Articles and Press Releases

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. 

Entrepreneurial solutions from entrepreneurs. It was the morning of the last day at IntelliCAD World when four ITC members presented their IntelliCAD solutions and highlights of why they were members of the consortium. 

David Carlson, Carlson Software

Carlson Software has been in the CAD business since the 80s and delivers products in the civil, mining, GIS, construction, survey, data collection, and machine control markets. In Auckland, we saw a demo of working with 3D contours: overburden, elevations, fence diagrams, ground, strata.

When Carlson joined the ITC in 2007, in under a year they released their same software that ran with Autodesk® AutoCAD® to run with IntelliCAD too. Now Carlson's products come with IntelliCAD built-in at no extra cost, and users decide whether to purchase a seat of AutoCAD. The ability to choose matters.

We also learned that Carlson is a big contributor to LandXML, where they contributed a free 3D LandXML viewer and upgrade tools. LandXML is an open data standard used within the land development industry. Open standards also matter.

Go Carlson Software >>

Bill Wright, Wrightsoft

Wrightsoft has also been in the CAD business since the 80s when it started out with no venture capital. Seeing a need back then for better heating, ventilation, and air conditioning design, they continue to deliver HVAC planning, design, sales, and installation software for the desktop and now for tablet and mobile.

Wrightsoft has solutions based on their own CAD editor and another line that's based on IntelliCAD, which we saw in action: load meters, diameters and sizes, data extraction, and automatic calculations on-the-go when you change anything in a room or building.

And then there's BIM. With Wrightsoft and IntelliCAD, you can auto-trace a BIM .rvt file to automatically generate smart objects and make calculations. It's a great example of what members are doing with the beta version libraries for reading and writing BIM .rvt files.

Wrightsoft has also changed the way HVAC gets done. They were an original partner with the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) to define HVAC standards that continue to be used today. Market disruption matters. Standards matter. 

Go Wrightsoft >>

Brian Sloman, MicroSurvey 

MicroSurvey has been in business for 30 years. They joined the ITC in 2005 and ported their code base to IntelliCAD 6. They build vertical solutions on top of IntelliCAD for survey design and mapping, mining, and the public safety sector. 

At IntelliCAD World we saw a demo of IMS Map360 that runs with IntelliCAD. It can import data from manual measurements (think tape measures which are still very common), survey equipment, laser scanners, terrestrial (tripods), and cameras mounted on vehicles, drones, and backpacks. Output includes sketches and reports that are often used during court hearings to prove facts. There's heavy use of point clouds (even animated), architectural objects, trajectory rods (cones of uncertainty), and Trimble SketchUp symbols. 

With all of this technology, the design for public safety products has to be simple and easy to use. Their end-users aren't CAD from the CAD world and shouldn't need to be in order to get all the precision of CAD. Good design matters.

Go MicroSurvey >>

Mark Taylor, FRAMECAD

FRAMECAD has been in business since 1987 and joined the ITC in 2011. They develop the FRAMECAD System — software and hardware that designs and builds efficient, strong, and durable steel framed buildings.

A few days before at the start of the conference, we were at the FRAMECAD site to see a live demo of the IntelliCAD-based software at work. And then the machine was at work, taking in steel and outputting braces for a wall, all within a couple of minutes.

Back at the conference, we learned that BIM is really important for FRAMECAD moving forward: reading in drawings that contain all the data they need in a "fast, easy, friendly" way. But it's more than that: BIM has the power to move from planning and drawing in a silo to planning and drawing in collaboration. And collaboration is key from the FRAMECAD perspective to build faster and with fewer mistakes when all the various players show up to the construction site. Collaboration matters. 

Go FRAMECAD >>