CorelCAD 2018: An Affordable AutoCAD Alternative

At one time, Corel was one of the biggest software companies in Canada. Its flagship product, the widely popular CorelDRAW, was one of the first graphics programs for Windows. More recently, Corel Corp. acquired numerous programs in markets ranging from design and illustration to photo and video editing. In December, the company introduced CorelCAD 2018, the seventh version of its 2D/3D CAD software.

Unlike many of its other programs, however, CorelCAD is not an acquisition. Instead, it is built using the ARES CAD kernel from German developer Graebert. That same CAD engine powers Graebert’s own ARES Commander and Dassault Systèmes’ DraftSight software.

The new Helix command in CorelCAD 2018 lets you create 2D spirals and 3D helixes that can serve as the basis for creating more complex objects.

CorelCAD is positioned as a more affordable alternative to AutoCAD and uses DWG as its own native CorelCAD file format. With this latest release, CorelCAD can now open drawings saved in the latest AutoCAD 2018 DWG format, although CorelCAD still saves DWG files to the older 2013 format. CorelCAD 2018 is available for Windows and Mac OS, with an updated version of its CorelCAD Mobile app for Android devices as well as its first-ever CorelCAD Mobile app for iOS scheduled to be released in early 2018. CorelCAD 2018 offers new tools and enhancements aimed at improving its 2D and 3D capabilities.

Similar Look and Feel

When you first start CorelCAD, the program displays its “Classic” user interface that includes pull-down menus and a host of toolbars with icon-only buttons docked around the perimeter of the screen, much like old versions of AutoCAD. But as soon as you switch to the “Drafting and Annotation” or “3D Modeling” workspaces—equivalent to similarly named workspaces in AutoCAD—CorelCAD changes to a ribbon interface quite like that of the AutoCAD of today.

Like AutoCAD, each drawing appears in its own window, identified by a file tab across the top of the drawing area. You can use the drawing file tabs to easily switch between drawings or start a new drawing, and use tabs in the lower-left corner of the drawing window to switch between model space and multiple sheets—equivalent to paper space layouts in AutoCAD.

Other aspects of CorelCAD are eerily similar to AutoCAD. For example, CorelCAD has a command window and you can start commands by typing, just like AutoCAD. A few commands have different names—such as PATTERN instead of ARRAY—but thanks to command shortcuts (like aliases in AutoCAD), you can type the AutoCAD command name to start almost any CorelCAD command.

Mostly Similar Functionality

Although CorelCAD does not include every function found in AutoCAD, with the last several releases, the list of missing features has gotten smaller. For example, last year CorelCAD 2017 gained a Quick Input feature (like AutoCAD’s dynamic input), command auto-completion (nearly identical to the feature first introduced in AutoCAD 2012) and context-sensitive grips (similar to extended tooltips) when working with 2D objects.

CorelCAD 2018 looks strikingly similar to AutoCAD and adds new multileader capabilities much like those in AutoCAD.

With the release of CorelCAD 2018, that trend continues. The new version includes a Smart Dimension command similar to the feature introduced in AutoCAD 2016. Although CorelCAD still offers individual commands for creating specific types of dimensions—such as linear, angular, diameter and ordinate dimensions—the new Smart Dimension tool automatically suggests the most appropriate dimension type. But unlike AutoCAD, this new tool in CorelCAD can only be used to dimension individual objects. You cannot specify extension line origins, you cannot use it to place ordinate or baseline dimensions and you cannot use it to place parallel (aligned dimensions). The new Smart Dimension tool in CorelCAD also lacks many of the “smart” features found in AutoCAD. For example, it can only place dimensions on the current layer (not on a specific dimension layer). CorelCAD also does not prompt you to move, break up or replace dimensions if you attempt to place a new smart dimension that overlaps another similar dimension.

CorelCAD 2018 also gains a new multileader tool that enables you to draw, edit and configure callouts with multiple leader lines and adjust existing callouts by adding and removing leader lines. Again, this new feature matches most of the capabilities of AutoCAD’s MLeader tool that first appeared in AutoCAD 2008. The new release of CorelCAD also adds the option of pasting content from the clipboard to the current layer rather than the source layer.

Tables in CorelCAD have also been enhanced. You can now add formulas to cells using arithmetic operators as well as sum, average and count functions. In addition, once a table has been created, you can export it as a comma-separated format (CSV) file for subsequent import into Microsoft Excel or a database application. This, too, duplicates a function that has long been available in AutoCAD, but AutoCAD can additionally save table data directly to an XLS or MDB file and can link Excel spreadsheets to tables within drawings—abilities that CorelCAD still lacks.

