DOUBLECAD XT PRO
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- FREE 30 Day Trial
- What's New in v2
- Product Overview
- Features Overview
- Architectural Tools
- - Walls & Compound Walls
- - Parametric Doors & Windows
- - Stairs, Rails, Slabs, & Roofs
- - Markers & Schedules
- - Styles Management
- - Terrain
- Hatch Pattern Creator
- Drafting Palette
- Parametric Constraints
- Parametric Parts Manager
- Design Director
- File Interop & Xrefs
- - SketchUp Workflow
- - AutoCAD Workflow
- Drawing Compare
Additional Links
- Advantages Over AutoCAD LT (.PDF)
- Full Feature List (.PDF)
- Paulthecad.co.uk - CAD Blog
- Community Forums
FILE INTEROP & XREFS
DoubleCAD™ XT Pro includes support for dozens of file formats making it an invaluable drafting and detailing companion to a broad spectrum of applications. Open, import, or embed up to 35 file formats and export up to 28, including .DWG, .DXF, .SKP (Google™ SketchUp™), .3DM (Rhinoceros®), .3DS (Autodesk® 3ds Max®), IGES, STEP, .OBJ, COLLADA (.DAE); vector formats include .EPS and .SVG; raster formats include .BMP, .GIF, .JPG, .PNG, .TIF, and more. DoubleCAD reads and writes .DWG and .DXF files from R14 through 2009 (2010 coming soon) including AutoCAD® Architecture extensions.
This broad range of file formats helps to maintain your intellectual property investment supporting older files, models, and parts. It also makes it easy to access parts from vendors or posted on model exchange sites like the Google™ 3D Warehouse.
In version 2, DoubleCAD has improved the .DWG filter as well as the COLLADA (.DAE) export. When saving to COLLADA there is a Setup option to Save Blocks. If the application that imports the .DAE file supports COLLAD Instancing (currently SketchUp v7.1 does), then block definitions will be maintained. If the entire model is turned into a block prior to export (ctrl-a, then Format – Make Block), even architectural objects will be converted into blocks and exported as instances.
In version 2, DoubleCAD has improved the .DWG filter as well as the COLLADA (.DAE) export. When saving to COLLADA there is a Setup option to Save Blocks. If the application that imports the .DAE file supports COLLAD Instancing (currently SketchUp v7.1 does), then block definitions will be maintained. If the entire model is turned into a block prior to export (ctrl-a, then Format – Make Block), even architectural objects will be converted into blocks and exported as instances.
Batch File Converter
New in DoubleCAD XT Pro v2 is the Batch File Converter utility. With this utility, under the Tools menu, you may select files of one type and convert them to any of the file formats we support for saving. This includes converting a dozen .DWG files to .png, or converting .2CD to .DXF 2003 format files – all in one step.
External References (Xrefs)
All of the file formats that may be opened and imported, with the exception of bitmap images, may be used as an external reference (Xref). More than 15 of the 3D formats that may be used as an Xref also work with the Drafting Palette. This combination means that the model may be designed in one application, and the views, sections, elevations, and floorplans will be updated when the original model is changed. The designer may continue to work in SketchUp, AutoCAD, or SolidWorks®, for example, while the drafting continues in DoubleCAD.
In version 2 Xref support has gone further than before, with complete control over layers in the Xref, even when controlled through the new Layer Filter function in the Design Director palette. Support for binding an Xref in the document has been added, so that the geometry is converted into a block within the drawing. Once an Xref has been bound it may then be exploded to create simple geometry.
Another new feature is support for the drawing variable $VIZRETAIN which defines how changes will be applied when the Xref is reloaded. Drawings can be saved with Xrefs in .2CD or .DWG format, with those Xref properties maintained – although the .DWG will recognize only another .DWG as an Xref if opened in an application other than DoubleCAD.