progeCAD 2026 Offers Improved Performance

 Sydney, Australia 19 June - CADDIT announces the release of progeCAD 2026 Professional. progeCAD Professional is advanced general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD software with similar commands to AutoCAD but with perpetual license and lower price. CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in the Australia/New Zealand region for over fifteen years.  Now, after months of thorough testing, the our team can announce this official release. progeCAD Professional 2026 delivers completely new architectural AEC CAD features and libraries, as well as hundreds of other new capabilities and improvements. 

progeCAD 2026 Professional is built on improved framework which delivers multiple speed optimizations compared with previous progeCAD versions:

• Drawing update - up to 2x faster
• File open with ACIS Solids -  up to 10x faster
• REGEN up to 1.5x faster
• Faster HATCH and boundary recognition
• Faster entity generation from IcARX API
• Improved speed for PAN, drag and BEDIT preview
• Numerous other interface speed improvements 

 A new "high performance" power settings dialog has been introduced to encourage users to consider Windows "High Performance" power setting for progeCAD, which further improves performance in exchange for system resources.  Other new commands in progeCAD 2026 include MKSHAPE, MKLTYPE, SURFNETWORK, SURFOFFSET and new "Reset Advanced Block" command.

progeCAD 2026 additionally offers improved Microstation DGN file compatibility with Data Extraction support, improved 3D sheet surface modelling support for surface-to-surface fillet, trim and extend. The Extract Data command is completely refactored to improve performance, including the ability to report on the properties of drawings (such as file size, path, etc.), system variables stored in drawings, and the number of entities in drawings (such as total circles). Presentation is improved with column sorting. organization and filtering.

progeCAD 2026 is now available on CADDIT.net for a free thirty-day trial. Questions about latest version of progeCAD can be directed to our Sydney office. 

 

 

progeCAD 2025 With Parametric Block Editor and New AEC BIM Tools Released on CADDIT.net

 Sydney, Australia 28 May - CADDIT announces the release of progeCAD 2025. Multiple useful features have been added, including a completely new Parametric "Advanced Block" editing mode, a new set of AEC BIM design tools, improved REVIT and IFC compatibility, Rubber Sheeting and many other brand new functions and commands, as well as further performance and reliability optimizations. CADDIT has been supporting Australia and New Zealand design software and training needs for over fifteen years, with localized support for architects, builders, electricians, industrial designers and safety engineers. progeCAD is a robust general-purpose 2D / 3D technical drawing and CAD program with excellent AutoCAD compatibility and flexibility to suit drafting needs ranging from civil engineering and mining to product manufacturing and fabrication.

progeCAD's new parametric block authoring offers very similar commands to that found in AutoCAD. Designers have a selection of parametric constraints which can be applied to multiple selected entities withing the block editor, including point-position, linear, polar association, XY coordinate location, circular rotation, flipping, alignment and more. Different actions can be combined with these constraint definitions for capturing powerful design and intent logic within the block. Dynamic blocks created with AutoCAD® can be used directly, and remain so until imported to the progeCAD block editor. where it will be automatically converted into a progeCAD "Advanced Block". Advanced blocks created with progeCAD can be seen by other CAD programs, such as AutoCAD®, but again only as simple blocks (without proprietary progeCAD parametrics).

 

The new 3D AEC Architectural module is compatible with AutoCAD®AEC Objects. The new AEC package allows you to draw 3D architectural elements with a two-dimensional view in plan and takes advantage of a whole series of new Architecture style commands. The drawn entities are now specific AEC elements editable and configurable via the Styles management. By default it replaces our previous EasyArch architectural plugin which still remains available and can be activated with the variable AECMODE. New AEC features include:
• Draw walls, doors, curtain walls, windows, stairs and railings
• Draw slabs, roofs, or roof slabs
• Walls and Slabs can be created by direct conversion of 2D entities
• Multi-level manager to assign levels to AEC entities. Levels contain default settings
for bottom and top elevations, wall height, on/off status, lock/unlock status,
freeze/thaw status, offset, and other settings for walls and plane symbols
• Attach Roof and Ceiling plane symbols to walls and reference them while
interactively creating roof and ceiling planes using the plane solve command• AEC Styles manager: manage & customize AEC Styles for Walls, Doors, Windows,
Curtain Walls and Curtain Wall Units, stairs and railings, and slabs
• AEC Family – imports AEC objects style from external FAM or DWG files.

 

 Additional new features include a new REVIT import (up to version 2024), a new DATAEXTRACTION supporting traditional and Advanced blocks and XREFs directly to Excel, IFC file export for sharing designs back to BIM-centric design programs like REVIT, a new AI drawing text translator for supporting multiple languages in a drawing, Rubber Sheeting for faster alignment of multiple datasets and dozens of other new commands and improvements.

progeCAD 2025 is now available for free trial download to test the new features. Please contact CADDIT for more details about this exciting release.

progeCAD 2025 First Look and Free Upgrades

  Sydney, Australia 18 April - CADDIT announces their testing of the upcoming progeCAD 2025 Professional software product. We also announce that any order placed on or after 15 April 2025 will be entitled to have that order upgraded to a 2025 version after the release announcement on CADDIT.net. progeCAD is an advanced general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD package with similar commands to AutoCAD but with perpetual license and lower price. CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in the Australia/New Zealand region for almost twenty years.

Additional to existing features of both powerful 2D and 3D design, CAD file conversion and rendering, progeCAD 2025 will add new domain-specific functionality requested by many users.

