Articles and Press Releases

At the ITC it's not just the co-op business model or the access to IntelliCAD source code that makes the organization open, it also runs through company culture.

A few examples observed in Prague at IntelliCAD World 2018:

• Systems. In-house systems are open for member taking. Scale your own in-house systems by re-implementing the ones used by the ITC: installer, crash reporting, build management, product quality, localization, documentation.
• Hierarchy. The hierarchical structure at the ITC is relatively flat, and even if someone has "Lead" or "Manager" or even "President" behind their name, they are accessible to discussions ranging from new ideas to knowledge sharing to coffee. 
• Focus. The ITC team focuses on the technical details of CAD technology, but just as important is their focus on member needs. Need a feature implemented? Need a focus on a whole new area of development? Let them know to get the discussions started.
• Collaboration. ITC developers collaborate with ITC members on features and fixes, and members even donate their own features back to core IntelliCAD. The open atmosphere also extends to members collaborating with each other, and in some cases even new member products. Some members are competitors, and yes, they collaborate too.

With all of this openness, direct communication is a necessity. It's only then that the openness can thrive, promoting clear objectives that work for a collective — not just one company.

IntelliCAD 9 was released earlier this summer — twenty years after the initial version of IntelliCAD was released in 1998 by Visio Corp.

At the conference we learned about IntelliCAD 9's new features, most of which we saw during a live demo:

• The .dwg file format continues to be heavily used after 20 years. IntelliCAD 9 includes support for the most recent 2018 .dwg version.
• The .dgn file format also continues to be heavily used. After focusing for nearly twenty years on .dwg file support and editing, IntelliCAD 9 also supports opening, editing, and saving .dgn files in their native format. 
• BIM! Work with rvt.rfa files and .ifc files.
• Mechanical! Open and view Mechanical entities. (The ability to work with Architecture and Civil entities also continues.)
• Attach a new format for point clouds: .rcp/.rcs.
• Draw construction lines.
• Draw and modify 3D meshes using the new Facet Modeler for lightweight 3D drawings.
• Use a camera to view drawings.
• Use new express tools for blocks, external references, text, and editing.
• Reset dimension text and reassociate dimension text.
• And more.

For more details:

• Watch the IntelliCAD 9 highlight video >>
• Read about the IntelliCAD platform >>

Who would have guessed that IntelliCAD — first released as an Autodesk® AutoCAD® clone twenty years ago by Visio Corp. — would some day support .dgn editing? Probably no one.

At IntelliCAD World 2018 in Prague this week we got an update on the ITC's DGN initiative.

The goal is to open and edit .dwg and .dgn files using one application: IntelliCAD. 

A choice in .dgn editors is exactly in line with IntelliCAD's roots as a choice in .dwg editors. Not only that, but soon users will be able to use one application and choose their file format according to their needs. More choice.

Here's the current status for working with .dgn files:

• Draw and edit .dgn entities. 
• Select .dgn entities and use grips and snaps.
• Assign layers, colors and properties to .dgn entities. 
• Re-use .dwg-based scripts, LISP, SDS, and IRX code with .dgn. (Some function coverage is still under development.)

For more details about the ITC and DGN:

• Website >>
• Highlight video >>

One big change in the last twenty years since IntelliCAD was first released is use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) drawings, which usually contain 3D models of buildings that can be used for visualization, design, analysis, and to generate building construction documents.

At IntelliCAD World 2018 we learned which BIM files IntelliCAD works with and what you can do with them:

• RVT/RFA format — Drawing and family files from Autodesk® Revit®. Attach these files as underlays in IntelliCAD, then control visibility of floors and categories, snap to entities, and explode the underlay into primitives and meshes.
• IFC format — Drawing files in the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) format. Attach these files as underlays too, or import them in IntelliCAD to retain entities and convert construction and architectural entities to AEC entities.

There was a lot of talk about BIM at the conference. Some ITC members are attaching BIM underlays, exploding them, then retracing primitives to get walls and other building elements as data for their custom applications. More members are interested in the BIM Special Interest Group, and with more collaboration, development will advance at a faster pace. Members want access to BIM files, and like all things IntelliCAD, members drive the development direction.

