What's new in 4MCAD21

I. Highlights for 4MCAD PRO v.21

Interoperability – working with files

• PDF to CAD conversion (DWG file)
• Import Revit files (RFA and RVT format files)
• Import and export IGES format files
• Import and export STEP format files
• Working with point clouds – attaching point cloud .rcp/.rcs files

New BIM entities/objects

• ADT Objects (architectural desktop objects): Creates ADT walls, openings (windows, doors), curtain walls, stairs, ramps, roofs, rails, studs, joists etc
• Conversion of entities to walls and slabs.
• Steel Elements: creates steelwork elements: profiles, plates, bolts, studs, joists etc.
• Wood Elements: creates woodwork elements.
• Creation of elevation lines and section lines.

3D Solid Modelling

• Conversion of entities to three-dimensional meshes or surfaces using the Convert to Mesh and Convert to Surface commands.
• Facet Modeler to draw these 3D entity types: box (FMBOX), cone (FMCONE), cylinder (FMCYLINDER), pyramid (FMPYRAMID), sphere (FMSPHERE), and torus (FMTORUS).
• Draw construction lines using the new Construction Line command.
• FM3DCONVERT and FMEXTRUDE commands to convert more types of three-dimensional entities to other types of three-dimensional entities.
• Editing of the 3D entities of the new Facet Modeler: 3D convert (FM3DCONVERT), extrude (FMEXTRUDE), intersect (FMINTERSECT), revolve (FMREVOLVE), subtract (FMSUBTRACT), and union (FMUNION).

II. General New Features for 4MCAD v.21

(Applied to all versions - 4MCAD Classic, 4MCAD Standard and 4MCAD PRO)

Latest DWG format

• Read/Write to Autocad2018 format (previous version 19 had only the Read function)

Interface

• Tool Palette (acad-like Tool Palette)
• Ribbon menus & menu bar interface, both together at the same time.
• “Save Workspace”command (WSSAVE)for saving a workspace and its settings.
• “Close All Others” command (CLOSEALLOTHER) to close all drawing windows except the current one.
• Other improvements: Quick CUI command, Right-click a drawing tab to see options for the tab, Cursor Types (regular, gunsightand XOR when overlapping a same color area), etc

Blocks and External references

• New command Convert Block to XRef to convert each occurrence of a selected block to an external reference.

Selecting and modifying entities

• Selection Filter command to display the Selection Filter pane (allowing to filter and select entities by layer, color, entity type, and linetype).
• Selection Cycling tab to specify how to select when selecting entities that overlap.
• Overkill command to delete or combine duplicate or overlapping entities.
• View and select a range of actions on the Undo/Redo toolbar
• Thicken command to convert surfaces and meshes into three-dimensional solids with a specified thickness (4MCAD PRO).
• Additional grips and properties to polygons, rectangles and break lines, for smart editing.

Viewing

• New CAMERA command to create and modify view settings for a drawing.

Text

• Work with multiline text using right-to-left fonts.
• Create additional types of lists for multiline text.
• Resize text using the Scale Text command.
• Draw a circle, rectangle, or dashed line around text using the Enclose Text with Shape command.
• Position text within a defined space using the Text Fit command.

Print

• Export Layout to Model (.dwg)
• Publish drawings to DWF and DWFx.
• Auto Publish command to automatically create electronic files (.dwf/.pdf) from the current drawing.

APIs

• .NET wrappers for architectural objects.
• Load IRX applications automatically in IntelliCAD via the registry.

Enhanced Performance

• Improved performance when snapping to .pdf files, blocks with many nested entities and point clouds.
• Zoom and Pan, 3 times faster for clipped external references.
• Opening external reference files much faster.
• Improved performance when selecting by window.
• Incremental saving of .dwg files is supported, providing much faster saving of large .dwg files that contain only a few changes.
• New system variables: AECAUTOUPDATE, AUTOMATICPUB, AUTOPUBLISHPATH, BLOCKEDITLOCK, CROSSHAIRMODE, OVERKILLMODE, OVERKILLTOLERANCE, OVERKILLTOLARCCHORD, OVERKILLTOLARCENDPOINT, REFPATHTYPE, SELECTIONCYCLING, SJTABTINDEX, TASKBAR, WOODTABINDEX, and XREFNOTIFY.

4MCAD is available in four versions:

4MCAD Viewer: CAD Viewing & Printing plus adding texts & dimensions

4MCAD Classic: 2D/3D CAD Complete Design (lowest price/highest value for the 2D designers)

4MCAD Standard: 4MCAD Classic + Raster Image + Rendering

4MCAD PRO (Professional): 4MCAD Standard + Files (BIM/IFC, STEP, IGES, Revit-RFA/RVT, +PDF2DWG) + ADT Objects (Conventional/Steel/Wood) + 3D Solids + VBA support + Library Manager