 

A brand new AEC module replaces progeCAD EasyArch, supporting AutoCAD®AEC Compatible 3D architectural elements with a two-dimensional view in plan and takes advantage of a whole series of new Architecture style commands. progeCAD 2025 still offers an installation option for EasyArch if needed.

progeCAD 2025 will offer a new parametric block authoring tool called Advanced Blocks. This will offer similar functionality offered by AutoCAD's "Dyanmic Blocks" and will have the ability to import Dynamic Blocks for editing. More details to this tool will come in a future post. There will be many other new features, like drawing translation and "Rubber Sheeting" added, as well as significant performance fixes and improvements.

A free equivalent upgrade to progeCAD 2025 is now offered to all new and upgrade orders. For example, if a user upgrades five progeCAD NLM network licenses from 2022 to 2024 now, all five progeCAD 2024 Network Licenses will also be upgraded to progeCAD 2025 Network entitlement without additional charge after the official progeCAD 2025 release announcement is posted on CADDIT.net. Similar upgrades will be issued for progeCAD USB and stand-alone licenses. This free upgrade offer applies to all progeCAD 2024 new and upgrade orders placed with CADDIT after 15 April 2024.

We believe that the new and improved abilities in progeCAD 2025 will represent an incredible value leap for progeCAD user investment. Additionally, a new series of live training events are being planned in key locations across Australia in 2024 and 2025. If your business is interested in CAD training for multiple users please contact us.

We are pleased about what we are seeing in our progeCAD 2025 early release testing and will be following up with additional details soon. Please contact our Parramatta office for press kit information or general questions about this new progeCAD Upgrade offer. 

progeCAD 22.0.14 Free Update Released

 Sydney, Australia 26 September - CADDIT announces the immediate availability of the 2022.0.14 patch update for all progeCAD 2022 license types. This update is free for all up-to-date users of progeCAD Professional 2022 Single License (stand-alone), Portable Travel-USB and Network License types. It may be downloaded either through the progeCAD software update, or directly as a complete installation package from the CADDIT website. progeCAD is a general purpose AutoCAD-compatible 2D and 3D technical drawing software used by thousands of Australian businesses and government agencies.

This progeCAD update offers minor improvements in multiple functional areas, including Superhatch and Hatch island detection, Tables and Table Styles, ease of use and appearance issues. These include:

•    Fixed crash selecting specific hatch
•    Fixed zoom on entity in FIND command without "zoom after replace" option
•    Margins set in Table Style are now loaded correctly in table creation menu
•    Fixed EATTEDIT prompt messages
•    Fixed open of drawing with bad constraints
•    Fixed behavior of prompt boxes. Added new variable PROMPTBOXES to enable/disable prompt boxes. Right click menu is now regulated only by the variable SHORTCUTMENU
•    Now creating a new table style copies the base one successfully
•    Fixed Table Styles preview
•    Added "Match Cell" and "Field" buttons to Table Cell context ribbon
•    Fixed prompt menu when command is not active
•    Added "Alignement" button to the Table toolbar for the Classic workspaces
•    Fixed crash using table with block in cell
•    Fixed freeze searching closed boundary in a drawing
•    Fixed SUPERHATCH with circle island in area
•    Fixed SUPERHATCH with rectangular "hole" in area
•    Added double click to edit block in table cell
•    Fixed crash on edit table cell with block. Using "Format Locking" option
•    Added "Block" button to "Insert" panel of "Table Cell" contextual ribbon
•    Added TBB and TINSERT aliases of TABLEINSERTBLK command
•    Fixed ARC command from Lisp
•    Fixed contextual menu on mouse button down
•    Removed display of options list when DYNMODE < 0
•    Changed ZOOM level on FIND command, Implemented FINDZOOMSCALE variable to set scale zoom level (default 5.0)
•    Improved drawing templates dropdown menu in Start Page. Now it will display a vertical scrollbar if the list of the templates is too long

Question about this update for progeCAD 2022 can be submitted through the CADDIT website.

progeCAD 2022 Milestone AutoCAD Alternative Released on CADDIT.net

 Sydney, Australia 3 January - CADDIT Announces the release of progeCAD 2022 on CADDIT.net for Australia and New Zealand. progeCAD is an advanced general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD package with similar commands to AutoCAD but with perpetual license and lower price. CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in the Australia/New Zealand region for almost fifteen years.  Now, after months of thorough testing, the CADDIT team is happy to announce their official release of this milestone product version.

progeCAD 2022 from CADDIT Australia

progeCAD 2022 from CADDIT Australia offers a dramatic feature update over previous versions. 2D Drafting now includes a fully-implemented and hugely improved interface for drawing text and data TABLES, including improved cell support and a full list of FIELD types. Data cell selection now seamlessly brings up a full text editor. DIESEL fields are now properly implemented and real-time spell checking has been added for text. MTEXT likewise has new support for clear and strike-through formatting, as well as better symbol- sub- and super-script support. progeCAD 2022 now offers the much-anticipated SHEET SET MANAGER displays, publishes and manages sheet sets, a named collection of drawing sheets. Each sheet in a Sheet Set is a layout in a drawing (DWG) file.

A new geometry solver improves reliability for almost all drawing commands like Trim, Chamfer, Fillet, Hatch etc. General performance improvements have also been made to FILE open speeds, REGEN, SAVE, AUTOSAVE as well as the end user's experience in OSNAP, LAYOUT and many other commands. General interface improvements have been made to the program's START page, VIEW MANAGER, SETTINGS window, CUI customization dialog and the ARRAY command. Feature GROUP handling is now offered in progeCAD via the new GROUPEDIT command, complete with visualization grips. Several new tools will save estimators time in progeCAD, such as the new TOTALAREA command which gives the sum total of multiple selected closed entities, the new ATTSYNC command which updates attributes for all block instances (useful for updating material lists) or IMPOINT which automates the creation of new points, polylines or splines from coordinates in a text file. TPNAVIGATE has also been added for palette navigation, which can be helpful for users who create or use multiple tool palettes.

