSTRAINTS:

  • Constraints can now be imposed between sub-entities of block references.

  • Constraints are now maintained on COPY / COPYCLIP / PASTECLIP / BLOCK / INSERT / EXPLODE / WBLOCK commands.

  • DMANGLE3D: the axis for 3D angle constraints can now be chosen (automatically or manually), allowing to change the angle parameter over 180 degrees.

• ARRAY dialog: offers control and feedback for the various array command settings. A small preview helps you to control the result of the current settings. The -ARRAY command prompts you in the command bar.

• ATTRIBUTES:

  • ATTREDEF: Allows to redefine a block that contains attributes and update existing block references.
    New attributes are added, using default values. Old attributes retain their current values and attributes that are no longer included in the block definition will be deleted.

  • ATTSYNC: command for synchronizing attributes of block inserts whose attribute definitions were modified.

  • BATTMAN (Block Attribute Manager): This command allows to edit all attribute properties and settings in a block definition, then synchronize the changes in all block references.

  • ATTDEF and -ATTDEF: Added support for Locked position and Multiline properties of attribute entities.

• AUTOCOMPLETE: command line auto completion.

• DIMREASSOCIATE: command for (re)associating dimensions to existing entities.

• DIRECT MODELING:

  • DMMOVE / DMROTATE commands can now be applied to block references.

  • DMREVOLVE / DMEXTRUDE: can now be applied to faces of solids.

  • DMROTATE / DMREVOLVE: cylinders and other axial surfaces can now be used as rotation axis.

  • DMSELECTEDGES: Quad cursor menu command for faster 3d solid edges selection.

• DYNAMIC UCS: dynamically align the UCS with faces of 3D solids when hovering over these faces during execution of commands.
  Faces highlight When moving the pointer while a drawing command is active and the XY plane of the coordinate system aligns with the highlighted face.

  When the command finishes, the previous UCS is restored.

  • UCSDETECT system variable controls activation of dynamic UCS detection.

  • Press the F6 key or click the DUCS field on the Status Bar to toggle UCS detection On/Off.

• HIDE: enabled the HIDE command in paper space and added the Hide paperspace objects option to the Print settings and Page Setup definitions.

• MLINE: command for multiline creation. Support for snapping and grip-editing of multilines has been added.

• MLSTYLE: command for creating and editing multiline styles.

• OFFSET: added command options LAYER, UNDO and EXIT.

• PARALLELIZATION: enabled multi-threaded display regeneration, using multiple processor cores. MTFLAGS and MAXTHREADS system variables were added to control multi-threading aspects.

• PRINTING:

  • SHADE PLOT: property for paperspace and modelspace viewports . This property is applied during printing, it overrides the visual style of a viewport.

  • Enabled printing of layouts containing combinations of viewports using different visual styles.

  • DISPPAPERMARGINS: system variable to control the display of the printable area.

  • PRINT: implemented support for fine-tuneable printing of transparent images. When a problem is encountered while printing transparent images to a certain printer type, the ImagePrinting.xml configuration file in the plotter configuration folder (e.g. C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\Bricsys\BricsCAD\V13\en_US\PlotConfig) now offers improved control by allowing to override the default settings with specific per-printer settings.
    The file contains documentation on how to use it.

  • PRINT: added support for plot style's line-end caps and joints in plot and plot preview.

  • TrueType fonts can now be printed as text instead of geometry, which makes them searchable in PDF prints and which reduces the size of the print output. This is controlled by the "Truetype Text" setting in the PC3 file, and if no PC3 is used, by the system variable TTFASTEXT.
    If TEXTFILL is off, text is always printed as geometry.

• PUBLISH:

  • BACKGROUNDPLOT: system variable controls whether documents are published in the current session or in a BricsCAD session running in the background, thus allowing to continue drawing while printing.

  • /pl command line switch has been added for background (silent, without showing the main program window) publishing using DSD files. Format is '/pl [[path]name[.ext]]'. If the file name parameter is absent, the program just exits. If the file extension is absent, ".dsd" is added to the filename. File searching is done according to usual OS rules. If the DSD file is found, publishing is invoked according to the DSD file, and upon completion the program exits. When BricsCAD is started with the '/pl' switch, it ignores the SingletonMode setting thus allowing multiple instances.

  • Import: Page Setups from other drawings can now be imported in the Publish dialog box.

  • Arrange sheet list: Added 'Move Sheet(s) Up/Down' and 'Reverse Sheet Order' buttons and functionality.

• QLEADER: allows to control all settings of a leader through a dialog box and reuse the same settings for a series of leaders.

• SHEET SETS: Allow to

  • • combine multiple views on a sheet

    • combine multiple sheets in a sheet set

    • plot, publish or eTransmit sheet sets in one go

  • Commands: SHEETSET, NEWSHEETSET, OPENSHEETSET

  • System variables: SSFOUND, SSLOCATE, SSMSTATE.

• TOOLPALETTES:

  • Added support for .xtp import.

  • Customizable/resizable icons.

  • TOOLPALETTESCLOSE command closes the Tool Palettes window.

  • TPSTATE system variable indicates whether the Tool Palettes window is open or closed.

  • Tabs are automatically resized according to the tab text extents.

  • Tooltips are shown in case the text doesn't fit the tab size.

  • Tooltips and descriptions for each tool.

  • New and Delete menu options were added for palettes.

  • Insert blocks at mouse release position.

  • Insert exploded blocks.

• TOOLBAR COMBO BOXES: have been added for layer filters, layer states and dimension styles. All toolbar combo boxes now have adjustable width.

• VIEWPORTS:

  • MVSETUP command

    • Model layout: set up the unit type, drawing scale factor and paper size. creates a rectangle, representing a paper sheet with respect to a specified scale.

    • Named layout: create, align and scale a set of layout viewports.

  • ALIGNSPACE: command to adjust viewport angle, zoom factor and pan position based on alignment points specified in model space and paper space.

• WALKTHROUGH NAVIGATION: New keyboard/mouse shortcuts allow to walk through a rendered 3D model in real time.

  In perspective view mode you can go inside a 3D model and move back and forth, up and down and look around.

  • Alt + Left Mouse Button to 'walk' forward/backward and sideways, using the new RTWALK command.

  • Alt + Middle Mouse Button to move up/down and sideways, using the new RTUPDOWN command.

  • Ctrl + Middle Mouse Button to look around, using the new RTLOOK command. Shift + Right Mouse Button now brings up the snap menu instead of the former Ctrl + MMB combination.

  • Ctrl + Home key sets the view direction to horizontal.

  • Alt + Home key moves the target point to the center of the scene/drawing.

  • Alt + Plus/Minus keys from the numeric keypad = increment/decrement movement speed, by modifying the new RtWalkSpeedFactor preference setting.

  • Ctrl + Plus/Minus keys from the numeric keypad = increment/decrement rotation speed, by modifying the new RtRotationSpeedFactor preference setting.

• WORKSETS: command for working with named groups of drawings.

• SuppressDataLossWarning: new preference that allows to suppress the warning dialog when saving drawings to older dwg formats which do not support certain entity types.

• DockPriority: new preference that defines the docking priority for toolbars. The default priority is top, left, right, bottom. As a result the command bar no longer takes the complete bottom edge of the BricsCAD application window.

• Upgraded RedSdk rendering engine to version 3.1.0.4