Visual CADD™ v9 Features

	Visual CADD™ v9 Overview - Read about the features which make Visual CADD™ so easy to learn and powerful to use.
	Visual CADD™ Screenshot - See the Visual CADD™ application window and user interface.
	Visual CADD™ Master Tour - Take a tour of the major Visual CADD™ features.

Complete What's New

What's New - Complete list of What's New in the latest Release version, including all features, changes, bug fixes, and API.

What's New in v9 - Highlights

The list below describes new features in Visual CADD™ v9.  Click on the thumbnail at right to open a larger image that will give you a better idea of what v9 looks like.

New Tools

• Added a CurveText/CT tool to place text along a line or curve.
• Added Fence Select and Fence Select Crossing tools, SelFence/NS and SelFenceX/NX, similar to SelWin/SW and SelCross/SX except uses an irregular polygon boundary rather than a rectangle.
• Added RemovePoint/VPR and InsertPoint/VPI tools to remove or insert points in continuous lines and curves.
• Added FitVector/FV tool to fit a scale in a direction, similar to FitScale/FT except scales in a direction rather than horizontal/vertical.
• Added CloseExcept tool to close all drawings except the current one.
• Added FileRevert/RV tool to revert a drawing to the previous save.
• Added FileBackup/BU tool to manually backup a drawing.
• Added FileOpenCopy tool to open a copy of a drawing.
• Added FileOpenSty tool to create a new empty drawing using the settings (style) of another drawing.
• Added FileSaveCopy tool to save a copy of a drawing.
• Added FileSvCpyOpn tool to save a copy of a drawing and open it.
• Added SymOpenPlace tool to open a symbol and begin placing it with the Place Symbol tool.
• Added SymOpenPlac1 tool to open a symbol and place one instance of it with the Place Symbol tool.
• Added SymOpenVCD tool to open a VCS symbol file as if it were a VCD drawing.
• Added ObjXML/OX tool to show object information in XML format.
• Added ConfigDiff tool to migrate certain customization files from previous versions at first startup of v9, to migrate certain customization files on demand later, and to create reports to assist migrating customization files for major version upgrades and for minor dot version updates.
• Improved the WinExec (RUN) command.

New Commands

• Added over 85 new native commands.
• Added native commands to directly access pages of settings tree dialogs: GCDImpFont, GCDExpFont, DWGImpFont, DWGExpFont, DWGImpColor, DWGExpColor, CustCommand, CustShortcut, DimNumeric, WizSummary/WIS.
• Added native command IncremntUndo to toggle the incremental undo of continuous lines exploded to single lines.
• Added native command LdrTabStops to set leader tab stop spaces.
• Added native command DimTextJust to set dimension text justification.
• Added native commands HatchOffsetX, HatchOffsetY, and HatchAlign to set hatch offset and alignment parameters.
• Added native commands UseBrkColor and IgnoreColor to set symbol break color behavior.
• Added native commands RFAngle, RFScaleX, and RFScaleY to set reference frame parameters.
• Added native command GridOrgPt to set the grid origin point.
• Added native command DBSolidHatch to set double lines filled with hatch pattern.
• Added native command PrtCpyPreset to copy an existing print preset.
• Added native command DimFarSideAr to set the far side toggle for radial dimension arrows.
• Changed native command PrtAllBlack from a toggle to use an index.
• Changed native commands FontShowTT, FontShowVCF, FontShowFav, FileProtect, and FileCompress from script-only to toggles.

