New 3D Features

• Fixed Angle Extrusion Option

• Cross Section

• Contour Lines

• Convert Double-lines to Planes

• Improved OpenGL Shading

• Improved Plane Booleans

New 2D Features

• Construction Lines

• Line Cut Command

• Align Objects Dialog Box

• Mid-Point 2 Snap Tool

• Dimension Center Mark

• Auto Dimension

• Section Cut by Line

• Blocks

Command Improvements

• Selection Filter

• Improved Set Handles

• More precise smoothing options

• Section Cutoff option

• Easier Area command

• Better Double Lines

• Add Custom Text Items

• Specify Distance on Array 

Interface Improvements

• New File Wizard

• Easier to use Layer dialog box

Miscellaneous Improvements and Additions

• HPGL Output

• Improved INI files

• Backup Files

• Sticky Handles

• Double-Line to Plane

• Double-Line to Wide Line

• Character Set Control for Text

• Info Box Enhancements

• Double Headed Arrows

BasicCAD Improvements

• Include Statements

• Alias Statements

• PI constant

Fixed Angle Extrusion Option

Extrude objects with a consistent draft regardless of their width and height with DesignCAD's new Fixed Angle Extrusion option.  Works just like AutoCAD!

When you extrude objects with an ending extrusion factor that's greater than 1, the distance between the original 2D profile, and the end of the extrusion is called the taper width, or draft.  In previous versions of DesignCAD only objects with the same width and height ended up with the same distance all the way around the extrusion, and you were forced to set your handle with the center of gravity to get this to work.

The Extrude command has a new option called Fixed Angle.  When enabled, you have the option of entering an angle perpendicular to the extrusion path.  This gives extruded objects a consistent draft along their depth axis, and you don’t have to worry about handle placement beforehand.

New File Wizard

You’re in control with DesignCAD's new File Wizard. It lets you set all the major drawing settings from one place.  We’ve gathered all the basic drawing settings you'd need for a new drawing, and placed them together in one easy to use wizard.  Specify the width of the drawing screen, and drawing options like grid, snaps, and print units.  Control the text format for all dimension types from a single field, and choose a pre-defined paperspace templates.  When you’re finished setting options, choose Make Default, and the wizard saves the settings for you.

Cross Section

Any 3D object can now be cross-sectioned quickly and easily.  Take as many cross-sections of 3D solids as you want, just by clicking on the target object.  Your cross sections can lie on any working plane, or you can define your own plane to cross-section the object by.  Generating several cross-sections along any point of an object is now both quick and easy.

Construction Lines

Run construction lines in any direction, or make them extend to the limits of the drawing to help line up objects, or mark boundaries.  These lines can be toggled on and off for visibility or printing.

Contour Lines

Our new Contour Line command makes marking elevations on surfaces as easy as a 1-2-3.  Just pick your surface, click on it, and the contour line is drawn around its area.  This command is ideal for showing elevation lines, slope pitch, or for outlining a surface at any point you click.

Line Cut Command

Users now have an interactive way to break an object at any desired point.  Just click on the object you want to break, and a rubber band line extends from the object to the cursor, allowing for precision cutting of any object.  This command is smart too.  On circles, arcs, and ellipses, the cut line uses the center point of the object as its base point, which lets you make radial cut sections without hassles.

Align Objects Dialog Box

Our new Align Objects dialog box makes lining up parts of your drawing as easy as using your word processor.  In 2D, you can line up objects by their left or right edges, tops or bottoms. In 3D, objects can be lined up by depth.

Mid-Point 2 Snap Tool

Available from both the Snap Tools toolbar and the menus, this new feature allows users to snap the cursor to the halfway point of two points set.  A running preview of the snap position follows the cursor as you drag the mouse.

Dimension Center Mark

Mark center points for circles just by clicking on them, with this new command, which lets you control the cross and gap size, and the line overhang distance.  Specify actual lengths for the cross, or use a percentage of the circle diameter.

