Listed here are some of the new and enhanced features in Caddie 17:

 

Latest 2010 / 2011 version .DWG file format gives you enhanced compatibility

with support added for 2010 / 2011 version . DXF Files too:

 

Important information regarding backwards compatibility of drawings created in Caddie 17:

 

Caddie 17 is based on the 2010 / 2011 DWG standard.

 

When you save a drawing to a previous release file format, not all objects and properties will be supported. This is because the industry standard DWG format used to support 2010 / 2011 format drawings includes functionality not compatible with earlier versions.

 

Primitive drawing objects such as lines, polylines, arcs circles, blocks etc. will be compatible, but the AEC objects such as doors, windows and walls etc. cannot be converted to earlier formats.

 

If your drawing contains AEC objects and you want to send it to a system that does not support 2010/2011 DWG you have 2 choices:

 

• Save the drawing to an earlier format after ensuring that proxy graphics will be created (in the Drawing Defaults dialogue). If a user opens the drawing in the previous version, they will be able to view AEC objects as proxy graphics, but cannot edit them;

or:

• Save the drawing using Save Other -> Save Exploded AEC Drawing. This will convert all AEC objects to blocks containing primitive objects. The saved drawing will no longer contain AEC objects, so will lose a significant amount of intelligence.

 

Note that since AEC objects have different representations in different view directions, the current modelspace view will determine the content of the exploded or proxy objects, i.e. if your drawing is in plan view when you Save Exploded AEC Drawing, or save using proxy graphics, the saved drawing will contain a 2D representation of the drawing.

 

Fastest Caddie ever with universal command language and core performance improvements:

 

Utilising the latest development tools has resulted in an overall improvement in performance on most command language functions. In addition upgrading some of the 3rd party libraries have improved performance significantly in some areas such as loading and saving drawings.

 

Automatic monitor detection for easier single / multiscreen working

Moving from dual screen to single screen resets off-screen dialogues:

 

Caddie automatically detects how many monitors you have  connected and automatically resets any dialogues from a missing screen to your active monitor so you never lose a dialogue again.

 

Print 3D models in Hidden Line mode

 

Now you can print Hidden Line representations of your 3D models straight from your modelspace and Viewports.   Just set to Hidden Line mode then hit print; perfect for quick axonometric and perspective views of your 3D models.

 

Sheet or modelspace name prefixes the drawing name when printing:

 

When a drawing is sent to the printer, the printer will show the sheet name and the drawing name making print management easier..

 

SANS 204 Fenestration Calculations implemented helping you satisfy the 2012 energy efficiency regulations:

 

The new regulations due to come into force in South Africa in January 2012 require fenestration calculations to be performed on buildings as part of the overall design requirement for energy efficiency in buildings, Caddie 17 includes tools to help you satisfy these requirements.

 

Save sheet: create a new drawing containing only the information from a single drawing sheet:

 

Now you can create a new drawing with just the information required for an individual sheet.  Save Sheet takes only the objects required to create a new drawing from a Sheet and its Viewports making it easier to extract information and issue drawings.

 

Delete of multiple sheets implemented:

 

Multiple sheets can be deleted by pressing the Ctrl or Shift keys when selecting the sheets.  Brilliant for simplifying imported drawings.

 

CSM Scale command enhanced:

 

The Scale command on the Context Sensitive Menu (CSM) has been enhanced to allow you to type in coordinates when using dynamic scaling.

 

Create Point from shapes:

 

The ability to place a point at the centre of a shape has been added. This is required for some DTM users since the survey points are sometimes inputted as shapes.

 

Insert Points at text origins:

 

You can now place a point at the text origin. Sur=1 > Txt>Pts.  Ideal for use when converting 2D to 3D points using the DTM tools.

 

2Dpolyline intersections and grips implemented:

 

Intersection snap mode now finds intersections between legacy 2DPolylines to make snapping easier, and they also now have grip points to make them easier to manipulate.

 

Sorting of grid dropdown box entries implemented:

 

When there is a dropdown box in a grid in a dialogue, the entries can now be sorted alphabetically making it easier to keep track of AEC objects and material styles, for example.

 

Drag and virtual element colours and properties enhanced:

 

You can now control the colour and other properties of virtual elements such as ‘drag’  to make it easier to see the changes you are making.

 

Simple orientation of AEC Doors, Windows and DWA implemented:

 

Orientate your doors, windows and Door Window Assemblies at the time you place them saving time.  Simply click the side of the wall required to place and orientate in one operation.

 

AEC Sections enhanced:

 

Many new enhancements have been added to AEC sections including:

• Major speed improvements with sections created up to 100x faster than in Caddie 16
• Easier selection of objects and extents to make creating sections faster still

Surface Hatches added to AEC sections so now you can create fully hatched elevations automatically

 

Context Sensitive Menu (CSM) options enhanced to include line colour for Sections:

 

New options have been added to the context sensitive menu when working with sections, including the ability to identify and select the selection line. Also the section colours can now be controlled directly from the Context Sensitive Menu rather than having to use AEC style manager or display manager.

 

Additional properties; Profile implemented and Get Parameters for AEC Doors, Windows and DWAs:

 

Object Properties now shows additional properties including the area, ideal for helping with energy calculations, for example. AEC Doors, Windows and DWAs can now have custom profiles assigned to them to define their shape giving greater flexibility and design freedom. And a new option has been added to the dialogues to let you grab the parameters from an existing object rather than having to type them all in manually.

