Design

First Look: CorelCAD 2021

Users of Corel Draw will appreciate CorelCAD’s enhancements.

listen to this story
CorelCAD sets itself apart from other DWG-based CAD programs with its ability to read Corel Draw files.

CorelCAD sets itself apart from other DWG-based CAD programs with its ability to read Corel Draw files.

CorelCAD, a 2D and 3D CAD program, has released a major upgrade for 2021.

CorelCAD, by Corel, the Ottawa-based software company best known for its vector graphics program, Corel Draw, also offers the ability to create and modify precise drawings with its CAD program. Rather than creating a CAD program from scratch, Corel licenses its CAD engine from Graebert, which has been making CAD products for 30 years. What sets CorelCAD apart from ARES’ Commander and other DWG-based CAD applications is CorelCAD’s ability to read Corel Draw files.

“Even if you haven’t seen CorelCAD yet, I think you will see a lot of familiar things,” said Saeed Corel PR specialist. “We are aiming at making it simple for experienced CAD users to make the move. We support all of the AutoCAD tools and even shortcuts. You can actually bring up a command window and use AutoCAD’s aliases.”

CorelCAD 2021 is compatible with the latest AutoCAD .DWG file format. Supplying most of what AutoCAD can do and maximizing the familiarity with AutoCAD, without directly copying the user interface (UI), is a common theme with DWG-based CAD products.

Drawing Compare is a new tool. Objects not in the current drawing are shown in red. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

Drawing Compare is a new tool. Objects not in the current drawing are shown in red. (Image courtesy of Corel.)
CorelCAD 2021 can edit AutoCAD’s dynamic blocks. Changes can be saved to dynamic block definitions by converting them to custom blocks. However, the drawing cannot be returned to AutoCAD and recognized as a native dynamic block. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

CorelCAD 2021 can edit AutoCAD’s dynamic blocks. Changes can be saved to dynamic block definitions by converting them to custom blocks. However, the drawing cannot be returned to AutoCAD and recognized as a native dynamic block. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

 CorelCAD has had a data extraction wizard in its Windows version. With the 2021 update, the Mac version has it too. Mac users can extract metadata stored in the block definitions to create a price list and bill of materials and export that to Excel or as a table inserted in the drawing.

Enhanced PDF output allows for file size adjustment and setting the quality of raster and vector images when exporting to PDFs. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

Enhanced PDF output allows for file size adjustment and setting the quality of raster and vector images when exporting to PDFs. (Image courtesy of Corel.)
The Windows version of CorelCAD will have a new Print dialog box. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

The Windows version of CorelCAD will have a new Print dialog box. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

“2D drafting has been enhanced,” said Saeed, who provided a demo. “We now have a full range of precision 2D drafting tools.”

  • The spline tools have been enhanced.
  • Sketches can be made parametrically.
  • Text can be edited in place. New to CorelCAD 20201 is spell checking as you type so you don’t need to run a spell check separately.
  • Tables can be created with text.
Patterns are now associative. Objects and patterns in 2D (horizontally and vertically) and 3D can be duplicated. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

Patterns are now associative. Objects and patterns in 2D (horizontally and vertically) and 3D can be duplicated. (Image courtesy of Corel.)

Several enhancements have been made in 3D. Solid models can be made from 2D sketches, and solid model primitive shapes can be made from scratch.

There are also new ways of editing in 3D.  A wireframe geometry can be created from the edges of a 3D solid, surface, mesh or region. The edge can also be offset to make 2D entities.

A PolySolid command can be used to create 3D solids from polygons. Users can also chamfer and bevel the edges.

When 3D printing, it allows users to output STL files and import them as a mesh for direct edit.

CorelCAD runs on Windows and macOS. A perpetual license costs $699, putting it in the mid-price category of CAD along with AutoCAD LT, BricsCAD, ZWCAD, IntelliCAD and others. For users with a previous version of CorelCAD, it can be upgraded for $199. Users also have the option to subscribe to CorelCAD for $35/month or $299/year.