User Interface

• Added a VCMBR attribute to allow user setting of combobox dropdown heights.
• Added a toolbar button scale feature to TabUI/TBU.
• Added support for external MouseMnu context menu files.
• Added editbox context menu items to show and copy full precision, unrounded values.
• Added the ability to revert editbox "Show Full Value" to the rounded value.
• Added a context menu item to paste the measured value in the dimension Overwrite ribalog.
• Added ZmAutoPan/AA to the default left toolbar and right-click zoom popup menus, including a toolbar bitmap image.
• Added color highlights to toggle status messages: green for ON, red for OFF.
• Added mirror files, with file extensions BK???, of all default customization files created at every Visual CADD startup.
• Added a one-time prompt to choose mouse right-click function to aid in major version upgrades.
• Added the Visual CADD shared folders to the "Browse for Folder" dialog's Places bar.
• Added exponentiation (power) operator ^ and modulus (remainder) operator % to mathematical expressions.
• Added a speedbar context menu item to set all selected objects' properties to by-layer.
• Added F1 context help for the currently running tool.
• Added User Guide to default main menus.
• Added a dialog to show available commands, CmdList/WIC.
• Added native command SnPrevColor for running snap preview color.
• Grid dot styles are now user selectable, with native command GridStyle.
• Added a user customizable button set, up to 4 custom button sets.
• Moved the user interface language from System 2 settings to User Interface settings, TB2 to TBU.
• New Save Symbol user interface.
• Updated all file dialogs to current Windows standard.
• Added right-click context menu to the MDI drawing tabs.
• Added native command MDITabs to toggle the show/hide of the MDI drawing tabs.
• Added DWGImpExp, TabPath, StyleOpt, TabUI, and MDITabs to the default main drawing menu.
• Added tooltips to all settings and tool ribalogs.
• Changed Chamfer/CH, Fillet/FI, LineDbl/LD, RPolyCen/PC, and RPolySide/PS to show their settings ribalogs when they start.
• Added a selection tool flyout button to the default left toolbar.
• Added or improved tooltips on XDH, XDO, MGL, and TBK.
• Added DeSelAll/AD, SelFence/NS, and SelFenceX/NX to the default main menu, popup menus, and selection ribalog.
• Added to the default tool palette several symbol tools, CurveText, LeaderEdit, FillCh, several reference frame tools, several image tools, InsertPoint, RemovePoint, and FitVector.
• Added a one-time warning message with an option to open help, for certain shortcuts which can be accidentally run with unexpected results: IM, IL, IR, IO, LT, LW, TF, TH, TI, HI, PF.
• Added miscellaneous tool settings to TabTools/TBW.
• Added a Windows 11 button set to the TBU button options.
• Improved the TabColor/TBR dialog.
• Added Flip Angle Reference to the main dimension menu.
• Removed the inscribed option from the RPolySide/PS mouse menu.
• Added MTrim1/T1 to main menus, popup menus, and toolbar with new tool bitmaps.

Files and Drawings

• Added feature to backup drawings when they are saved with FileSave/DS and FileSaveAs/FA, with native command BackupOnSave.
• Added the ability to embed TrueType fonts in VCD files.

Text

• Added text mask feature to text, dimensions, and leaders, with native commands TextMasked, TxtMskOffset, DimTxtMasked, and LdrTxtMasked.
• Added word wrap for text, with native command TextWordWrap.
• Added support for TrueType draw as vector to all of text, leaders, and dimensions, with native commands TextTTAsVect, LdrTTAsVect, and DimTTAsVect.
• Added a new vector font outline fill option to all of text, leaders, and dimensions, with native commands TextFillOnly, LdrTxFilOnly, and DimTxFilOnly.
• Added support for kerning to all of text, leaders, and dimensions, with native commands TextKern, LdrKern, and DimKern.
• Added an insert text substitution keyword feature to Text/TL and Leader/LE and their floating text boxes, TextEditor/TE, and LeaderEdit.
• Added context menu with help link to Text Substitution keyword comboboxes.
• Removed the limit of 256 characters per text line.

Text Substitution

• Added $VER() text substitution keyword for drawing version.
• Added PROGRAM as a parameter for $PATH() text substitution keyword to get the Visual CADD EXE's folder.
• The $PATH() text substitution keyword now substitutes the current drawing's path when used without a parameter.
• Added $SUB() and $SUP() text substitution keywords for text subscripts and superscripts.
• Added $SUS() text substitution keyword for single unit stacked fractions for text, similar to $SUF() for single unit slash-style fractions.