New TABLE and FIELD interface for progeCAD 2022

progeCAD 2022 now supports all new Spacemouse and CADmouse models from 3DConnexion. This can be an absolute boon for end users doing a lot of 3D design in progeCAD. 3D Solids now fully support the use of GRIPS for direct editing. a new 3D STEEL library for quick 3D weldment design in progeCAD has also been added.

A free no-obligation thirty-day trial of progeCAD 2022 can be downloaded directly from CADDIT Australia here, even if you have downloaded progeCAD before. Due to the significant improvements made to this software for this version, we need to repeat our usual call for existing users to strongly consider a low cost upgrade to progeCAD 2022 stand-alone, USB or Network licenses. We plan to publish several more in-depth reviews of the important new features in progeCAD 2022. Please contact CADDIT at their Sydney office with any questions.

progeCAD 2022 Coming Soon: Free Upgrade Offer Begins

 

Sydney, Australia 7 September - CADDIT announces the free upgrade to 2022 version for all progeCAD purchases on or after 01 September 2021. progeCAD is a powerful general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD solution very similar to AutoCAD, with additional tools and a lower cost. With progeCAD, designers have a professional yet affordable perpetual-license alternative to high-cost AutoCAD rental fees, with the ability to create, read, write and edit native AutoCAD DWG and DXF files fluently using and interface very similar to what AutoCAD already know. Based in Sydney, CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in Australia, New Zealand and surrounds for more than twelve years.

 

Much of what will come in 2022 is still confidential but we have several detail which we can pass on now. Significant effort has been invested in making progeCAD 2022 a truly cutting-edge release that is stable and reliable from initial release. Many improvements are still confidential during an internal testing period. What we can expect are new features for the AEC industry with further improvements to BIM and REVIT compatibility, as well.  Many features are expected to be completely re-worked or refactored, such as the MTEXT and TABLE elements. Pursuant to last year's improvements in hardware acceleration, this year progeCAD 2022 release is expected to offer many new improvements in 3D view handling, modelling and new 3D content specifically targeted to architects and structural engineers working in steel. GUI customization will also be improved with several new commands.

 

A detailed list of these new features will be released soon, but we are delighted to share what we know now and begin offering the free upgrade to all customers. progeCAD 2021 can be downloaded now as a free 30-day trial. As in previous years, all new licenses as well as upgrades for existing licenses, including single stand-alone, floating NLM network, USB and total office licenses, purchased on or after 1 September 2021 will be entitled to the same for progeCAD 2022 upon our announcement. Multiple purchases will qualify for multiple upgrades. progeCAD Upgrades will also qualify, again as in the past. As in past, eligible users with a USB upgrade will usually not be required to replace their hardware dongle for the next version. We are really excited about the upcoming new release and making those upgrade entitlements available well in advance. So watch this space over the next weeks as more details and images become available. Contact CADDIT Australia for more information about progeCAD or this upgrade offer.

progeCAD 2021 Release with Improved GPU Graphics

 Sydney, Australia 20 October - CADDIT Announces the release of progeCAD 2021 on CADDIT.net for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Sydney, CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in Australia, New Zealand and surrounds for more than twelve years. progeCAD is a powerful general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD package which offers very similar work environment as AutoCAD, with additional tools and  lower price. progeCAD 2021 offers multiple improvements in areas of graphics performance, interface handling and file format support. After several months of per-release field testing, CADDIT is pleased to follow our global partners with the release of this version.

progeCAD, like most CAD systems, offers both simple software CPU-driven graphics and much faster hardware GPU-driven graphics. The hardware graphics offered in progeCAD uses the common OPENGL graphics language, supported at least in part by most modern graphics cards. OPENGL compatible graphics are offered by a variety of NVIDIA and Intel GPU like NVIDIA QUADRO, NVIDIA GTX and even on-board "business graphics" offered by Intel. There are different versions of OpenGL and most modern requirements call for at least OpenGL version 4 supported by Intel HD (since Haswell, excluding older Intel "Ivy Bridge" drivers which only supported OpenGL 3). "Software" graphics on the other hand, do not use any GPU, but emulate 3D graphics instructions to the main CPU. This is an even slower than Intel HD "on board" graphics, but also a bit cheaper (although most modern PCs/laptops at least offer Intel Graphics). Which graphics are most suitable depends on job size and user situation.

Details of the updated "Graphics Performance Panel" with (1) Option to use hardware or software graphics (2) Optimization options new in progeCAD 2021  (3) Installed GPU list

 

Two new GPU optimization options are shown in 2021 Performance Options panel:

Hide small entity in block: This saves GPU bandwidth by masking the most insignificant features of block instances, hiding them as invisible. NOTE this does not affect printing, block printing is still in full detail. The job of this option is strictly to increase display efficiency.

Use Frame buffer object display system: Also new in progeCAD 2021 - this introduces dedicated memory for GPU temporary display storage as another method of optimization, commonly known as a frame buffer. As most NVIDIA cards include their own graphics memory, this option is mainly for lower-cost Intel on-board graphics which actually use system RAM for frame buffering. This will be especially useful option to enable on lower-cost laptops, Microsoft Surface Pro, etc without NVIDIA graphics but having something like the Intel UHD 5000 GPU.

progeCAD 2021 also has included a number of other new graphics optimizations for cropped and large size XREFS handling, improved realtime CONCEPTUAL and REALISTIC rendering performance, better ISOLINE display as well as optimizations for drawings with active shading. Note that a number of third party hardware options have been specifically discussed in this article to assist users with the general principles to make the best decision for their own choice of CAD hardware. A final note especially about Intel on-board "business" graphics: we have found significant performance improvement simply by updating to the latest driver version for the GPU.

progeCAD 2021 is now available for free download on CADDIT.net. CADDIT re-affirms their commitment to perpetual non-rental licensing for all progeCAD license types including simple single stand-alone PC licenses, portable USB licenses and floating network NLM licenses. We encourage users to consider the new options discussed in this article to help them in their choice to use progeCAD. Contact CADDIT Australia for more information about progeCAD or new features offered in progeCAD 2021.

