ARES CAD Software: Try the Beta of 2022

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The Beta version of ARES Commander 2022 is launched with new features which help the user to use Palettes as icons, use more PDF options, updated BIM Features, and much more. Find here the links for the Download of the Ares Commander 2022. (This version is currently only available for Windows 64bits and macOS)

To get more information about the new features, read further and dive into some new features in our modern CAD Software:

Palettes shown as icons

Released in 2022 Beta

To save space and make the palettes more discoverable, they will now be shown with icons as soon as at least two palettes are open on the same side of the screen.

Redesign of the Print dialog

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:PRINT
Ribbon:Application menu > Print > Print..
Menu:File > Print…
Keyboard shortcut:Ctrl+P

The Print dialog was redesigned to increase space between fields and alignments which improve readability of dialog. The third column was added on the right side, where users can find the same options that before were in “Additional options” dialog avoiding users to open a second dialog to change this kind of options and making it easy to find.

A)          Printing & Sheet Set Manager

Sheet Set Manager

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:SHEETSET
Ribbon:Sheet > Sheets > Sheet Set Manager
Menu:Tools > Sheet Set Manager
Keyboard shortcut:Ctrl+4

The Sheet Set Manager is a great tool to organize the work with sheets, keeping all drawings and sheets accessible at the same point and at same time offers a flexible way to customize the structure making it able to support several kinds of projects and workflows. The following list provides an overview of SSM capabilities:

  • Model and Sheet views navigation
  • Place on sheet tool to automatic link Model and Sheet views
  • Custom subsets to group sheets
  • Properties support on sheet set, subset and sheet
  • Functions for numbering and naming sheets and views
  • Support sheet templates to create new sheets
  • Customize callouts, view labels and title blocks using shapes and fields/properties
  • Allow multi user work
  • Publish to PDF (1) or print out sheets
  • Publish operations run in background
  • Full compatibility with DST format created on from other CAD applications

(1)  Publish to PDF and related options are not supported on MacOS release

PDF Options in Print Dialog

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:PRINT
Ribbon:Application menu > Print > Print…
Menu:File > Print…
Keyboard shortcut:Ctrl+P

The built-in PDF printer offers a new button “PDF Options” inside the Print dialog, where users can, for sample, control quality of vector and raster images which directly impact pdf size. Other options available are add layers, add hyperlinks or embed true type fonts to the PDF file generated.

SPLINE command enhancements

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:SPLINE
Ribbon:Drafting and Annotations > Home > Draw > Spline
Menu:Modify > Spline
Keyboard shortcut:Not available

Splines can be defined either with fit points, or with control vertices. Accordingly, you can apply two corresponding methods. The implementation of the Control Vertices method lets specify control points, not fit points through which the Spline passes.

New options of the Spline command include:

  • Fit points method, Knots option. Determines the method used to fuse the curves between consecutive fit points within a Spline.
  • Control vertices method, Degree option. Specifies the degree for subsequent Spline constructions. You can create Splines of degree 1 (linear), degree 2 (quadratic), degree 3 (cubic), and so on up to degree 5.

Drawing Compare in ARES Commander now supports also files stored in the Cloud

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:DRAWINGCOMPARE
Ribbon:Collaborate > Utilities > Drawing Compare Manager
Menu:Collaborate > Drawing Compare
Keyboard shortcut:Not available

ARES Commander 2022 includes the Drawing Compare feature for cloud storage files, users can compare two drawings and check the differences between the drawings stored in Cloud.

The Drawing Compare features was released in ARES Commander 2020, but was initially only offering to compare two local files saved in your computer. Now, all the scenarios are supported, you can compare:

  • A local file with another local file
  • A file in a cloud storage with another file in a cloud storage
  • A local file with a file in a cloud storage, and vice-versa

BIM Annotations: AEC Dimensions

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:BIMDIMENSIONCHAIN
Ribbon:BIM > Annotate > Dimension Chain
Menu:TBD
Keyboard shortcut:Not available

Dimensioning is time-consuming work. Dimensioning is faster and easier with ARES Commander BIM Dimension Chains that automatically dimension selected entities. The BIM Dimension Chains deliver faster drawing production. And they automatically update when the project is refreshed with new versions of BIM files. Where BIM geometry is moved, added, or deleted after a BIM file reload, BIM Dimension Chains update and adapt as required.

BIM: IFC Properties support

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:PROPERTIES
Ribbon:BIM > Palettes > Properties
Menu:BIM > Properties…
Keyboard shortcut:Not available

ARES Commander 2022 extends BIM data properties support. Previous versions presented a limited set of BIM element properties in the ARES properties panel.

This limitation is now removed. All IFC properties set present on entities in an IFC file are now presented in the ARES properties panel.

Support for macOS 11 (Big Sur)

Released in 2022 Beta

ARES Commander 2022 supports the new MacOS 11.0 (Big Sur), as well as previous macOS X Mojave and Catalina versions.

Support for Mac Silicon processors (ARM64)

Released in 2022 Beta

ARES Commander 2022 supports the new ARM64 architecture. This is important because Apple is phasing out the Intel processors. Soon, all the new Mac computers will be sold with Apple-designed processors based on ARM64.

So, for a period of time, there will be Mac users working with Intel processors and others working with ARM64 processors.

We will support both with ARES Commander. Starting from the Beta of ARES Commander 2022, the same setup can be used for both Intel and Silicon processors.

Support for latest Linux versions

Similarly, ARES Commander supports the latest versions of Linux. But the Beta version of ARES Commander 2022 for Linux will not be available before the end of January.

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:DATAEXTRACTION
Ribbon:Not available on MacOS and Linux
Menu:Insert > Extraction > Data Extraction…
Keyboard shortcut:Not available  

Data Extraction for Mac and Linux

PDF Import for Mac and Linux

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:IMPORTPDF
Ribbon:Not available on MacOS and Linux
Menu:Insert > Import PDF…
Keyboard shortcut:Not available

With the ImportPDF command you can convert PDF files with vectors into DWG. The imported content is inserted as Blocks into the drawings. Users can insert all or selected pages from multiple page PDF documents and recover the information contained in layers.

Version History palette in ARES Commander

Released in 2022 Beta

Command name:VERSIONHISTORY
Ribbon:Collaborate > Utilities > Version History
Menu:Collaborate > Version History
Keyboard shortcut:Not available

Download BETA Version of ARES Commander 2022

The beta of ARES Commander 2022 is now available to the public. The official launch of ARES Commander 2022 will follow in spring 2021.

(Please note that the next version of ARES Commander 2020 will be version 2022. The current version is version 2020. Graebert is skipping one version number this year. This will however have no impact on our subscribers: if your subscription is not expired, you will be entitled to the new version, no matter what is the new version number of ARES Commander.)

Download the “What’s new in ARES 2022” Document

Read in-depth all about the upcoming and released features of ARES Commander 2022 below: