progeCAD is an economical alternative to AutoCAD with a familiar ribbon interface, familiar commands and menus, DWG support and permanent licensing.
2024 features include Excel data linking, which enables data import and export from and to XLS files, the MAPINSERT command for geographic coordinates and table creation enhancements including block preview.
Features
progeCAD is a DWG-compatible CAD program packed with features designed to increase productivity in users. It boasts an easy-to-use interface similar to AutoCAD’s, including icons and menus, supporting similar formats and commands, APIs like AutoLISP, IRX, and VB task automation support, which enables them to develop customized tools that perform specific tasks more quickly while saving time during design processes. Plus it comes with two perpetual licenses, an EasyArch architectural plugin as well as special tools designed specifically for drawing buildings walls windows doors or any other elements!
ProgeCAD 2024 is compatible with AutoCAD and offers hundreds of new features, making it easier to use than previous versions. Support for the SR3D render engine has also been greatly improved. Furthermore, ProgeCAD’s enhanced spline fit point management enables you to add and delete fit points as needed and move them for increased/decreased shape adjustment; additionally it has dynamic UCS features for creating temporary XY planes to draw on.
This allows faster performance of complex 3D drawing tasks. Furthermore, the software offers a new geolocation system that enables users to insert points and labels in drawings that correspond with geographic locations on maps, as well as an Excel data linking feature that updates any changes made within Excel spreadsheet files whenever these change are made.
This program features enhanced 3D navigation and visualization tools such as Sphere Views, 3D Walks and an XYZ Plane Manager. In addition, a new BREAKATPOINT command splits two-dimensional entities such as lines, arcs, polylines, infinite lines rays or splines at any one break point into separate entities at that single breakpoint; additionally it has a CENTERMARK command which centers any entity on screen.
progeCAD’s CAD Exchange feature makes an invaluable contribution, enabling users to import and export an array of CAD files as well as convert PDFs to DWG format and read files with Building Information Model format (BIM).
Point Clouds
Point cloud files can help the drafting process in many ways. They can serve as references and then used directly in 3D views or drawing documents to recreate objects referenced, or they may even be added directly into drawings to form images of surfaces or parts of buildings.
ProgeCAD 2017 introduces an exciting new import feature called POINTCLOUD which gives users access to 3D scanned data from laser scanners. This gives full access to object geometry information in superordinated coordinate systems with editing access for every point that forms an area called clouds without the need to reformat files into ASCII format.
progeCAD 2019 continues our efforts to make its software simpler for design professionals to use by adding tools that enhance daily design and drafting tasks:
Photo insertion has never been simpler or intuitive with the ability to correct the perspective of photographs, while DATALINK allows users to link directly a spreadsheet with a table in progeCAD so that any change to either automatically updates the other. Furthermore, BIM functionality has been further expanded with support for IFC/Revit layer structures up to Autodesk Revit 2023 and improved reading of IFC and Revit documents with layers structure support.
Performance when opening and saving DWG files has been greatly increased on multi-core machines, and CUI menu files increase user flexibility by giving the traditional or modern Ribbon look and feel of AutoCAD(r). Furthermore, Teigha 4.3.2 was tuned up to improve stability as well as to provide better handling of large drawings. Finally, being able to import IFC and Revit files with layers allows further interoperability with construction professionals when data exchange is necessary.
Sheet Sets
Sheet sets offer an effective solution for managing sheets and views within a project, aiding team collaboration while keeping drawings organized and easily retrievable. Sheet sets also serve as an efficient method of organizing multiple sheets into groups called subsets; subsets may be used for purposes like grouping by discipline (architectural or mechanical), review status or completion status. Subsets can easily be created and modified using shortcut menus or tab buttons in Sheet List and Sheet Views tabs.
progeCAD includes a Sheet Set Manager to allow you to easily create sheet set documents and add drawing files. They can then be stored either within ProjectWise Vault or locally on your hard drive.
Once a sheet set has been created, its layouts can be imported from either Vault or other locations. You can either select single layouts to import individually or multiple ones at the same time using Sheet Set Manager’s Import Layouts As Sheets command; this prompt will ask for folder containing drawing files to import before showing list of available layouts within it.
When using a sheet set, all xrefs, geometry and layout viewports in each sheet view are copied directly from the model space of their source drawing file – this process, known as external references, allows you to attach model spaces or named views from another drawing directly to any of the sheet views in your current drawing.
Sheet sets allow you to store any number of custom properties, with individual sheets being able to decide whether those properties apply or not. You can set default values which will take effect when opening any sheet from that set; additionally, text data fields associated with sheets set can update both model space and sheet viewport windows simultaneously.
Text Editor
progeCAD’s text editor gives you access to both standard and extended functions for editing drafting drawings. You can create text with specific height and width settings, use ellipses for circles that can be edited directly, and insert special characters like arrows or bullets into designs. In addition, this program supports many fonts as well as adding raster images into designs with editable dimensioning capabilities; plus many annotation styles for dimensions, hatches and text.
This program features a familiar AutoCAD interface and supports similar formats, commands and files; it is fully compatible with Autodesk AutoCAD from version 2.5 through version 2019! Plus it’s more cost effective as its license doesn’t require monthly renewal!
progeCAD’s latest release offers you many enhancements and features, such as a more advanced PDF2DWG conversion engine that preserves layers, texts, hatches, lines and polylines, shapes and arcs as well as color. In addition, its newly redesigned dialog box, faster file opening and regen, enhanced selection functioning and display performance are enhanced significantly as well as dynamic input on grips; more in-place editing for tables and annotation texts, smart spell check across multilines/leaders/table texts as well as automatic dimension/hatches sizing of dimensions/hatches/dimension/arcs// etc.
This new release provides industry-specific tools, including the MAPINSERT command to import data directly from or link to an Excel spreadsheet file; the MAPIMPORT command to add geometries from SDF, SQLite and SHAPE databases; and the Table command which allows inserting tables without using dialog boxes. Furthermore, use Sheet Set Manager for better organizing CAD drawing projects.
The software includes EasyArch architectural plugin and Artisan Render module for more realistic visual experience, and supports several additional CAD standards like STL 3D printer export, Google Earth KML import/export and in-place DWG block editing for quick dimensioning/attribute extraction to BOM or Table. You can even use GEOMAPSERVICE command for geolocating with Bing Maps.