Free Upgrade begins for progeCAD 2021

Sydney, Australia 03 August - CADDIT announces the free upgrade to 2021 version for all progeCAD purchases on or after 01 August 2020. progeCAD is a powerful general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD package which offers very similar work environment as AutoCAD, with additional tools and  lower price. With progeCAD, designers have a professional yet affordable perpetual-license alternative to high-cost AutoCAD rental fees, with the ability to create, read, write and edit native AutoCAD DWG and DXF files fluently using and interface very similar to what AutoCAD already know. Based in Sydney, CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in Australia, New Zealand and surrounds for more than twelve years.

Along with new features, progeCAD 2021 will deliver a significant modernization of progeCAD's overall drawing environment. progeCAD's Start page has a fresh new look, and new Ribbons have been prepared for different types of users. progeCAD 2021 will offer a new "full-screen" mode and users can now "query" through overlapping entities with selection cycling. SELFILTER opens an updated Filter panel for quick re-use of selection sets, and UNDO operations can now be selected from an UNDO list. progeCAD 2021 updates the Tool Palettes with palette grouping and the ability to share existing palettes and build new palettes almost instantly. progeCAD 2021 now enables to change layer visualizations per-viewport with its new VPLAYER command. MTEXT, POLYGON, AREA and ARRAY commands have been significantly improved with new associativity options. Specific ARRAYPOLAR, ARRAYRECT and ARRAYEDIT commands have been added to accelerate array definition and modification.

CAD software users can now qualify for their free progeCAD 2021 Upgrade, with any new or upgrade progeCAD license purchase after 01 August 2020.

progeCAD 2021 will also follow through in its ongoing commitment to offering the most powerful set of data translation tools, so that users can share and receive information with a broader range of other designers, customers and partners. progeCAD 2021 will now read SolidWorks files directly - both individual SLDPRT part files as well as collective SLDASM assembly files. Other users may be happy to know that progeCAD 2021 will begin supporting the in-drawing use of QR codes. progeCAD will also save users potentially hundreds of hours with new PDF batch import functionality in the 2021 release - as well as save countless hours with the new AUTOPUBLISH command, which automatically creates export files (.dwf/.pdf) from the current drawing and saves to a specified location on saving or closing the DWG file. Three new commands will be introduced which will could completely change the way designers draw in 3D: CONVTOSURFACE, CONVTOSOLID and CONVTOMESH. These new key commands will allow designers to convert geometry between 3D solids, surfaces and meshes. RCS and RCP POINTCLOUD import now includes bounding box and size calculation. progeCAD DATAEXTRACTION has been enhanced to auto-populate tables and schedules from block attributes and drawing properties. Even copy-paste will offer in-command alignment rotation.

If you work with very large CAD files, progeCAD 2021 will also improve graphics performance for on-board graphics, offering a new “Use Frame buffer object display system” GPU option. “Hide small entity in block” will offer further speed by masking small details from inserted blocks for faster regen and display time. PRINT PREVIEW has been updated with better speed and viewing flexibility. ISOLINES, Conceptual and Realistic 3D rendering have all been improved for progeCAD 2021 as well.

The current progeCAD 2020 release is now quite well tested for supporting a variety of environments, and is still available for free trial download in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions. progeCAD's flexibility makes it practical as a low-cost design solution for a variety of Australian and overseas industries including architecture, landscaping, land survey and GIS, mining, advertising and signage design, fabrication, spa and pool design, kitchen and bath, cabinetry and many others. To qualify for this free upgrade offer, simply order any quantity progeCAD 2020 (English) new or upgrade licenses from CADDIT.net on or after 01 August 2020. Multiple purchases will qualify for multiple upgrades. progeCAD 2020 Upgrades from older versions also qualify under this promotion, including all new progeCAD USB and Network license upgrades. Note that eligible users with a USB upgrade will not be required to replace their hardware dongle for the next version. Within a few weeks after the 2021 release announcement, eligible users will have eligible progeCAD 2020 license keys automatically upgraded to run either version of their preference - progeCAD 2020 or 2021. Promotion does not apply to OEM repackaging or to languages other than English. This promotion will run until progeCAD 2021 release is announced on this website. Contact CADDIT Australia for more information about progeCAD or this upgrade offer.

progeCAD 2020 Update Released on CADDIT.net

Sydney, Australia 09 November 2019 - progeCAD 2020 Professional 20.0.6 has been released on CADDIT.net, with free upgrade entitlement for all existing progeCAD 2020 users. progeCAD Professional is an affordable general-purpose CAD computer program having similar commands and workflow to AutoCAD, native DWG file read/write and extensive publishing/translation features. Advanced progeCAD features include full 3D modelling and rendering, extensive symbols library and Express Tools similar to those offered in AutoCAD. Using progeCAD, designers can seamlessly communicate with an AutoCAD environment. progeCAD 2020 was first released on CADDIT offering a heap of new features like 4K display support, drag-and-drop icon palettes, BIM IFC and RECAP .rcp/.rcs support, table formulas, 3D silhouette printing as well as new interfaces for PUBLISH and EXPORTPDF and new EXPRESS Tools.

