Topic Title

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

With the release of DataCAD23, I'm curious what would be some of the biggest benefits of going from DataCAD 16 to Datacad 23. Some of the things I see are better handling of Autocad import/export and the PDF Creation enhancements. Are there any big improvements on the Smart Wall features?

Anything off the top of anyone's head would be great!

Thanks!

Aaron Ben-Avraham
ABA Residential Designs
678-663-0229

Although DataCAD 16 was really nice, the enhancements that have been made since 16 are fantastic. I don't have the features list for each version to check, so this is just a quick list of things that I think were added since 16. Naturally, DataCAD 23 will have all of them, and more.

Smart Arrows - Single entity with polyline-like features where the arrowhead tracks the first line and adjusts automatically if the vertex is moved. Also, draw from head or tail option.
User can create custom line types... Easy, easy, easy.
Direction and Distance selection - So useful that seldom use anything else.
User defined Alias commands - Like having an infinite number of Macros
Knockout - Hides drawing behind selected items. A good example is hiding hatching behind text.
Scale independent features - Text, dimensions, hatch patterns, symbols.
Helplines - Done so perfectly that even hardcore ACAD users can't find anything to complain about.
Bitmap/jpg/PDF insertion
PDF merging
Batch Printing - For me, a fantastic option that allows me to have a single controlling file with a ton of XRefs/Views for a project set. Then, at print time, no more open file, print file multiple copies, collate.
Open ACAD file directly
Cntrl+key selection - Again, I think it was in 16, but I cant recall.
Date/Time/File stamp - This might have been in 16, but I can't recall off-hand.

I've included a file that shows my quick keys for Letters, Alt+, & Ctrl+. Naturally, it doesn't show my Alias key list, but those fill in even the least used commands.

All I know about upgrading is that it would be painful to have to go back to earlier versions simply because DataCAD keeps adding capabilities (In 2D) that I have now come to depend on for efficiency's sake.


That's are just a quick list of items that you'll see up front if you upgrade. Some, you might think that you'll never use, but if you don't, then you're simply using a gelded copy of DataCAD. In the event that you do choose to upgrade

Good luck,
Woody

Yeah, there is tons of stuff added since v16, but you would have a better idea of what would be most applicable to how you work. I would suggest looking at the What's new section for v17 here and then when you reach the bottom of the page, click on the What's New in DataCAD 18 link at the lower right side of the page and continue thru each version's what new page to get a good overview of the main features added up to v23.

Once you have familiarized yourself a bit with what you might be interested in feel free to come back and ask questions about any specifics you might have and I am sure someone can help out.

Here are the things I actually use on a semi daily basis at a glance for each version from the What's New lists. Orange items are biggies, and blue are must haves for me personally. I did not go thru the list of configs or extended character codes below, just the main features.

v17:
Mask by Hatch Pattern
Symbol Tools
Symbol Attribute Text
Changing Text
Changing MText and PText Line Factor

XREFs
The "Entity Properties Editor" for symbols and XREFs, accessed via the [Ctrl]+[Right-click] context menu, now displays the "Line Spacing Factor." This value is the line spacing factor/enlargement. It is also shown in the [Ctrl]+[Right-click]/Identify context menu, and in the list of information returned by the Identify command.

XREFs on locked layers can now be refreshed (but not reloaded).

Layer Manager
When "Keep Layer Manager Open" is checked on the Layer Manager, it will now remain on-screen throughout an editing session, even if all drawings are closed.

GoTo Views
Previously, if a drawing contained more than 10 GoTo Views, and you accessed the second page of the list, chose Move View, picked a view to move, and then picked the view to move it in front of, DataCAD would revert to the first page of views when finished. Now, DataCAD remains on the page you were on when you began the process of moving the view.

