Discover all the New Features
of the ARES Trinity of CAD Software
Productivity & Easy Transition from AutoCAD®
The right CAD software can help you become much more productive,
but only if you understand how to use it.
ARES Commander isn’t just easy to use; it’s easy to learn, too. With a new AI assistant and an updated yet familiar interface, making the switch from your old CAD program is simple.
Say Hello to ARES AI Assist (A3)
ARES AI Assist (A3) is like having a friendly guide inside ARES Commander.
State-of-the-art Technology
A3 is pre-trained artificial intelligence (like ChatGPT)
– and here to help ARES users in the following ways:
- Explain how to use various features of the software
- Locate features in the user interface
- Answer questions and explain general concepts
- Customize the user interface
- Provide industry-specific advice
- Perform conversions and calculations
- Translate text into different languages
For all types of users, it’s a helpful sidekick that makes learning and using the software much easier and more enjoyable.
How to use ARES AI Assist?
The A3 palette is loaded by default, and can be activated or deactivated like any other palette provided in ARES Commander. When users need help with CAD-related tasks, they can simply use natural language to interact with A3, which understands many languages. Users who are new to ARES may ask it for help in locating or explaining features.
As a result, A3 can be very useful in learning about the Trinity collaboration features and BIM features that don’t exist in other CAD programs. A3 can also help more experienced users by performing calculations, answering technical questions, and translating text, for example.
Colored Icons in Dark UI Style
Some users felt that our monochromatic dark-style interface could use a touch more pizazz, and we agreed.
Before: Monochromatic Dark-Style
Updated: Colored Icon Style
Swapping out our all-white icons for a burst of color adds a dynamic visual element, but the decision to adopt colored icons was not merely a style choice.
We believe this change will also improve usability by making clearer distinctions between individual icons, and fostering a more intuitive user experience.
Moreover, the decision to give the icon color scheme a makeover was driven by the desire to provide users with a seamless transition from AutoCAD. We understand that change can be daunting at first, but with this fresh and vibrant look, we aim to make the journey into ARES an accessible and visually engaging experience.
New Dimension Styles dialog
To facilitate a smooth transition for users migrating from AutoCAD to ARES, we have prioritized simplicity in the user adoption process.
As part of our ongoing efforts, we’ve introduced a new feature that allows users to edit Dimension Styles in a manner closely resembling the familiar AutoCAD interface, with the same options as in AutoCAD. This means you can navigate and customize Dimension Styles with ease, ensuring a smooth and intuitive experience.
Redesigned Options dialog
Find the settings you seek in less time, with less effort.
The Options dialog box contains a wide array of settings that allow for extensive customization of the application. However, due to the huge number of settings, distributed across various tabs inside this dialog box, locating a specific one can be cumbersome, especially for new users. To address this issue, we provided a Search tool within the dialog box. However, we felt the tool could be improved in usability and efficiency. Our new Search widget makes the searching process more intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring that users can find any desired setting quickly. Simply start to type a term or a system variable name in the Search box to see a list of options containing the substring that you entered. Relevant options are dynamically located in the Options dialog box as you hover the mouse pointer over the suggestion list. In addition, paths for finding the option in the dialog box are displayed.
New Ribbon UI for ARES Kudo
The well-known ribbon user interface (UI) from the Windows version of ARES Commander is now available in ARES Kudo as well.
Standard UI (Toolbars & Menus)
New Ribbon UI Concept
This innovative addition is designed to boost the discoverability of features and functions,
shorten the learning curve for newly introduced elements, and increase ease of use.
Users will be able to select the new user interface in the Preferences section of ARES Kudo.
In the existing UI, a toolbar displays the most frequently used features, but the more advanced features are tucked away in menus. The ribbon, in contrast, will provide better visibility for the full range of features. In addition, users transitioning from a desktop platform will find that the new interface feels familiar, thanks to its similarity to ARES Commander or AutoCAD.
Ultimately, the new UI can help users to feel more in control of their overall user experience in ARES Kudo.
Quick DWG Editing from selection on smartphones & tablets
ARES Touch offers a wide variety of editing features you can access from the command list or menu on the right side. And now, you can perform certain edits with touch gestures
To improve the workflow of editing drawings, ARES Touch will transform finger gestures for selected entities into basic editing operations. For instance, in addition to panning and zooming, you may move, rotate, or scale single entities — or an entire selection set — directly with your fingers.