BIM IFC files can now be fully imported as editable geometry. progeCAD now supports either import or export of at least 40 different major design formats (not including format versions), including 3D models, 2D drawings, mesh and point cloud models, vector and raster graphic images as well as embedding formats like PDF, offering a true swiss-army-knife like set of CAD functionality essential and affordable for any CAD designer.

Direct BIM IFC import into progeCAD 2020 Professional with immediate 3D rendering in free Artisan rendering studio (Artisan for progeCAD included with purchase)

 The new progeCAD Professional 20.0.6 is a bugfix release offering users over 100 improvements over the previous 2020.0.4 version:

• Improved support for functions like hatches placed in layout, nested BEDIT sessions, REFEDIT fade, embedded image PAN and ZOOM (when MTMODE = 3), Unicode support and 3D solid regen improvements.
• Targeted fixes for existing commands like HATCH, BOX, HELIX, FILLET, SWEEP and dozens more..
• Performance improvement for STEP import, 3D PDF, APPLOAD, COPYCLIP
• API tweaks and small fixes to DCL, LISP and .NET
• General improvements in interface and workflow

Users of previous progeCAD versions are strongly encouraged to consider upgrade to progeCAD Professional 2020, for better compatibility with AutoCAD as well as the ongoing updates for Microsoft Windows. A full price list for all upgrade options, including multiple stand-alone, USB and floating network licenses, can be found on the CADDIT website here (link). A fully enabled 30-day trial can also be downloaded. Additional questions about progeCAD features or upgrade options can be sent directly to CADDIT Australia via the Contact Us page.

Civil Survey DTM Features Introduced in progeCAD 2019

Sydney, Australia  09 May 2017 - CADDIT Software announces the second major class of new features to ship with their upcoming progeCAD 2019 release. progeCAD is an affordable, robust general purpose CAD system used by designers, architects, builders, engineers, civil survey and government planning offices for over ten yeas in Australia and New Zealand. progeCAD requires little or no learning curve for AutoCAD users because of its compatible interface and command structure.

Along with thousands of general-purpose CAD drafting features such as AutoCAD-similar drawing commands, full native DWG format read-write, PDF import and export, direct 3D modelling and realtime and advanced rendering, extensive block libraries, 3D architecture, tables and data extraction, new 3D model translation from STEP IGES and STL-mesh models as well as countless other tools, progeCAD 2019 will introduce a new suite of civil survey functions.

This new suite of DTM functions offer civil engineers, landscapers, environmentalists, builders and other land-development professionals an easy-to-use set of basic land survey tools for generating terrain profiles and slope lines. Some of the new civil survey commands include:

AUTOSECTION - generate full section detail views with full annotation from drawing contours
SECTIONLINE - create a profile path to be used by AUTOSECTION
CONVERTLCURVES - convert SPLINEs into 3DPOLY usable by AUTOSECTION
SLOPEBLOCK - generate normal or "slope" lines along a single polyline
SLOPEAREA - generate normal or "slope" lines between two polylines

To gererate a new civil section view simply create a new SECTIONLINE through your drawing like so and then select it using AUTOSECTION:

progeCAD 2019 can create DTM section views directly from LINE, 3DPOLY and 3DFACE. SPLINE need to be converted into 3D polylines first, using the "convert level curves" tool (CONVERTLCURVES)

 AUTOSECTION begins with a comprehensive dialog which allows you to customize your new DTM section view or click OK to accept prior defaults. After clicking OK your terrain section view will be generated like so:

 CADDIT is pleased to announce that starting 15 April 2018 all new and upgrade progeCAD 2018 orders from that day will be entitled to a free upgrade to 2019 upon its release on CADDIT.net. For a free 30-day trial of the current 2018 release of progeCAD or for more information about affordable CAD software, visit our website at www.caddit.net.

CAD File Translation Improvements in progeCAD 2019 Preview

Sydney, Australia  01 May 2017 - The CADDIT Team is happy to share an exciting announcement and first look at the upcoming major release of our progeCAD 2019 CAD Software. progeCAD is an affordable, robust general purpose CAD system used by designers, architects, builders, engineers, civil survey and government planning offices for over ten yeas in Australia and New Zealand. progeCAD requires little or no learning curve for AutoCAD users because of its compatible interface and command structure.

Now beginning with progeCAD 2019, users will have access to industry 3D CAD file support for STEP, IGES, and many other popular CAD file formats. Additional new tools include bi-direction (read and write) support for popular 3D modelling formats from Maya (.RTG), 3D Studio(.3DS), Alias(.OBJ), LightWave, STL and other formats. Along with existing native file support for over a dozen others like AutoCAD .DWG and .DXF, Adobe PDF, ACIS SAT, Microsation .DGN, LIDAR (.LAS and .XYZ), ESRI .SHP and more, progeCAD becomes a powerful CAD "swiss-army-knife" useful for almost any graphics professional. To put this another way, simply compare the import file format support from progeCAD 2019 with that of the previous release as shown below here:



Extended (DOUBLE) CAD formats supported in 2019.

Basic CAD file import offered in progeCAD 2018

progeCAD's new CAD import features now mean that architects can now directly insert mechanical parts into their design from programs like SolidWorks, Inventor and CATIA which have been saved in either a STEP or IGES neutral exchange format. This also means that graphic designers can insert mesh models from their favourite animation package like MAYA or 3D Studio. With progeCAD's powerful new 3D rendering feature, beautiful 3D graphics can then be generated combining files from all of these different formats, or converted into new formats for use by other 3D software..