Improved Plane Booleans

These new commands let you add or subtract planes, find the intersecting area between two shapes, or the resulting shape of a union between outlines.  You can now select all the subtracting planes before selecting the outer plane to subtract from, making surface creation much easier.  Best of all, all these commands no longer require that you convert your objects to planes before using them. The new Polygon Booleans can be used on vectors, circles, curves, or any closed shape, AND they work in both 2D drafting and 3D Modeling Mode!

Convert Double-lines to Planes

Now you can draw double-lines as planes for seamless extrusion into 3D.  It’s never been easier to convert a 2D floor plan to a 3D presentation or walkthrough!

Improved OpenGL Shading

DesignCAD's OpenGL shading is brighter than ever!!  Now when you add light sources in our real-time shading mode, they make the image brighter by adding their own intensity values to the existing scene.  You can now rotate objects around in real time, and control their brightness by just turning on or off light sources.

Blocks

DesignCAD now supports blocks!!  Define any object as a block on the fly, then any copies of that object that reference the original block.  Each block has it’s own unique name, you can even attach DesignCAD's new attributes to blocks.  Inserting a block with an attribute lets the program prompt you for unique information about that block.

Blocks work like embedded symbols, and you can nest groups inside blocks.  But blocks have several advantages over both symbols and groups.  

1) When you paste a copy of the block into the drawing, the original copy is referenced, which

saves on memory in the DesignCAD drawing session. 

2) You can define a block on the fly, just by selecting it, and choosing Block Define.  Making

changes to the original block updates all the copies of that block.

3) Once you make a block, it’s in memory and listed in the Block Insert command, even if you

delete all the objects in your drawing. 

4) Blocks are stored in DesignCAD drawing files, and even if you save a file with no blocks in

it, the block definitions are still there for you to use with Block Insert. 

5) Blocks have unique names, and therefore cannot be confused with other entities

6) You can copy and paste block definitions between drawings.  This means you not only get a dumb copy of the original object, but you can insert other copies of the block you pasted into the drawing.

Find a tutorial for using blocks in the May 2002 DesignCAD Newsletter.

Block Define

This command allows you to create a block out of the selected entities, or add objects to an already existing block.  Just select the objects you want to make a block, and choose Block Define.  Enter the unique name for the block, and click OK.  If you are adding items to the block, select the block and the items to add, and choose the command again.  You will be prompted to overwrite the existing block definition with the new one, and your items are added.  If you want to add items to a block, and keep a separate copy of the object, just click the Retain radio button.  To delete the block definition just check the Delete radio button.

Purge Unused Blocks

This removes all the block definitions from memory (and the Insert Block list) which do not have copies inserted into the current drawing.

Attribute Definition

The new attribute definition entity can be added to a block.  These are smart attributes, which are able to prompt the user for information when you insert another copy of the block which contains them into the drawing.  When you create one of these entities, you are prompted for the text which will display when the block is inserted. 

Notes about blocks:

1)       The display of attribute definitions is controlled from the view menu, separate from attributes.

2)       Double-clicking on an attribute definition lets you change all three text fields.

3)       There’s also a button in the Info Box when you’ve selected a block that lets you edit all the attribute definitions within that block.

4)       Attribute Definitions are displayed in the material list with other attributes

5)       Saving to older formats explodes blocks to include them with the drawing.

Backup Files Return

Back by popular request, DesignCAD now saves BAK files with each save of the DCD file.  Turn this option on or off in General Options.

Sticky Handles Toggle

You can now turn on or off Sticky Handles.  Most 3D Users like them, most 2D drafting customers think they are a pain, so there’s now a toggle for them in General Options.

Easier Area Command

Back from our DesignCAD 2D version 7, you can once again get the area of any selected (and enclosed) objects, so users no longer have to trace around irregularly shaped objects by hand.

Better Set Handles

You can now choose from several different pre-defined locations to set your handles, including object center, and corners.  This new dialog box is "sticky" and remembers your last choice.

Improved Layer Dialog Box

The Layer’s dialog box is now wide enough to display the entire layer name at a glance.