Improved 3D Tools

With the 2018 release, CorelCAD’s 3D capabilities get a significant boost. For example, in previous versions, you could create primitives such as solid boxes, wedges, cylinders and spheres as well as some solid mesh objects. But once created, it was very difficult to change the size of those primitives. Now, in CorelCAD 2018, when you select a solid primitive, the program displays grips that enable you to move faces and vertices. You can also use the Properties palette to alter the size and rotation of solid primitives. Unlike AutoCAD, however, solids in CorelCAD cannot retain their history. That means that once you perform Boolean operations, you can no longer modify the subobjects that were combined into the composite solid.

CorelCAD 2018 also now provides dynamic Custom Coordinate System capabilities (CCS) similar to the dynamic UCS feature that first appeared in AutoCAD 2007. Now, when you move the cursor over the face of a 3D solid in CorelCAD, the cursor automatically realigns the XY-plane. You can then draw new geometry on that face and use that geometry for editing and adding elements to the 3D model.

A helix tool has also been added to CorelCAD 2018, enabling users to create both 2D spirals and 3D helixes. Once you have created a helix, you can use it as the basis for creating 3D solids by sweeping a 2D or 3D curve along the helix path. Again, this feature has been available in AutoCAD since 2007.

Beyond AutoCAD Compatibility

CorelCAD continues to provide good support for AutoLISP and ARX and uses the same hatch patterns, linetypes and text files as AutoCAD. Users should therefore have few compatibility issues when exchanging drawing files, although when opening a DWG file saved using CorelCAD, AutoCAD will warn that the file was not saved by an Autodesk program.

CorelCAD also offers some capabilities not found in AutoCAD. For example, you can insert audio recordings into a drawing and play them back later. Although AutoCAD does not support these VoiceNotes, it has no problem opening drawings containing them.

CorelCAD also supports other industry-standard formats, including SVG, ACIS and SAT, enabling users to import files from other CAD programs. You can also export to PDF and include PDF files as underlays, but CorelCAD still lacks the ability to import PDF geometry into a CorelCAD drawing.

Because it was developed by Corel, it makes sense that CorelCAD also provides links to other Corel software. You can import CorelDRAW (CDR) and Corel DESIGNER (DES) files as model space objects and export CorelCAD drawings to both formats, but only in the Windows version. The CDR and DES formats are not supported in the Mac version of CorelCAD.

Despite the latest improvements, there are still many AutoCAD features that are not available in CorelCAD, including sheet sets, dynamic blocks and model documentation. But with the release of CorelCAD 2018, that list has gotten shorter.

At $699, CorelCAD is much less expensive than AutoCAD or even AutoCAD LT. You can also upgrade from any previous version of CorelCAD for $199. The fact that your purchase of CorelCAD gets you a perpetual license whereas AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are now only available on a subscription basis is also quite attractive. But that may be changing. Corel is now also offering the Mac version on a monthly subscription basis.

Once the new mobile version is released, you will also be able to download CorelCAD 2018 Mobile for both Android and iOS tablets and smartphones. A subscription version of the mobile app will offer 3D viewing and 2D editing of any DWG file while a free version will allow viewing and annotation of drawings.

Although CorelCAD still lacks many of AutoCAD’s more advanced features, its low cost and similar look and feel continue to make CorelCAD an attractive alternative for certain budgets.

More Info

Corel

CorelCAD 2018

• Price: 

  - Full version (includes one-year mobile license): $699

  - Upgrade (from any previous CorelCAD version): $199

  - Subscription (via the Mac App Store): $35/month

Windows:

• OS: Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon x2 Dual-Core or higher
• Memory: 2GB minimum (8GB or more recommended)
• Disk Space: 500MB
• GPU: 3D graphics accelerator with OpenGL v1.4 (OpenGL v3.2 or higher recommended)
• Display: 1280x768 minimum (1920x1080 recommended)

• OS: Mac OS X v10.10 (Yosemite) or higher (including macOS Sierra)
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo processor (or better)
• Memory: 2GB minimum (8GB or more recommended)
• Disk Space: 500MB
• GPU: 3D graphics accelerator with OpenGL v1.4 (OpenGL v3.2 or higher recommended)
• Display: 1280x768 minimum (1920x1080 recommended)