Editing features in ARES Touch are for subscribers only.
If you have a Trinity license, please make sure to login in ARES Touch with your Graebert Account.
New 2D & 3D CAD Features
When you use CAD features all day, every day, each improvement can save significant time.
See below how the libraries of dynamic blocks, table management tools, and more new features can make your work go faster.
Hundreds of dynamic blocks
to enrich ARES Commander’s Tool Palettes
More than 450 pre-created dynamic blocks are now available via the tool palettes in ARES Commander – all of them parametric and compatible with AutoCAD.
Instead of creating new blocks to adapt or update a design, users can easily adjust the size, shape, and configuration of existing dynamic blocks instead.
The new dynamic blocks include symbols for Architecture, Interior Design, HVAC, Electricity, Plumbing, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, and more.
For greater convenience, they are grouped into palettes according to their industry focus, together with other tools such as specific CAD entities.
This can greatly simplify the drawing process and reduce repetitive tasks.
ARES Kudo: Online CAD supports dynamic blocks
The dynamic features of AutoCAD Dynamic blocks will now work in ARES Kudo, meaning that whenever a drawing contains dynamic blocks, users will be able to manipulate them as intended.
This ensures maximum compatibility with AutoCAD, and can greatly simplify the drawing process. For example, users can quickly configure a design by simply resizing a dynamic block. Users can also add dynamic blocks from their own libraries to drawings in ARES Kudo. By taking advantage of the Trinity Block Library (introduced last year), they can maintain a centralized online library to improve consistency and standardization across their entire organization. To illustrate this benefit, we have produced many examples of dynamic blocks for multiple industries. These new libraries of blocks will be available in ARES Kudo in the Trinity Block Library, and in ARES Commander in both the Trinity Block Library and the Tool Palettes.
Block Structure Palette
The new palette aims to provide a comprehensive solution for visualizing and managing block structures within the application.
A block structure refers to the arrangement of nested blocks (i.e., blocks that are included within other blocks), creating a hierarchy. This feature not only displays the nested block structures, but also offers various functionalities for interacting with them. Editing nested blocks without exploding the parent blocks unlocks endless possibilities to organize more complex blocks, similar to the mechanical assemblies typically used in PLM software. It becomes possible to modify one nested element and see all its occurrences updated in the drawing.
Auto-fill cells in tables
This functionality is designed to save time and reduce the need for manual entry of repetitive data.
The ability to fill in data automatically is a very powerful and useful feature inside any spreadsheet or application that supports tabular data. This feature helps users to fill the adjacent cells with different types of values by using different “auto-fill“ methods. Initially, this type of feature had been used in complex spreadsheet applications (e.g., Microsoft Excel). Gradually, other domain applications that support tabular data also started to use an auto-fill feature to some extent. You will find the new Auto-fill feature in TABLE entities created in ARES Commander.
Break Tables
Sometimes, you may need to manage a table in your drawing that does not fit in the drawing area or sheet, due to the large number of rows.
The easy solution would be to split the table records into multiple tables, then place those split tables side by side. This feature is called “Table Break,” and now we have the ability to do it automatically in ARES Commander. You can define the table height manually — by simply dragging the grip point — or you can type the desired height into the Properties palette. The height is defined in drawing units.
3D Visual Styles support
ARES Commander now supports Visual Styles created in AutoCAD and vice versa.
A 3D drawing configured with such specific styles in AutoCAD is displayed the same way in ARES Commander, and vice versa — ensuring visual consistency between applications.
Visual Styles also enable ARES Commander users to produce higher-quality visuals of their 3D projects.
Export to DataSmith for 3D rendering
ARES Commander is now able to export DWG content to the free-to-use Unreal Engine for real-time rendering and 3D visualization.
From ARES Commander, it is now possible to export your 3D projects to the Datasmith format. Then, in Unreal Engine, you can create a real-time visualiza- tion of the CAD model. This includes realistic lighting, shadows, and materials that provide a more immersive experience, compared with traditional static renders.