In this "round-robin" CAD translation stress-test, a twenty-year old IGES file was imported into progeCAD 2019 as ACIS 3D surfaces and exported again as a neutral 3D STEP model which was read by another CAD system without any noticeable data loss.  



Another exciting CAD data feature coming in progeCAD 2019 is the new BIM IFC underlay support. This means progeCAD can now incorporate industry-standard IFC data as a visual underlay to your active drawing, as shown in the the image below..

 



IFC Underlay support in progeCAD 2019 from BIM



 

progeCAD 2019 will also add enhancements and new functionality in other areas, adding new value for CAD designers of all disciplines which we will discuss further. CADDIT is also happy to announce that starting 15 April 2018 all new and upgrade progeCAD 2018 orders from that day will be entitled to a free upgrade to 2019 upon its release on CADDIT.net. For a free 30-day trial of the current 2018 release of progeCAD or for more information about affordable CAD software, visit our website at www.caddit.net.



progeCAD 2018 Update Free for Existing Users

progeCAD 8.0.8.26 has been released on CADDIT.net, with free upgrade entitlement for all existing progeCAD 2018 users. progeCAD is an affordable general-purpose CAD drawing package with similar commands and workflow to AutoCAD, native DWG file read/write and extensive publishing/translation features. Advanced progeCAD features include full 3D rendering, extensive symbols library and Express Tools similar to those offered in AutoCAD. Using progeCAD, designers can seamlessly communicate with an AutoCAD environment. progeCAD updates 8.0.6 and  8.0.8 improves performance and addresses a number of reported issues. These improvements include several significant improvement for users with high-DPI displays:

• Official support for Windows 10 FALL CREATORS update
• Improved quality for icon transparency
• Better UI experience for custom control with high DPI
• Added DPI Aware settings in options dialog
• Improved drag of blocks on x86 version with DRAGDETAIL > 0 
• Added check to avoid crash while closing, when IRX applications uses point monitoring
• Added Layer support in PUBLISH PDF (batch printing)
• Added detection and correction of possible PDF/JPG printers activation issues after OS update
• Fixed crash when TABLE command is called multiple times 
• Changed the file name of the ones saved during emergency save when crash occurred
• Added opening of .SV$ files during drawing recovery
• Fixed height of command list items in 4k high DPI monitor
• Fixed height of items in layer toolbar combo box in 4k high DPI monitor
• Fixed height of items in toolbar combo box in 4k high DPI monitor
• Improved stability when using grips on dynamic blocks

progeCAD 2018 release is now quite well tested for supporting a variety of environments, and is still available for free trial download in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions. progeCAD's flexibility makes it practical as a low-cost design solution for a variety of Australian and overseas industries including architecture, landscaping, land survey and GIS, mining, advertizing and signage design, fabrication, spa and pool design, kitchen and bath, cabinetry and many others.

 

  

Users of previous progeCAD versions are strongly encouraged to consider upgrade to 2018, for better compatibility with AutoCAD as well as the ongoing updates for Microsoft Windows. A full price list for all upgrade options, including multiple stand-alone, USB and floating network licenses, can be found on the CADDIT website here (link). A fully enabled 30-day trial can also be downloaded. Additional questions about progeCAD features or upgrade options can be sent directly to CADDIT Australia via the Contact Us page. 

progeCAD 2018 Released on CADDIT.net with New Artisan Render

Sydney, Australia  22 May 2017 - CADDIT announces the release of progeCAD 2018 Professional on the website for immediate download. progeCAD is a flexible general-purpose CAD drawing program that is used in many industries, including architectural design, fabrication shops, landscaping, strata and property management, mechanical design and many more. progeCAD is the long-standing low cost alternative for AutoCAD® and AutoCAD LT® software in Australia. progeCAD 2018 continues to offer perpetual license options (no rental or annual subscription required) and is tested for compatibility on Windows 7 through to Windows 10, both 64-bit and 32-bit versions. All progeCAD 2018 licenses now include Artisan for progeCAD - a new 3D rendering tool for creating business presentation-quality 3D graphics from progeCAD models and drawings.

New presentation-quality 3D rendering with free rendering add-on

progeCAD 2018 refines the native 64-bit performance first introduced last year with improved general performance and reliability. Major improvement in progeCAD Microstation V8 file interoperability now offers users complete ability to open, save, create, and edit .dgn files in native Microstation V8 DGN format. progeCAD further now supports the Microstation .dgnlib,.rdl,.cel formats. Users now also may use geometry from PDF and DGN underlays as an ESNAP reference. This example demonstrates the close read/write compatibility that progeCAD also offers for users with files from Bentley Microstation now:



  

    Microstation imported to progeCAD and saved again

          

progeCAD .DGN read back into Microstation V8i           

       

Development has also completed on a number of other new features. The progeCAD PDF printer now supports PDF printing with layers. Point cloud import now supports LIDAR scan data .las and .laz (compressed) formats. Land planning and civil engeering teams will also greatly benefit from the new support of ESRI Shape import. The shapefile format is a popular geospatial vector data format for geographic information system (GIS) software. It is developed and regulated by ESRI as a (mostly) open specification for data interoperability among ESRI and other GIS software products.