More Precise Smoothing Options

Smoothing curves by point reduction now allows users to enter the number of points to average within a curve that serve, as it’s defining shape. Users now have exact control over the number of points the curve is an average of and can convert a line to a curve for smoothing operations.  In addition, in slope detection, the range, or degree away from the previous curve segment’s base angle can be defined ... so users can determine which points are dropped in the resulting smoothed curve.

Section Cutoff Option

DesignCAD now includes an option to select the stuff inside the Section Cutoff box.

Double-Lines as Plane / Line / Hatch

DesignCAD now includes an option to select the stuff inside the Section Cutoff box.

Section Cut by Line

This exciting new command lets you break objects with other objects, and delete non-rectangular sections out of any part of your drawing, just by clicking on them.

Text Improvements

DesignCAD 3D MAX Plus includes improved character set control.  You can choose your character set from a drop-down list in the Text dialog box. You can also add custom text items into the text dialog box for easy insertion in the drawing at a later time.

Improved Info Box

DesignCAD 3D MAX Plus lets you adjust the height and width of selected items through the info box, just like in DesignCAD 2d7.  Area and Length are also editable fields in the Info Box, as are Surface Area and Volume.

Two Headed Arrows

A simple check box gives you the ability to terminate both ends of your arrows with arrowheads.

Duplicate to Layer

It’s now a snap to copy an object to another layer, without moving it, or the original with DesignCAD's new Duplicate to Layer command.

Improved Array

When Arraying objects along a curve, you can now specify the distance between the copies from the start of the curve.

BasicCAD Improvements

DesignCAD 3D Max Plus includes more constants in BasicCAD and the ability to continue lines with an underscore character.  Macros can now be used to customize the status bar for more space to display user messages.  Users can also automate the Input statement by passing it variable, as well as prompt users for a set number of points within a drawing command.  Users can create their own alias functions, and use include files of variables, which are compiled into the BasicCAD macro at runtime. Finally, the window statement can be used with or without a title bar.

The new INCLUDE statement allows you to include a subroutine file, and call it from a main program. You are not able to pass parameters back and forth, but you are able to launch "CHILD" routines, from a "PARENT" script, instead of just chaining from one macro to another (which can make a complex program easier to manage).

Improved INI Files

Character Set Control for Text

The Attribute Definition command is used to assign constant or variable information to a block. Later you can use the Material List command to list the types and numbers of attributes you have placed in your drawing.

Auto Dimension Command

The Auto Dimension Command can be used to automatically dimension lines, circles, arcs, ellipses, and elliptical arcs in 2D Mode. Choose the Auto Dimension command from the Dimension menu. Select the entity types you want dimensioned.

Better Double Lines

There are lots of new enhancements to double-lines. For one, you can automatically fill the double-line with a hatch pattern of your choice. Check the Filled option on the double-line toolbar to draw a filled line, or leave it unchecked to draw a hollow line.  In addition, you can convert a double line to a plane using the Convert Double Line to Plane command. Planes can be shaded whereas double lines, circles, and arcs cannot. DesignCAD 3D Max Plus also makes it possible to convert a double line to become a center aligned wide line.

HPGL Output

Anyone using an older cutting or plotting machine will greatly appreciate this new feature. Many of the older cutters and plotters that were supported in the DOS version of DesignCAD are incompatible with Windows versions because there simply are not Windows drivers for these machines (only in DOS). With HPGL output, it's possible to take a list of plotters that are only supported under DOS and send that file manually to the plotter or cutter. For instance, if you have a CAM1 vinyl cutter  ... you'd output a cut file in that format using the Export command and the HPGL format and then send it manually to that cutter (or plotter). Therefore, you can see how this feature gives you the ability to continue to use a cutter or plotter that's worked for many years and also use a newer computer with the most recent version of DesignCAD. Any cutter/plotter that was supported in the DOS version of DesignCAD can still be used with the use of HPGL export.

It's possible to set up a custom control file for the cutter/plotter if you know the plotter commands.

More Automatic Program Updates

DesignCAD 3D Max Plus will check for updates if you're connected online. If there is an update available, it will let you know  and offer to download it so you can install the update.