What is new in 4MCAD19

Working with Files

• Version 2018 .dwg files are opened and converted to version 2013 .dwg files.

• Export to a 3D .pdf file
• Export to a 2D .pdf file now includes new compression modes, image clipping, and gradient hatches.
• For .pdf, .dwg, and .dgn underlays, new support includes monochrome, fade, background color adjust, show, and show clipped properties.
• Export to a .bmp file now supports visual styles.
• Search for files when using the Open command by clicking Tools > Find.
• More options are available for attaching point cloud files using the Point Cloud Underlay command.

Performance Enhancements
• Increased performance when working with many external references.
• Increased performance for PDF creation and reduction of resulting .pdf file size
• Increased selection performance in drawings with complex blocks.
• Improved pan and zoom speed for very large drawing files.
• New CACHEFILES will externally cache layout data to enhance layout switching performance and memory usage.

• Improved entity snap performance in drawings with underlays.

• Improved redraw performance when creating and updating entities in a drawing that has a large number of existing entities

Text
• New multiline text editor allows users to edit multiline text in place. However, not all multiline text features are implemented in the new editor. To switch to the older dialog box version of the multiline text editor, set the MTEXTED system variable to "oldeditor".
• New Field command allows users to create a field as multiline text

• The in-place Multiline Text editor now supports line spacing, lists, and paragraph justification.

• Use the new Explode Text command to break multiline text and single-line text into polylines.

• The new Auto Number command adds numbering to text, multiline text, multileaders, or block attributes

Hatches
• New dialog box interface for the Boundary Hatch command.
• HATCHTOBACK command moves hatches to the back of the draw order.
 

User Interface
• Show drawings on individual tabs in the main 4MCAD window. Use the Options command, click the Display tab, then click MDI Options to specify settings for drawing tabs.
• Easily save workspaces by clicking Workspaces in the status bar and choosing Save Current As.
• The Drawing Settings command has improved user interface that uses tabs instead of drop-down lists that were used previously.
• Added -MENUUNLOAD command line version.

Selecting and modifying entities

• Search for entities that match properties of other entities using the new Select Similar command. The entities with properties that match are then added to the selection set.

• The new Explode Attributes command ungroups blocks, creating separate entities for each element and converting attributes to text.

• The new Get Selection command selects all entities in a drawing that match both the layer of an entity you select and the type of an entity you select.

Working with entities
• New dialog box for the REFEDIT command and new -REFEDIT command
• New dialog box for the ARRAY command and new -ARRAY command.
• New TEXTTOFRONT command moves text, dimensions, and leaders to the front of other entities.
 

Viewing and rendering drawings
• New commands VPMAX and VPMIN allowing users to maximize and minimize viewports.
 

More features
• Select entities by creating filters using the Filter command.

• New Filter option for the -LAYER command.

• When using the Print command, you can now select print transparency.

• The Properties pane now supports more entities and additional properties, such as light entities and light properties, material properties, etc.
• Entity snapping for underlays are now accessible using the Options command.
• New BCOUNT command counts the number of blocks in a selection set.
• New IMAGEFRAMEMODE command controls whether image frames are visible and printed.
• New command line version commands: -MENU and -MENULOAD.
 

APIs
• 4MCAD19 8.3 uses Teigha version 4.2.0 from Open Design Alliance.
• Major LISP upgrade (VL*, VLA*, VLAX* functions).

• Updated .NET API with new functions
• .NET plugins can now be autoloaded.
 

System Variables
• Added or updated: ARTISANLICENSE, AUDIONOTETOOLTIP, BLOCKCACHE, CACHEFILES, CACHEMAXFILES, CACHEMAXTOTALSIZE, DGNOSNAP, DRAWINGTYPE, DTEXTED, DWFOSNAP, HYPERLINKBASE, LAYLOCKFADECTL, ORBITPREVIEWDELAY, PDFOSNAP, RENDERPLANARENTS, SHOWGRIPMENUS, SKETCHMODE, UNDERLAYFADEDEFAULT, WNDCUSDLGPOS, WNDCUSDLGSIZE, WSAUTOSAVE, XDWGFADECTL, XFADECTL, DTEXTED, GFANG, GFCLR1, GFCLR2, GFCLRLUM, GFCLRSTATE, GFNAME, GFSHIFT, MDISTYLE, MTEXTED, TEXTED, TEXTEDITMODE, XCLIPFRAME. BLIPSIZE, IFCOSNAP, MLEADERSCALE, SELECTSIMILARMODE, SNAPSIZE, UOSNAP