progeCAD 2018 offers a completely new in-place MTEXT editor. Extensive implementation of Fade controls for XREFerences and locked layers ships as well. progeCAD 2018 also delivers additional support for AutoCAD VPMIN and VPMAX for maximizing and minimizing viewports, as well as implementing the Superhatch command accessible through the Express Tools menu has been introduced to create amazing hatches out of images, blocks, external references and wipeout objects. progeCAD 2018 further delivers:
Contextual Ribbons
Toolbars locking
Clickable Command Prompt Options (string options on command line can be selected with mouse)
New Advanced Rename interface
New Array Interface
Support for variable DIMLAYER
Support for variable HPLAYER and HPTRASPARENCY (Default layer for Hatch and level of Hatch transparency)
3D Sub Entity selection (selection of Faces and Edges on 3D objects)
TEXTFRONT Command (bring all texts to front)
CACHEFILES variable (control the external cache layout data to enhance layout switching performance and memory usage)
PathWatcher (control of a folder for automatic DWG opening)


Current iCARE subscribers and those participating in our recent free upgrade promotion will begin to receive their progeCAD 2018 upgrade notices in the next several days. Users of previous versions of progeCAD can order the appropriate upgrade for them from the CADDIT progeCAD upgrade price list. There is much more to be said about the new progeCAD 2018 release, including dozens of other new commands, variables and improved functions (such as the 3D rendering) which can be explored by downloading the software for a free 30 day trial from CADDIT. We are very excited about this release and hope that many users will benefit form the hard work invested in this version of progeCAD. Any questions about general features of progeCAD can be directed to CADDIT via the CONTACT US page HERE.



progeCAD 2018 Preview and Free Upgrade Offer

Sydney, Australia 15 March 2017 - CADDIT announces the free upgrade to 2018 version for all progeCAD purchases on or after 15 March 2017. Selected users have already started second-stage internal testing with the new version with very positive results. progeCAD is a general-purpose 2D and 3D CAD package which offers very similar work environment as AutoCAD, at a much lower price. With progeCAD, designers have a professional yet affordable perpetual-license alternative to high-cost AutoCAD rental fees, with the ability to create, read, write and edit native AutoCAD DWG and DXF files fluently using and interface very similar to what AutoCAD already know. Based in Sydney, CADDIT has been supporting progeCAD users in Australia, New Zealand and surrounds for more than ten years.

progeCAD 2018 will deliver major refinements for many progeCAD features. Currently these improvements introduce a brand new 3D rendering system from Artisan, completely re-written MTEXT, REFEDIT, RENAME and ARRAY command interfaces. 3D scan data will now be directly accepted from several more formats including .ply and vanilla .xyz files. Existing functionality will also be greatly expanded in a number of key areas, such as Workspace management, fading controls for XREF, REFEDIT and LAYERS. New commands VPMAX, VPMIN, TEXTFRONT and more. progeCAD 2018 will also add support for many new system variables like DIMLAYER, HPLAYER, CACHEFILES and HPTRASPARENCY usage. progeCAD will now support reading many more file formats from Microstation (.dgnlib,.rdl,.cel) and can snap to UNDERLAY entities. progeCAD 2017 was the first version to offer the new RIBBON interface. The progeCAD 2018 interface will add controls for Toolbar locking, Contextual Ribbons and a PathWatcher for control of a folder for automatic dwg opening. As usual, this is only a cross-sampling of the numerous new features and optimizations coming in our 2018 version.

To qualify for this free upgrade offer, simply order any quantity progeCAD 2017 (English) new or upgrade licenses from CADDIT.net on or after 15 March 2017. Multiple purchases will qualify for multiple upgrades. progeCAD 2017 Upgrades from older versions also qualify under this promotion, including all new progeCAD USB and Network license upgrades, essentially resulting in two version upgrades for the price of one. Note that eligible users with a USB upgrade will not be required to replace their hardware dongle for the next version. Within a few weeks after the 2018 release announcement, eligible users will be issued upgrades with a progeCAD 2018 serial key and an updated download link for the software, similar to how has been done in past years. Promotion does not apply to OEM repackaging or to languages other than English. This promotion will last until the day that progeCAD 2018 release is announced on this website.

To try progeCAD free for a month, progeCAD 2017 can be downloaded HERE. For questions about this free 2018 promotion please contact CADDIT here.

Understanding DWG Files and Fixing Them

The native AutoCAD file for saving drawings is ".DWG" (short form extension for "drawing"). The DWG file can be likened to a moveable database, storing tables of information such as geometry, views, layers, configurations, third-party extensions and links to other data sets like XREF or BLOCK. The first .DWG binary format "MC0.0" was implemented in 1982 with the AutoCAD 1.0 release. A user can check any DWG file directly by opening in a binary-text editor (I use vi/vim) and checking the first six characters like we did here:

That's it. Those six characters "hard-code" the rest of the drawings data as to which version protocol it obeys. in this case the file is DWG 2010 format. How do we know? Because AC1024 is code for 2010 DWG. Many of you have probably seen this table somewhere before:

DWG Version	"Internal" Version	Release Date	AutoCAD version(s)
DWG R1.0	MC0.0	April 1983	AutoCAD Release 1.0
DWG R1.2	AC1.2	August  1983	AutoCAD Release 1.2
DWG R1.40	AC1.40	October 1983	AutoCAD Release 1.40
DWG R2.05	AC1.50	October 1984	AutoCAD Release 2.05
DWG R2.10	AC2.10	May 1985	AutoCAD Release 2.10
DWG R2.21	AC2.21	June 1986	AutoCAD Release 2.21
DWG R2.22	AC1001, AC2.22		AutoCAD Release 2.22
DWG R2.50	AC1002	June 1986	AutoCAD Release 2.50
DWG R2.60	AC1003	April 1987	AutoCAD Release 2.60
DWG R9	AC1004	September 1987	AutoCAD Release 9
DWG R10	AC1006	October 1988	AutoCAD Release 10
DWG R11/12	AC1009	October 1990	AutoCAD Release 11 & 12
DWG R13	AC1012	November 1994	AutoCAD Release 13
DWG R14	AC1014	May 1997	AutoCAD Release 14
DWG 2000	AC1015	March 1999	AutoCAD 2000 - AutoCAD 2002
DWG 2004	AC1018	March 2003	AutoCAD 2004 - AutoCAD 2006
DWG 2007	AC1021	March 2006	AutoCAD 2007 - AutoCAD 2009
DWG 2010	AC1024	March 2009	AutoCAD 2010 - AutoCAD 2012
DWG 2013	AC1027	March 2012	AutoCAD 2013 - AutoCAD 2017