Ultimately, Unreal Engine’s real-time rendering capabilities enable stakeholders to validate designs more effectively. The ability to explore a 3D model in real time during client presentations or collaborative sessions fosters clearer communication and understanding. With the Unreal Engine export, collaboration becomes more intuitive, enabling users and their clients to interact with the design simultaneously. This dynamic interaction promotes quicker decision- making and enhances the overall design review process.
Moreover, the speed at which design iterations can be visualized and adjusted within Unreal Engine accelerates the feedback loop, enabling design teams to implement changes rapidly and ensuring that the final product aligns more closely with the client’s vision.
Improved Interoperability
Export DWG to DGN
ARES Commander users have long been able to import DGN and convert to DWG, and now they can export from DWG to DGN as well.
The ability to import DGN and convert to DWG has been available in ARES Commander for a long time. It enabled a workflow with Bentley users, because MicroStation is able to read and save in DWG.
Now, ARES Commander provides a new capability to export from DWG to DGN, extending this compatibility. It is particularly useful for customers working with Bentley ProjectWise for project management, because that solution works with DGN files.
Civil 3D Support
In a progressive move, ARES Commander 2025 is introducing support for Autodesk Civil 3D entities.
This integration enables the proper visualization of Civil 3D entities within the ARES environment. Initially, ARES Commander users will have access to limited grips and properties functionalities; subsequent releases are poised to incorpo- rate further enhancements in this direction. These advances will further improve interoperability between ARES Commander and Civil 3D, which is a comprehen- sive solution for the design and documentation needs of civil engineering, land development, and infrastructure projects.
CorelDRAW & Corel DESIGNER Import/Export
CorelCAD™ has been discontinued, but ARES Commander now provides vital support for users of these formats.
CorelCAD was a CAD software program distributed by AlludoTM (formerly known as Corel®), and based on the ARES® technology from Graebert. Alludo is no longer selling CorelCAD or CorelCAD Mobile.
In an effort to facilitate a smooth transition to ARES Commander, Graebert and Alludo decided to include in ARES Commander the support for the *.cdr format (used by CorelDRAW®) and *.des format (used by Corel DESIGNER™) that was formerly only available in CorelCAD. As a result, ARES Commander is now the only CAD solution on the market offering compatibility with these two file formats.
Optimized Stability:
Continuous Performance Improvements
The 2025 release was thoroughly evaluated by performance tests, utilizing a diverse range of sample drawings from various sources and areas to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Opening Average
Zoom In & Zoom Out
Crash Rate Decrease
Some commands may run hundreds of times a day during regular use — so even smalls improvements lead to a substantial amount of time saved in a work day
OPEN FILE is on average 40% faster than previous versions, as confirmed by our test cases.
Both ZOOM/IN and ZOOM/OUT are now on average 22% faster than before.
Continuous efforts to prioritize reliability and stability have also led to a remarkable 87% decrease in crash rates
from version 2023 to latest 2024 (SP4) version.
Statistics for version 2025 have not been collected yet at the time of writing.
ARES Commander compatible with latest macOS,
supports ARM-based systems
This update brings a host of benefits to Mac users, including enhanced performance, improved battery life, and seamless integration with the latest macOS version
The Mac version of ARES Commander is now offered in two setups: one for 64-bit Intel processors and one for 64-bit ARM processors (aka M1, M2, and M3). Previously, the compatibility with ARM processors was provided via the Rosetta translator.
Now, ARES Commander offers native support, which improves stability and performance.
CAD for BIM in DWG
with ARES Commander 2025Smarter DWG Drawings for BIM Projects
The BIM features in ARES Commander require to stay on Trinity subscription or maintenance
Users on active Trinity subscription or maintenance plans have access to some of the most powerful tools in ARES Commander: the CAD-for-BIM features. Leverage the power of BIM Drawings Automation tools in ARES Commander to import Revit & IFC files and automatically generate 2D floorplans, sections and elevations in DWG format.
Detail views for BIM drawings
New drawing type to magnify a specific region of a floor plan or section drawing.
