New features in BricsCAD V22

A whitepaper by DESIGNSENSE Software Technologies

BricsCAD recently (July 2022) release the 22.2.05 update, which is said to be the last minor update of BricsCAD prior to the V23 release in October 2022. This document post explores some of the new and unique features of BricsCAD V22 Pro, that makes it stand apart from several of its competition products.

Introduction

BricsCAD software is from Bricsys, a Belgium-based CAD to BIM to MCAD company that is now part of the Swedish technology company Hexagon AB.

Familiar and Compatible CAD

BricsCAD is fully based on the industry standard dwg format, with full command, script, macro and menu compatibility. BricsCAD feels like home, and highly compatible with all other .dwg CAD platforms!

It is easy to share drawings and support files from BricsCAD with other users, within your organization, as well as with your clients, ecosystem partners and suppliers.

With V22, this compatibility and interoperability factor has improved 10x, compared to earlier versions.

BricsCAD V22 Pro opens and saves .dwg files 5x faster than earlier versions. This is possible due unique dwg-caching and demand loading technology.

BricsCAD® Pro is highly compatible with AutoCAD® 2022

There’s no need to retrain your people, change your printers, templates, blocks, hatch patterns/linetypes or sheet set layouts to move to BricsCAD – they are fully compatible.

Command names, aliases, and system variables are the same in BricsCAD and AutoCAD®. BricsCAD is based on native DWG for the highest compatibility with other CAD users across all industries.

BricsCAD v22 covers and fixes many of the small gaps that were found in earlier versions, to now make it 100% compatible with personal preferences of each of your CAD drafters and designers.

Command compatible

Menu (.CUI, .CUIX) compatible
Macro/script compatible
Support file (.PC3, .LIN, .PAT, .DWT, .SSM) compatible
Based on 2018 DWG technology

The best API compatibility among .dwg platforms

With BricsCAD V22, the API compatibility now ranks as the best in industry, comparable to the benchmark AutoCAD platform.

AutoLISP and API support

BricsCAD fully supports LISP, slashing the time it takes to do repetitive drafting tasks. It’s compatible with AutoCAD® AutoLISP format, making it simple to re-use existing routines. It also features a powerful API, providing a platform for many industry-specific independent applications.

.NET and C++ / ARX compatibility

.NET and ARX code written for AutoCAD will work on BricsCAD with no changes at the source code level. BricsCAD also supports the same developer environment – Visual Studio for .NET/BRX and has a native IDE called BLADE for Lisp development also.

Point Cloud Processing capabilities

Point cloud processing has improved significantly in V22. BricsCAD uses an improved data representation to speed up the performance of point cloud display, using half the disk space versus the point cloud source files.

Point clouds in .ptx, .pts, .las and .rcp formats are pre-processed to our .vrm project file format in the background, on your machine. There is no productivity loss as you can continue working during the caching process.

Intelligent Design Tools

BricsCAD features unique AI-powered, intelligent tools to help you do more, faster. They help you to automate manual tasks, optimise drawings, and assist user input, significantly reducing effort and increasing your design productivity.

Parametric Blocks: a dynamic approach to creating 2D or 3D Blocks

Parametric blocks automate repetitive tasks by allowing users to create one block instead of lots of similar, separate block definitions. You can create both 2D and 3D block definitions using the same set of tools and workflow that you are familiar with.

Blockify

This unique tool automatically converts repetitive sets of 2D or 3D drawing geometry to block definitions, instantly ensuring cleaner, higher-performing and better organized drawings.

Optimize drawing quality

OPTIMIZE corrects your drawing issues by automatically finding and healing inconsistencies such as gaps and misalignment which may otherwise be difficult to see, improving drawing accuracy and giving you a cleaner, more efficient result.

Powerful Variational 3D Modeling

BricsCAD Pro V22 is a full-fledged variational 3D modeling platform. Our unique approach to 3D design combines the best of unconstrained direct modeling and parametric design worlds.

You’re free to express your creativity at the early design stage through dynamic direct modelling, interactively manipulating solid and surface geometry as you move your mouse.

As the design evolves, you can add more dimensional control, or even fully parametrize the design, automatically, and all without the complexity imposed by a history-based approach.

Design Freedom

BricsCAD offers unique capabilities providing you with the freedom to work the way you want to.

With flexible licensing, the ability to freely flow in and out of 2D and 3D workflows, and our adaptable approach to 3D modeling, you are empowered to choose the best approach for you.

The CADPower Advantage – a DESIGNSENSE Exclusive

CADPower Productivity pack

As a bonus from Designsense Software, we have offered to you our CADPower productivity pack with every license of BricsCAD purchased from us.

CADPower offers 400+ productivity tools to make your CAD work faster, accurate and predictable.

CADPower A2B Migration pack

The AutoCAD-to-BricsCAD migration module in CADPower makes it super-easy for all styles of AutoCAD users to migrate to BricsCAD – bring in shortcuts to access BricsCAD settings, offering pre-defined templates of suggested BricsCAD UI/UX configurations and more.

One of the first things you look for when you switch from one CAD environment to another is if you have all the familiar tools and conveniences you need. For a CAD user making the switch to BricsCAD, 99% of the familiar-interface is already in place, thanks to the high level of compatibility BricsCAD already provides.

There are still a small bunch of missing tools, probably because it was tricky for Bricsys to add them to the native code without running into copyright issues.

We have always cheekily maintained that there are tools that Bricsys forgot to add. We have bridged the gap, that last mile of missing tools via our CADPower productivity software. These tools are FREEWARE – Forever, meaning that you will never need to purchase CADPower to use them. CADPower is used by a large number of BricsCAD users across the globe, not only to ease their transition to BricsCAD, but also to leverage from its other set of productivity tools that bring in a 5x-10x advantage of speed. We have made the familiar interface of BricsCAD even more familiar.

We have given these tools a new identity by creating a separate menu and toolbar captioned “FREEWARE-By-CADPower” in the CADPower drop-down menu and inside the exclusive migration menu called BricsCAD+. The tools are also available within the main CADPower menu as well. There is a ribbonized interface as well. Here is a list of those FREEWARE tools that native BricsCAD does not have, but CADPower brings them to you

What’s New in BricsCAD V22