AutoCAD configurations can be divided into two groups: global software "Options" and drawing-specific "Settings". The Autodesk DWG files spec includes numerous configuration settings that get stored into the individual DWG file. One way of implementing certain drawing settings across all new drawings is to save those settings into the Drawing Template FIle (".DWT"). With progeCAD 2017, the default .DWT folder is:
%APPDATA%\PSOFT\progeCAD x64\R17\Professional - English\Templates
But the path can be configured in Options -> "Path/Files" tab -> Templates

DWG like many high-precision CAD formats can accumulate erros over time. These errors can originate from geometry, block handling, API errors and many other sources. DWG errors can result in degraded (slow/"glitched") performance, stability issues and even crash incidents.

progeCAD, like AutoCAD, offers several tools for addressing DWG data errors. Main among these tools is the AUDIT command:
http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2010/ENU/AutoCAD%202010%20User%20Documentation/index.html?url=WS1a9193826455f5ffa23ce210c4a30acaf-7855.htm,topicNumber=d0e19845

Regardless of the drawing origin, when system stability begins to degrade, always check the DWG quality using these tools. Occasional discussions on the CADDIT forum address these incidents directly with a number of good suggestions:
https://www.caddit.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1101

progeCAD offers comprehensive DWG drawing and editing at a fraction of the cost of AutoCAD, as shown above offering similar tools and completely compatible format. For a free progeCAD download visit CADDIT here (link).

Understanding progeCAD Upgrade Options

Many advances have been made in progeCAD development in recent years. Apart from native 64-bit CAD editing and better OpenGL hardware support for premium graphics cards, progeCAD continues to maintain its highest level of compatibility with recent Windows and AutoCAD updates. For some users, choosing the right progeCAD upgrade can be a bit confusing. This is understandable. Aside from the basic types of upgrades such as floating Network licenses, portable USB or Stand-Alone, there are also several different options for each type.

The first tip is that the latest version of progeCAD supports the same DWG file format as did previous versions. This means that progeCAD will open drawings even if they are created in a version several years earlier. Of course, as with all versions, the DWG format itself should be correct and error-free. As mentioned on the CADDIT forum, regular use of progeCAD tools like "audit", "purge" as well as regular backups can keep drawings safe and free of any format errors.

The second tip is that - unlike other CAD systems - it is still possible to upgrade from any commercial version of progeCAD without paying the full cost of a new license. For example, even if a user has a 2008 license there is still a discount for "trading in" the old license towards a new 2017 version. Here is how.

To upgrade any version of progeCAD we start on the CADDIT webstore:
https://www.caddit.net/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=12

If a user prefers to use the webstore categories, all progeCAD upgrades can be found under the "progeCAD Upgrades" category.

It is possible to upgrade from any type of paid progeCAD license to any other type of paid progeCAD license. Under the "progeCAD Upgrades" category, we see several different types of license that can be selected for the upgrade. progeCAD licenses are upgraded on a one for one exchange basis. That is, for one "older" valid license code (which has not been, for example, already upgraded before), a user is entitled to one upgrade price in the license type of their choice. If a company has multiple licenses, there is no requirement to upgrade all of them, but it would be advisable to do so. Of course, the user does not need to change the license type just to upgrade - they are welcome to keep on the same type as the older one they are upgrading from (e.g. Single). The point is, either way works. Any of the upgrade products will activate the latest version of software (currently progeCAD 2017):

 



For example: we could decide that a floating network license would be more suitable for our company, rather than the single seat license which we had now since, say, 2013-2014. In that case we could begin to order our upgrade by clicking on the "progeCAD 2017 Network License Upgrade" product, even though what we have now is a 2014 Stand-Alone license from three years ago. Clicking on the product title opens the product page - in this example the product page for "progeCAD 2017 Network License Upgrade". A similar process works if a user wishes to change to a USB, or simply to keep their Single license updated. Simply click the product title for the license type you wish to upgrade TO (or, to keep).

The forth tip is to select the correct options for the upgrade. Once on the product page for the type of upgrade we want, we still need to tell the system what we are upgrading from -> which support option that we want, etc. The upgrade options are currently located toward the bottom of each product page. Some options will affect the total price of the upgrade. For our example, we are upgrading a 2014 stand-alone to a 2017 Network license. Looking at the drop down options for "Which CAD System do you currently use?" we see a few different choices. Choosing the right option here will prevent delays when our order is checked. Since progeCAD 2014 Stand-Alone is not specifically listed, the correct option is "Other (Specify ..).." as shown below:

Once the correct options are clicked, we only need to Add to Cart and Check Out per usual. We notice that by upgrading our existing old stand-alone license, we save more than $100 from the cost that buying a new Network License outright. Similar cost savings are available for other types of progeCAD licenses - even very old ones. This upgrade option allows progeCAD users to claim a measure of value back, even after using a license for many years. This upgrade option also helps ensure that users enjoy more productive software while contributing to the development of this powerful AutoCAD alternative. Of course, it would be impossible to cover every upgrade topic in a single article. So, as usual, we would close this post by saying that any questions about progeCAD upgrade offers can be sent to CADDIT through the contact details on the website.