 

Cross sections along a profile implemented:

 

Multiple cross sections of a DTM can be generated at intervals along a polyline profile. Ideal for creation of sections through roads, for example.

 

Mouse right double click speed control:

 

The speed of the mouse double right click can now be controlled so you can set up your mouse to work at the speed your fingers do- Setting > Mouse Button Setup.

 

Recall Last Selection implemented:

 

Your last selection can easily be recalled by Edit > Recall Last Selection, so now if you’ve selected your objects then need to tweak something, no problem

 

AEC style manager enhanced:

 

The AEC style manager has been enhanced with additional options and cosmetic improvements to make customizing your AEC objects easier.

 

Bay window command added:

 

A new command has been added for creating bay windows with just a few simple clicks. No need for complicated setting out and multiple operations, just set your preferences and let Caddie do the rest.

 

Wall properties enhanced:

 

Additional properties are now editable for AEC Walls using Object Properties including overrides for cleanup radii and end caps enabling you to individually tailor the walls you draw.

 

Export survey points enhanced:

 

An option has been added to add only the code to the drawing when exporting points rather than adding the code and coordinates etc.

 

Leader arrows enhanced:

 

Leader arrows can now be created as Polyline or Spline arrows to give your drawings that hand drawn look.

 

Mtext underlining implemented:

 

MText can be underlined at creation (set in Text Par Set) or after creation using Object Properties.

 

Walkthrough creation can be paused:

 

When creating the slides for walkthroughs, the creation can be stopped and then subsequently restarted from the same point, so you no longer have to wait .for the whole sequence to finish before you can do other things.

 

File Open now supports CEX files:

 

Caddie CEX files can now be opened using File Open. The object types supported are: Lines, arcs, circles, text, leaders, patterns, polylines and layers.

 

Remap Lines and Remap Pens now supports objects in blocks, and further enhancements:

 

When using the remap commands there is a tick box on the dialogue to remap objects in blocks so now you can remap lines and pens without having to edit each individual block. Remap Pens has a more intuitive interface and new mapping file support. Note that V16 and earlier Pen Map files are not supported in V17.

 

Clone enhanced:

 

Dimension Styles can now be cloned making it easier to match the properties of new and existing dimensions in your drawings.

 

AEC display configuration enhanced for Wall Plan:

 

New tabs added giving control over mitres and displayed objects to help you tailor the way your drawings look.

 

Vio Rendering is now scope sensitive:

 

Caddie VIO now only renders the objects in scope to make test and selective renders much faster.

 

Auto-refresh of ECW and JP2 images implemented on Zoom and Pan:

 

When using the pan and zoom commands on drawings containing ECW and JP*  images, the images are automatically refreshed rather than requiring a regen making working easier.

 

Component manager enhanced:

 

Drag and drop has been implemented for the Component Manager making it quicker and easier to add library blocks to your drawings.

 

AEC Windows can have the ‘Rise’ property set at creation time:

 

When inserting non-rectangular windows the rise property which partly determines the shape can be set from the Window dialogue making them easy to insert removing the need o edit each windows properties individually.

 

Context Sensitive Menu (CSM) Copy enhanced:

 

Copy has been enhanced on the Context Sensitive Menu to allow copying of AEC Doors Windows and DWAs so you no longer need to create then all individually

 

CSM Railings enhanced:

 

When adding railings to stairs using the CSM, the anchors can now be controlled at the time you insert them rather than having to control them through Object Properties.

 

Curved / Helical Stairs added:

 

With Caddie 17 you can now helical stairs as well as the spiral, multi-landing and straight flights provided in caddie 16..

 

Viewport display order enhanced:

 

Hatches, pictures etc. in viewports now display behind objects drawn on top of them giving you greater control over the way your drawings look.

 

Email Drawing enhanced:

 

The email drawing function has been extended to allow longer pathnames and provide faster zipping.

 

More preset snaps:

 

Preset snaps have been added for some CSM transformation commands to enable you to personalize Caddie to your own preferences.

 

ByLayer property enhanced:

 

The ByLayer property has been enhanced to show the actual colour of the layer in dialogue controls to make working with objects using colour by layer more intuitive.

 

User-defined Hatch Previews implemented:

 

Holding down the shift key while hitting the default button on the Hatch Set dialogue, sets the current zoom as the default value for the hatch preview, especially useful when using custom hatches that have patterns requiring different zoom factors.

 

Object Properties Materials enhanced:

 

A new option is added to object properties to show object materials for all components of the selected object so now you don’t need to go into the AEC Style and Display Managers just to see what the properties are.

 

Object > WCS enhanced:

 

The Object to WCS tool, which forces objects onto the WCS, is now enhanced to consider more object types, including blocks..  This tool is ideal for use when working on imported drawings that have been drawn with inappropriate ‘z’ heights, for instance, as well as being useful as an aid in various 3D modelling situations

 

Miscellaneous enhancements to Object Properties:

 

Many new options added to object properties, especially when working with multiple objects of similar type.  The new functionality includes additional property field options that allow of editing of multiple objects, as well as an array of additional properties for individual objects, including those created using the AEC application.

 

AEC Truss Layouts and Roof Height Calculator implemented:

 

Additional functionality has been added with the AEC Truss command AEC Trusses can now be inserted and the roof height calculated.

 

Erf areas hatched, numbered and calculated:

 

Arc=4 > ErfArea will add hatch, text, numbering and areas to erven.