Certain aspects of a building’s structure — such as intricate wall connections or the intersection of the roof with the walls — demand special attention. To enhance clarity in these crucial areas, the latest release introduces a novel drawing type called “Detail“. Through the enhanced BIMSECTION command, users can now select specific regions within “Plan“ or “Section“ drawings for magnification, unveiling detailed insights into the structure, materials, and components of particular elements.
This feature provides a focused and in-depth exploration of key building aspects, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of intricate architectural details.
Wall junctions improvements in floor plans
ARES Commander now recognizes the wall junction types selected in Revit — whether it’s Butt, Miter, or Square off, the floor plans will now reflect such choices.
The introduction of precise wall junctions in BIM Drawings for Revit models is a significant enhancement that greatly contributes to the overall accuracy and realism of building designs. Understanding how walls join is essential for any- one interpreting a floor plan drawing, whether it be a construction professional, an architect, or a client. With this improvement, ARES BIM Drawings, especially floor plans, can now identify the type of wall junction set up in Revit — whether it’s Butt, Miter, or Square off. This information is accurately displayed when creating BIM Drawings in ARES.
BIM labels adjustments in floor plans
Besides automatically generating the labels for Rooms, Doors, and Windows, ARES Commander now leverages AI to reposition the labels, avoiding any possible overlap with other entities
In architecture and design, where labels play a big role, the main goals are always about making things clear and easy to understand. This goes for rooms, doors, and windows alike. The idea is to help architects, builders, and everyone else involved in a project communicate smoothly. But when we look closely at each category — rooms, doors, and windows — we see that each has its own unique needs.
With these considerations in mind, ARES BIM features elevate their capabilities by intelligently automating label placement based on specific constraints:
- Labels are carefully positioned to prevent overlap, ensuring clarity in the presentation.
- Entities such as furniture are taken into account to avoid any interference with labels within the drawing.
- Room labels are thoughtfully placed at the center of each room, optimizing visibility.
- Door labels are strategically positioned near the respective doors, providing a clear indication of their destination.
- Window labels default to an external placement for enhanced clarity in the building structure.
- The use of leaders adds flexibility to label placement, particularly in confined spaces where adaptability is key.
- A focus on aesthetic appeal and user-friendly controls ensures that labels not only look good, but are easily managed by users.
BIM dimension chains enhancements
As with the BIM labels, the BIM dimension chains are now automatically repositioned to prevent texts from overlapping other elements.
For this release, we worked on the dimension chains with the goal of optimizing the creation of the chains and presenting the dimensions more clearly than in the previous version of ARES Commander. The newly enhanced feature supports the creation of dimension chains for non-horizontal or vertical elements. There are also new options that automatically prevent text from overlapping if the elements are too close together.
BIM dimension chains are smarter because they remain linked to BIM entities.
If the BIM model is modified, you can refresh the geometry of the drawings and the dimensions will also be automatically updated with the new values. You can create such dimension chains manually, or automatically with the BIM Drawings Automation tools.
Split BIM Drawings
When automatically generated drawings cannot fit in a single viewport, this new command enables users to split the drawing into multiple viewports.
In response to the challenge of effectively displaying large drawings within a single viewport, ARES now introduces a new command: BIMSPLITDRAWING. Even when utilizing resources for scaling drawings, certain large drawings may not be adequately showcased in a single viewport. The new command addresses this specific use case, enabling users to smoothly draw a BIM Drawing into multiple viewports. This innovative feature ensures optimal visibility, allowing users to maintain clarity and precision even when dealing with expansive drawings.
Multiview blocks
Now users can replace elements in plans, sections, and elevations with specially customized blocks, providing more control over representation.
Distinct elements often demand unique representations in various types of drawings. For instance, in architectural plans, it’s crucial for doors to indicate their opening direction through symbols, while elevation displays must convey the same information for windows. Although Revit BIM objects frequently contain a 2D symbol, and it’s possible for ARES to extract and display them in 2D drawings, they might be absent in IFC objects. Therefore, we are introducing a new functionality to address these variations.
This feature will empower users to replace elements in plans, sections, or elevations with specially customized blocks. Such a capability not only enhances the accuracy of representation in specific drawings, but also ensures compliance with particular requirements, such as incorporating a designated floor for fire safety.