Fonts

• Added the ability to hide vertical TrueType fonts in the font lists, with native command FontHideVrt.
• Added a "Draw As Vector" indicator to font lists.

Divide Tool

• Added option to Divide/IV to break into similar objects or lines.
• Added native DivBrkLines to toggle Divide/IV for breaking into similar objects or lines.
• Added support for 1 segment in certain cases of Divide/IV.
• Added support for SelMod/SU in Divide/IV.

Offset Tool

• Added feature to Offset/OF to replace original with the offset or to add the offset.
• Added feature to Offset/OF to offset circles and arcs to continuous Bezier same as ellipses and elliptical arcs.
• Added feature to Offset/OF to set the number of segments in the continuous Bezier when offsetting circles, ellipses, arcs, and elliptical arcs.
• Added native commands OffstAutoSeg, OffstNumSeg, OffstConvert, OffstReplace related to new features of Offset/OF.

Line Tracing

• Added feature to BezierCont/BC and Curve/CV to trace a continuous line.
• Added feature to MultiLine/MN to trace a single or continuous line, with optional reverse direction.
• Enhanced the Fillet tool to apply fillets to a selected continuous line.

Hatches and Fills

• Added a new type of hatch definition which is easier to create and edit.
• Added a new type of hatch definition to create a crosshatch bitmap hatch pattern.
• Added a new type of hatch definition to nest other hatch definitions.
• Added over 140 new hatch definitions, including brickwork, stonework, rock, gravel, sand, flooring, tiles, pavers, roofing, siding, hardware, and cartography.
• Added a standard draft watermark hatch pattern.
• Added a new native command HatchArray to parse a selection to create a hatch definition.
• Added a Load Hatch command LoadHatch to load hatch files while Visual CADD is running.
• Added the hatch type to the tooltips in hatch lists.
• Added Convert Fill to Hatch tool to the default Draw | Fill menu.
• Changed the hatch boundary tool, HatchBnd/HB, to show the hatch settings ribalog.

Centroids

• Improved areas and centroids for closed entities with self-intersections and holes.
• Added centroids for closed entity types cont. lines, multi-lines, and single and cont. Bezier.
• Added snap to centroid feature to SnCenter/SN snap tool and running snaps to center (RSCenter/XSN) for closed entities.
• Added centroids to ObjInfo/OI for hatches, fills, and all closed entities.

Matching

• Added Match tool items to the right-click context menu for the toolbar property comboboxes.
• Added new ribalog button(s) in the entity settings ribalogs to match the control with focus or all controls.
• Added tool buttons to all ribalogs with distance and angle settings to support 2-point distance, 2-point angle, and 3-point angle matching.
• Added match buttons to the floating text dialog and dimension scale ribalog.
• Changed Properties/PP and Change/CG to change their match button display according to whether they will match the control with focus or all controls.
• Changed ChamferDist/C0 and LayPropDlg/PY for distinction between match the control with focus or all controls.
• Added match items to the editbox context menu.
• Added support for matching selected symbols with MatchChange/CM.

Selection Filters

• Selection filters now support combinations of multiple object types, with native commands FltRWidth and FltMulti.
• Added an option to selection filters, Filter/SF, to filter on hatches with pattern errors.

Snaps

• The Ellipse tool now supports Snap Perpendicular, Snap Parallel and Snap Angle.
• Changed SnIntersect/SI to support self-intersection of single and continuous Bezier similar to previous support for continuous lines.
• Added support for running snap intersection on all geometric entities.
• Snap Perpendicular can now be used with the Leader tool.
• Added points as a valid entity for SnObject/SO.
• Added support of SP, ST, LL, and SV to LineDbl/LD.
• Added support of SnMid2Pts/S2, SnCenter/SN, SnFocus/NF, and SnGridPt/GN for nesting under SnPerp/SP and SnTangent/ST.

