The MCAD dark horse keeps up with the front-runners by adding new features and capabilities.
Launched first in 1998, IronCAD has just issued a major update, a 2023 version of its flagship product. Time sure flies when you are having fun. Used in a variety of industries, this 3D CAD software supplies tools for product design, modeling and visualization.

From the IronCAD website: “Design how you think – IronCAD lets you design intuitively in the way you interact in the world, in 3D. With this easier and faster design approach over traditional CAD software, it’s a fundamentally better way to design.”
What’s New in 2023?
The updates in IronCAD 2023 touch just about all parts of the application.
Performance Improvements
Performance is always a consideration with 3D modeling, especially as assemblies get larger. This 2023 update reduces 3D model import times and improves the interactions with this data.
Specifically, improvements include:
- The ability to combine as a reference when importing data. This imports the data as a single part. The performance improvements reduce updating these large single parts with many faces.
- Improved STEP file importing reduces multiple repair sequences.
- Greatly improved box component selection. This is especially evident with those larger assemblies that have thousands of components. Essentially, it’s quicker to select parts.
- All this and improved view creation performance (5x to 10x better).
User Interface Improvements
IronCAD is good at 3D modeling and visualization and supplies an intuitive interface for creating complex 3D models and a range of powerful tools and features. This interface has only gotten better in this new release.
User interface (UI) improvements supply a better understanding of objects and their visibility. The new Property Object Browser displays catalog item and scene browser object properties. This makes it easier to understand the objects you want to use in catalog or scene operations.
The SmartPaint eye dropper now aggregates surface finish, material and text properties to be droppable in a single operation on other objects in the scene.
With constraints, the UI supplies better differentiation between basic and advanced types. Redundant constraints are eliminated, removing clutter and supplying clarity on the tools to use.
IronCAD traditionally combined common CAD modeling tools. This led to a not-so-easy transition for those moving from other CAD systems. With IronCAD 2023, you can add these features as individual commands to the ribbon.
Sure to be a user favorite is the new right-click menu option that can set the rotation reference for the middle mouse button orbit. No more model flipping and flopping erratically on the screen.
You can set components to be transparent (via a right-click option). These ghosted components are still selectable but are see through without completely hiding them.

The SmartMotion Editor received an overhaul, matching more modern animation UIs. This includes common controls for changing, running and exporting animations.
Advance Design Improvements
Advanced design improvements include the new 3D positional constraint types, 3D curve constraints and custom structural frames
Quick hits:
- There are new positional constraints: symmetry, width and path.
- You can apply cosmetic threads to holes.
- IronCAD now remembers the copied/linked body’s location to optimize positioning when inserted.
- You can use new options to map third-party model properties (Inventor, SOLIDWORKS, etc.) for translation to other languages.

A new option allows you to quickly identify front view definitions. This means you can also quickly identify them without a definition.
Along with this, new capabilities allow you to define the front definition of a selection of parts. Use this to quickly build the front view definitions. How does IronCAD do this? It is based on the part’s anchor locations.
Creating complex designs? Use new constraint types for more control in parametric designs and to drive 3D curves (for surface designs).
A very powerful new feature—Copy as Link Body Mirror Constraint—allows you to create a linked body from an original component and still make changes to it (like the color) without affecting the original.
Sheet Metal Design Improvements

For a while now, IronCAD automatically closes corners when moving a bends segment. Now, the same effect occurs with inner corner reliefs.
Deleting one sheet metal instance no longer removes the unfolded part. IronCAD transfers the unfolded part to one of the remaining linked instances.
With what is probably the best sheet metal enhancement, users can now set default bend allowance settings. This is available for bend, sketch bend and punch bend features.
Bend deduction is the difference between the bend allowance and twice the outside setback. It is a method for setting the bend allowance. When using this option, features now update with changes to the part properties. In addition, two new bend deduction options, Sketch Bend and Punch Bend, are available.
2D Detailing and Drawing Improvements
Like most mechanically focused 3D modeling systems, IronCAD has features for quickly turning the 3D model into a 2D drawing. IronCAD’s toolset is focused on creating 2D shop drawings. With 2023, drawing Improvements include Column Grid Line Support, Custom Group Leader and Quick Edit of Annotations from the Catalog. The improvements supply more capabilities while reducing the steps needed for everyday tasks.
Sometimes the little things have the biggest impact, for example, the improvements with text. When switching between horizontal and vertical placement, text bounding boxes now automatically adjust to match size and position. You can now align text boxes to selected edges. And the spellchecker now supports uppercase characters.

You can use new grid tools to draw X/Y column line callouts to dimension structural columns. New style settings manage the appearance of column labels and line types.
What Else Is New and Improved?
- Leader line support for custom symbols and annotations
- Circular hole symbol for dowel callouts
- The ability to switch direction on section views
- The option to base the Auto Hole Quantity callout on the thread type
- The ability to manage the space between the dimension value and tolerance (clarity)
CAXA DRAFT Updates
CAXA DRAFT is the powerful 2D drafting environment directly embedded inside of IronCAD.
Have a PDF? You can now import vector geometry, raster images and TrueType fonts into a CAXA drawing. Need a PDF? Exporting to PDF now supports vector curves, greatly reducing the file size.
New batch printing options allow the printing of multiple drawings, including printing to an image.
You can use the new Arc Length Annotation and Center Rectangle commands to ease detailing. The surface roughness symbol now conforms to updated standards.
There are new command options for find and replace for text elements in the drawing.
When building a table, you can use new options to link the table to an Excel spreadsheet.
When creating section views, you can use the new depth settings. You can also adjust this depth dynamically after creating the view.
Those accustomed to AutoCAD will appreciate the new IronCAD Isolate option, which can quickly hide and isolate selected objects. You can then end the object’s isolation and return it to its earlier state.
And? The new version also gives users enhanced fillets, enhanced hole/shaft functions and distance spacing with curve arrays.
Anything Else?
IronCAD’s native translator is updated to support the latest versions of CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, Inventor and other CAD programs.
The IronCAD Web Viewer now supports basic visual measurements so that users can get rough dimensions from the models.
The What’s New 2023 press release mentions updates to both IronCAD Mechanical and Multiphysics; however, the details on these changes are sparse. Those using these products are in for a surprise (hopefully a good one).
IronCAD 2023 is available today.