For more details about the ITC and BIM:

• Website >>
• Highlight video >>

ITC continues celebrating 20 years of IntelliCAD at IntelliCAD Word 2018 in Prague. Here's what was happening right around the time IntelliCAD was first released on March 16, 1998:

• 02/1998 — Visio Corp. forms a non-profit cooperative, OpenDWG Alliance (aka ODA, Open Design Alliance). Visio provides a perpetual license for AUTODIRECT libraries/source to the ODA.
• 03/1998 — Visio Corp. releases IntelliCAD 98.
• 12/1998 — Visio Corp. announces licensing IntelliCAD as a solutions development platform.
• 07/1999 — Visio Corp. announces creation of a CAD platform cooperative, IntelliCAD Technology Consortium (ITC). The established bylaws were similar to those established for ODA.
• 09/1999 — Microsoft Corp. acquires Visio.

That's how IntelliCAD came to the ITC. 

Just like IntelliCAD, the ITC was established to provide alternative, open access to .dwg data and design. The ITC continues to promote open access to .dwg and provide its co-op members with the technology they need — including source code — to deliver products and custom CAD technologies in the marketplace based on IntelliCAD.

Welcome to IntelliCAD World 2018! The ITC group and the CAD community are in Prague, Czech Republic for three days of collaboration and idea exchange.

This year the ITC is celebrating IntelliCAD's 20th year, and it was time to recap a little history. First, IntelliCAD's roots. As with any software product, development began long before IntelliCAD's initial release. Here's a summary of the timeline leading up to the March 16, 1998 launch by Visio Corp.:

• 1994 — Softdesk starts developing an Autodesk® AutoCAD® clone called IntelliCADD, outsourcing development to a third-party in San Diego, CA.
• 06/1996 — As Autodesk looks to acquire Softdesk, Softdesk looks to sell IntelliCADD to its creators, Boomerang Technologies.
• 12/1996 — Autodesk acquires Softdesk and tries to block the sale of IntelliCADD, but the FTC steps in, and Boomerang acquires IntelliCADD.
• 02/1997 — Two months later, Visio Corp. acquires Boomerang for $6.7M and retains ownership of IntelliCADD.
• 03/1997 — Autodesk and Softdesk settle with the FTC. 
• 01/1998 — Visio Corp. acquires MarComp, Inc., a private company creating the AUTODIRECT toolkit to read/write .dwg files. This library is the key component for .dwg compatibility in IntelliCAD.
• 02/1998 — Visio Corp. forms a non-profit cooperative, OpenDWG Alliance (aka ODA, Open Design Alliance). Visio provides a perpetual license for AUTODIRECT libraries/source to the ODA.
• 03/1998 — Visio Corp. announces the release of highly anticipated IntelliCAD 98!

So IntelliCAD exchanged hands several times before even being released. How did it get from Visio to the ITC? We learned that too of course! We'll recap that part of the story next.

The CAD community is en route to Prague, Czech Republic for IntelliCAD World 2018. From July 30 to August 1, ITC members and developers will join together to discuss everything CAD and to gain insights from each other for advancing their technologies in various industries.

Stay tuned for more details from the conference. Sneak peek: did you know that IntelliCAD is turning 20 this year?

From July 30 to August 1, ITC members, developers, and the CAD community will join together in Prague, Czech Republic for IntelliCAD World 2018.

IntelliCAD takes the stage July 30 to August 1, 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic. 

Just two months away, IntelliCAD World Conference 2018 is gearing up to spotlight the IntelliCAD development platform, ITC member technologies, and how the two intersect. Bring your CAD ideas and be prepared to be inspired by a talented group of CAD industry leaders. 

Registration for the conference is free. Simply register and arrange your own travel and accommodations at the conference hotel. 

Join us July 30 to August 1, 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic for IntelliCAD World Conference 2018!

Learn about the newest IntelliCAD development platform, see how ITC members are using IntelliCAD technologies to enhance their businesses, and meet one-on-one with core ITC developers who are creating IntelliCAD.

And the other key aspect of the conference? ITC members provide direction for future development. That's just one of the ways that the IntelliCAD co-op works for its members.

Registration for the conference is free. Simply register and arrange your own travel and accommodations at the conference hotel.