v18
Resolving Broken Links to Databases
Edit Attribute Menu
Get Snap Enhancements
New 3D Edit Menus
Identify, Set All: Smart Arrows
Process XREFs
No Scroll Forward / Backward Keys
Fix Text Toggle
Persistent Layer Manager Hotkey
Color Menu Goes Directly To Dialog
Edit Symbol Fields Dialog

v19
AEC File Repair - HUGE! Worth the upgrade alone, get's better in v23!
Program Preferences - Also HUGE! Makes most important Config settings accessible from the program prefs dialog.
New Ellipse Creation Methods
Plot Scale Dropdown / Print Icon
Symbol Browser: Flatten to Zero
Measures: To Clipboard
Custom Support Path
Wide Menu Labels
Symbol Browser: Audit Symbol Files - Helpful to do a once in a while audit/cleanup of my symbol files to help remove any bad entities from them. Just browse your symbol library folder structure with the Symbol Browser.
Symbol Editor: Inherit Parent Input Mode
New Regen
Undo: Disable During Import
Symbol Browser: Windows Cursor

v20
Symbol Layer Control - Maybe my most used feature of all since it was added. It does have a little remembering it's state glitch right now, but it is super powerful. Gets better as the versions increase.
The maximum number of Fence points has been increased (from 36) to 256 in Stretch
DataCAD will now save the Active layer upon a Symbol's creation.
It is now possible to Object Snap to the Absolute Zero indicator.
The display grids can now be set to a custom color.
A new toggle, Ignore CC (Clip Cubes), has been added to the symbol insert menu.
A new option, By Center, has been added to the Move, Drag menu.
For convenience, an 'Abs. Zero' option has been added to the Multi-scale Plotting, Layout menu.
A New Layer option has been added to the Layer, Import menu.
The Reload option is now available in the Symbol Browser's context menu, for loaded symbols, when browsing by folder.

v21
Enhanced Softlock Integration
Improved Symbol Layer Control
Symbol Layer Manager
Symbol Layer Manager: GoTo View Link Options
Symbol Browser: Recent / Favorite Folder Manager:
New options have been added to the AEC File Repair dialog.
[Ctrl] + Clicking on a Symbol will now open the Symbol Layer Manager if Symbol Layer Control is set to Per Instance.
Added Check Spelling to the context menu for Text, PText, MText, Symbol Attribute Text, and Symbols.
Added the options, Half and Double to the Enlarge menu.
A new option, Real-time Updating, has been added to the Persistent Layer Manager. If un-checked, the Layer Manager will only update its layer list when the dialog has the Focus.
Added a new Color Picker/Mixer to replace the previous one.
The Entity Properties Editor has been updated...
Added new options, Hatched, and Filled, to the Mask menu.

v22
Symbol Browser Show Nested
Mask Selection in Geometry Offset
Fat Cursor
Symbol Explode Include Off Layers
XREF: Show Hatch / Show Fill
Symbol Insertion Point by Center
Delete to Recycle Bin
Create Missing Folders - still needs a little work

v23
Transparent Fills - Super awesome!
32 Bit Bitmaps (Alpha Channel) - Also super awesome!
New Image Formats
Batch Printing Enhancements
Hatch Pattern Manager Advanced Options
Multi-View Window Enhancements
Repair option is now available from the File pull-down menu when a drawing is open. - I haven't tried this yet, but would be handy if it works well.
Error Codes - Helps troubleshoot after running a repair.

As usual, when one asks a question, Josh answers it completely.
Thank you, Josh.
Woody

Thanks Josh and Woody for your comprehensive replies! It is very much appreciated. I've got a lot of learning to do to get up to speed with the new version!

Aaron

One of the many things that I liked about DataCAD early on was the single key activation for various commands and the user definable nature of them. The addition of the Ctrl+ capability was great, but even after modifying many or most all of the allowable keys, macros, Alt+, and Ctrl+ keys, there were still a few commands that I wanted to be able to access. Those commands and functions became accessible immediately upon DataCAD's introduction of Alias commands. All of my money making usage of DataCAD is in 2D and the only thing that I have to offer as an architect is speed and efficiency. DataCAD gave me both somewhere in the versions between 13 and 23. Not only have I revised a lot of the original keys and macros, but I've been able to add so much (personally oriented) to the base package.
I just counted and I have sixty two alias commands. Many of them are multiple commands deep or complex type procedures that take several or many keystrokes to execute. One would think that with so many, it would be easy to loose track of what command does what, but that's not really the case. The alias name ends up being like a picture of what I want to do. Icons, anyone?
If you decide to upgrade and have not modified the base DataCAD very much, I suspect that the benefits that you see will be marginal. But, if you use the upgrade as a reason to dig into utilizing many of the enhancements that have been introduced since version 16 or earlier, you'll feel like the entire process was worth the change. It might be more work initially, but downstream that work will seem trivial.
Good luck,
Woody

p.s. I have upgraded with every version since Version 3 and have not had a single one that made me feel like I'd wasted my investment. Version 23 is sure to be no different.