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 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 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.

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.



Who is the Best BIMmer?

For those not familiar with the expression, BIM stands for Building Information Modeling. BIM is common tech speak for using information-based building semantics in CAD design workflows. The exact definition is actually still evolving. BIM products include the likes of Autodesk Revit, Graphisoft and Bentley. Two things generally characterize BIM software: increased program complexity and higher software costs. Some liken BIM in the architectural industry to PLM for product manufacturing.

We would argue one important difference: PLM was a customer driven concept to meet large scale manufacturing needs. However, "few have pursued full 3D (building design) modeling with great vigor, and even fewer have embraced BIM and information extraction, even though the AEC software industry has spent much time and capital creating and promoting BIM software," states Goldberg, H. Edward in CADalyst magazine. So a large portion of the need for BIM software may be originating from the software companies themselves.

One thing almost everyone agrees on is that there is a right way to BIM and a wrong way to BIM. But that's about where agreement ends. How to BIM depends largely on which marketing team one chooses to listen to. Autodesk, Bentley, Nemetschek and others are all staking claims "to BIM the Best" in what appears to be the CAD industry's latest gold rush to establish a title standard.

The question arises if this will actually be a standard that most businesses need. Full scale BIM deployments can be very expensive. They may requiring extensive retraining and, in some scenarios, a complete refit for design and business workflows. Interestingly, none of Autodesk's ROI charts seem to take this last aspect into account. And even if large companies succeed in (at least partially) implementing BIM, will the solution scale downward for small business and supplier integrations?

Previously on our CAD Blog we introduced our low-cost BIM alternative CP-System, which can be dubbed our "Anti-BIM" proposal. CP-System offers AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT (using LTX), progeCAD, BricsCAD, ZwCAD, CADopia and other IntelliCAD brands quick but accurate HVAC, electrical, plumbing, architectural, mechanical, structural, hydraulic design with extensive parametric symbol libraries. More information about CP-System and a free 30-day trial is available HERE.

CADDIT Announces Building Design Without BIM (Building Information Modeling)

Sydney, Australia - CADDIT announced their release of a an exciting new line of CAD software products for building design without the overhead involved with Building Information Modeling (commonly known as BIM). CP-System is an affordable CAD software add-on for AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT (using LTX), progeCAD, BricsCAD and other IntelliCAD brands. CP-System represents a much easier, low-cost and practical approach to the needs of designers who need to work quickly but accurately.

CP-System is a simple suite of four separately priced toolboxes that turbocharge supported CAD systems into a complete building design studio. At the core of CP-System is a 2D parametric drawing editor which allows users to quickly draw electrical wiring, piping or duct elevation plans and then "insert" relevant symbols such as valves or switches from large libraries of associative drawing objects. Each library can be customized with objects from a user, or extended by downloading thousands more parts currently available from CP-System enabled industry suppliers (such as Fujitsu or Cablofil). A database is built as the drawing is created, which can be exported or printed as a Bill Of Material or specification in many common formats such as CSV, XLS, XML, RTF, HTML and PDF. CP-System objects can be edited or re-created later as required.

Each of the four separately-priced licenses activate one of the four different "design realms" offered by the CP-System framework:

1. HVAC - Actually this one license includes multiple libraries and functions for HVAC and PLUMBING, pumps and piping, gas and ducting systems, water distribution planning and design.
2. Electrical - Includes all the layout design tools for circuit wiring and cabling, medical and industrial, telecommunications, fire alarm and safety, cable trays, busbars and switch boxes.
3. Mechanical - This license is good for mechanical part design and includes all the nuts and bolts (literally) needed to put something together, also offers structural, hydarulic, pneumatic and additional fittings.
4. Architectural - The least expensive license but still very useful for overall architectural design or office and space planning etc. with doors, windows, furniture and more.

CADDIT now offers CP-System bundled with their progeCAD design platform as their new progePLAN product, which is available from CADDIT at a nice discount. Building designers considering progeCAD's AutoCAD compatibility would do well to consider the benefit of buying a CP-Sytem enabled progePLAN bundle for their work instead. All CP-System licenses currently include online software and symbol update services and remote access support. Currently CP-System only supports metric, however plans are to also support imperial units soon.

Regardless, however, building designers for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing, electrical, structural, architectural and other systems are encouraged to download CP-System for their own CAD system and give this low-cost alternative to BIM design methodology a serious go. It will save them time, energy and the cost of the mistakes that arise from designing such systems from total scratch. For serious commercial designers in the building field, CP-System is a must-have!