Corel has a new CAD program on its hands and it is offering it up to the Mac and Windows markets at a mid-entry level price point. CorelCAD is a ground-up new 2D and 3D computer-aided drafting program that has deep ties into Corel’s graphics software offerings.
CorelCAD for Mac OS X
CorelCAD works with native DWG™ files and comes with industry standard CAD features such as customizable 2D and 3D design tools. CorelCAD supports DWG and DXF up to AutoCAD version 2010 (the same file format that works with AutoCAD 2012).
CorelCAD has a command line bar like AutoCAD. It has properties palettes and dockable tool bars, and right-click shortcut menus. For 3D work CorelCAD supports tiled viewports so you can view your 3D objects from different views (top, bottom, right, left, back, front, iso, etc). You can also choose different rendered view options for each viewport.
Modeling operations include sweeps, extrudes, lofts, revolves and follow along path. Boolean operations are supported. The modeling engine is Spatial’s ACIS, same as ARES.
You can collaborate with others using DXF or DWG as well as PDF, SVG and DWF formats. You can also open up .SAT files (ACIS) and repurpose data for later work with advanced visualizations in Corel DESIGNER Technical Suite Add-On Right Hemisphere Deep Exploration™ CCE.
Further integration with other Corel software products like CorelDRAW is a major attraction to CorelCAD.
Final Notes
CorelCAD is built on top of Graebert GmbH, of Germany’s ARES platform. It supports robust OpenGL support on both platforms. The price for CorelCAD is 699.USD.
One final note. With CorelCAD, you can access the Graepert Market for CorelCAD Plugin Store for add-ons for this product. This includes plugins, standard drawing parts and libraries.
To learn more visit them online here.
What We Think
It is remarkable how many mid-level 2D/3D CAD programs there now are on the Mac platform, with CorelCAD now being yet another entry making the point. One can ask the question, does the Mac market need another mid entry level CAD app? And why CorelCAD?
Competition is always good and this program is built on top of ARES by German-based Graebert GmbH. It is also priced just under AREA Commander Edition for Mac. This program makes sense for those who are working with other Corel-based software products and want or need a better dovetail between graphics and CAD.