Dimensions

• Added user-selected decimal and thousand separators to dimensions, with script-only commands DimDecSep, DimSecDecSep, DimThsSep, and DimSecThsSep.
• Added support of Proximity Fixed to angular dimensions.
• Added support of float dimension text position for placing DimAng/DA.
• Added support for single unit stacked fractions for dimensions, text, and leaders using a horizontal fraction bar or vinculum for stacked fractions in addition to the existing diagonal slash.
• Added native commands DimSUFStack and SecSUFStack for single unit stacked fractions for dimensions.
• Added dimension line break and no break features to more cases of dimensions.
• Added text vertical position features to angular dimensions.
• Added a line in angular dimensions from the dimension arc to floating dimension text.
• Added angular dimension text vertical position options.
• Added alternate text rotation to angular dimensions.

Scripts

• Added optional verb prefix to AutoMacro.
• Enhanced the Echo script command to show $ variable values.
• Added options to quit the script to the Echo command.
• Added a script element to abort the script.
• The script edit box on the Assign Script dialog now wraps at semicolons as well as spaces.
• Added a script native command Clipboard to get and set the Windows clipboard text.
• Added a script native command Input to simulate keyboard input.
• Added a script command ExpPDFNoDlg to export to PDF without a dialog.
• Added a native command PDFCurPreset to set the current PDF export preset.
• Added a script-only command SimKey to simulate Shift, Ctrl and Alt keys.
• Added native commands SetViewName and RemoveVwName to set and remove named views in scripts.
• Changed script-only native command LaySelect1 to accept multiple layers.

Symbols

• Added the ability to remove all attribute definitions.
• Added version number to symbol definitions saved in VCS symbol files.
• Added an option to the Load Symbol dialog to immediately place the symbol.
• Added 'symbol definition' to popup menu for on-disk symbols in SymMgr/MGY.
• Added 'load as a drawing' to popup menu for loaded and on-disk symbols in SymMgr/MGY.
• Added 'load as a drawing' to the OK button on the SymOpen/YO dialog.
• Added Symbol Open and Symbol Manager buttons to the SymPlace/YP ribalog.
• Added a warning message to SymOpen/YO when a symbol is already loaded.
• Added current symbol settings to TabSymbols/TBY.
• Added tooltips to Symbol Manager, SymMgr/MGY.
• Added feature to symbol manager to select the current symbol in the symbol list when starting the symbol manager or when changing views.
• Added a match entity button to the symbol manager to match a picked symbol entity.
• Added 'use placement color' to the Symbol Place ribalog.
• Added support for editing symbols entities with Edit/ED and new native SymbolCh.

Reference Frames

• Added file MRU to the Reference Frame Create and Place dialogs.
• The Reference Frame Create dialog now presets the file name when persisted.
• RFOpenRef/RFR now opens the bound reference frame drawing rather than the disk file.
• Added warning messages when RFUpdateLink/RFU fails.

Layers

• Added support of multi-layer selections to Select Layer, SelLay/SY.
• The layer list on the Select Layer ribalog now only includes layers which are selectable.
• The Select Layer Objects item on the Layer Manager popup menu is now only enabled if the layer can be selected.
• Added sorting to layer comboboxes.

Printing, Import, and Export

• Added a layer-to-color mapping option for printing and PDF export, with native command PrtColorMap.
• Added the print color map to the Colors styles.
• Added Version attribute to root element of exported XML files.
• Extended SHP import to include Z and M shape types.
• Added Centroid to the XML Traits for Beziers, continuous Beziers, spline curves, and continuous lines.
• Added arc direction traits to XML export.

OLE

• Added a context menu item to update linked OLE objects.
• Added an option to update OLE links when a VCD file is opened, with native OleAutoUpdat.
• Added an OLE link Update item to the object verbs submenu on the Edit menu.

AutoCAD drawing import/export

• Added feature to optionally not import DWG/DXF reference frame drawings.
• AutoCAD 2023 support.

Minor Improvements, Bug Fixes, API, and ActiveX/COM

• Made over 200 minor improvements and bug fixes.
• Added 70 new API and ActiveX/COM functions.