Articles and Press Releases

IntelliCAD has always — since its first release twenty years ago — been based on technology that is now governed and advanced by the Open Design Alliance (ODA). In the beginning the focus was on .dwg, but over the years, both technologies have seemed to outgrow their initial aim on replicating the .dwg file format (ODA) and replicating its end-user capabilities (ITC).

This point was not necessarily highlighted in Prague, but the link between ITC and ODA technology was mentioned throughout the conference with the nonchalant transparency that is commonplace among the IntelliCAD community.

• IntelliCAD — Uses the latest ODA libraries.
• BIM — Attach Autodesk® Revit® files as underlays, based on the ODA BIM component. 
• Mobile — Based on ODA libraries. 
• Walls, windows, doors, slabs — Draw and edit architectural entities (new in IntelliCAD 9), based on the ODA Architecture component. 
• Smart meshes — Draw and edit lightweight 3D meshes (new in IntelliCAD 9), based on the ODA Facet Modeler. 
• Custom objects — Work with custom architecture, civil, and mechanical objects, based on ODA Architecture, Civil, and Mechanical components.

The ITC employs many components of ODA technology (including ODA source code), then customizes that technology according to the needs of their members. And that's exactly what ITC members do: they employ many components of ITC technology (including ITC source code), then customize that technology according to the needs of their end-users. It's a consistent business model from start to finish.

Two decades of IntelliCAD has built a solid foundation for blending CAD with new technology that wasn't around twenty years ago. Like smartphones.

At IntelliCAD World 2018 in Prague we got an update on all things IntelliCAD Mobile. The mobile app is currently a viewer that runs on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows (desktop app). You can do all the navigation that you'd expect and also toggle layers and measure with a tape line. A variety of file types are supported, not just one or two: 

• .dwg: Open or view as external reference; includes architecture, civil, and mechanical objects.
• .dxf: Open.
• .dwf: Open or view as external reference.
• .dae (COLLADA): Open.
• .pdf: View as external reference.
• .png, .jpeg, .tiff, and more: Open or view as external reference.
• .dgn: Coming soon for open and external references.

IntelliCAD Mobile, like IntelliCAD desktop versions, is built with libraries from the ODA. IntelliCAD continues to be intertwined with ODA technology after twenty years of growth by both organizations. And partnerships are what the ITC is all about. We'll be posting soon about ITC members and their technologies presented at the conference. Impressive technology. Impressive partners.

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.

Recently released: ActCAD 2019 version 84792. The release is a maintenance release with important fixes and improvements. ActCAD users can use the CHECKFORUPDATES command to get the updated version.

ActCAD 2019, based on the IntelliCAD engine, is designed for civil, mechanical, architectural, electrical, structural, interior and exterior design consultants.

• Download ActCAD 2019 >>
• Details about the update >>