New Trinity Collaboration Features for ARES Commander,
ARES Kudo & ARES Touch
Active Trinity subscribers have access to all the Trinity collaboration features, which draw on the integration between ARES Commander, ARES Kudo, and ARES Touch to smoothly coordinate users working in different places and on different devices.
The Trinity Collaboration features for ARES Commander, ARES Kudo & ARES Touch require to stay on subscription
Mentions in Comments
Mentioning another user with the @ symbol generates an email notification containing the comment and a link to the drawing. It is an easy and efficient way to get quicker reactions and assign tasks or questions.
Now, when customers and their teams are collaborating on DWG drawings, they can tag specific team members directly within the comments and markups. The “Tagging Users in Comments“ feature ensures that the right team members receive notifications, keeping discussions focused and productive. Important details no longer get lost in the shuffle. Everyone stays informed and can respond promptly to questions and feedback. And as comments can be linked to a selection of entities in the drawing, your contacts can easily jump to the corresponding part of the drawing.
Real-time collaboration for multiple users across Desktop, Mobile & Cloud
Previously released in ARES Kudo, this time-saving capability is now also available in ARES Commander and ARES Touch.
When a user is working on a DWG file stored in the Cloud, a second user can send a notification asking to “Take over the editing session”. If the first user accepts, his session turns into a read-only session while the second user starts editing. But the first user can refresh the drawing after each modification to see the changes being made. And if desired, the user in read-only mode can request to take over the editing session again.
This way two users, or potentially more, can work in parallel on the same file. This method lets users edit one at a time, with others watching—essentially, it’s like passing around a single pen to work together on a drawing, regardless of whether team members are in the office using ARES Commander, working remotely, or on the move with ARES Kudo or ARES Touch.
Trinity Block Library enriched with 450+ ready-to-use dynamic blocks
The vast collection of dynamic blocks found in ARES Commander’s tool palettes is now accessible in the Trinity Block Library, making them readily available for use in ARES Kudo as well.
The Trinity Block Library is a Trinity Collaboration feature provided in ARES Commander, ARES Kudo and ARES Touch. It allows users to build online libraries of blocks. Its main benefit lies in centralizing blocks online, simplifying the creation of personal or company-wide libraries of static and dynamic blocks. Demonstrating its utility for your company, we’ve incorporated over 450 dynamic blocks into the library, ready for use across a variety of projects.
Collaborative Cloud-based Versioning
with QR Codes & Cloud Fields
In an era of seamless connectivity and instant access to information,
this feature brings the power of Cloud-based collaboration to your drawings printed on paper or PDF.
Reference Printed CAD drawings with QR-codes
Printed CAD drawings are a ubiquitous tool on construction sites, and they’re also an essential part of daily operations for maintenance technicians and other types of field workers. But they have a serious limitation: projects evolve, but printed drawings don’t.
Whether it’s a paper printout or a PDF, a printed drawing is static; it doesn’t reflect any design changes that were made after it was printed. Even a recently made printout may be out of date by the time it’s viewed. And the older it is, the more likely it is to be an inaccurate representation
of the current project.
So how can people viewing a printed drawing be sure that they’re up to date with the project? They can never feel completely confident — unless the print was made using Graebert’s new CLOUDFIELD command.
This new development links printed drawings with cloud-based digital files.
By scanning a QR code on the printed drawing, any user can access online the project that was printed. And users can do more than view the file; they can also add comments and markups to point out problems, ask questions, or discuss issues with colleagues back in the office.
When scanned, all four types of QR codes will open the drawing online. However, the “View-Only Link” types will only allow users to view and comment on the drawing, not download it. The “Download Link” types permit all three kinds of actions.
Scenario – How does the process look like?
Imagine that we want to ensure that some colleagues in the field are always working with up-to-date content, but we don’t want them to download the drawing. For this, we use a “View-Only Link of Latest Version Drawing” QR code, which will be included on the drawings printed on paper or PDF. By scanning this QR code, they can access online the most recent version of the printed drawing they have in hand. In addition, the view-only link allows them to comment on the drawing with text notes, photos, voice recordings, or stamps, so they can ask questions or share feedback easily.
There is another important difference between the four types of QR codes: The two labeled “LATEST” link to the newest version of the drawing, whereas the two labeled “AS PRINTED” show the drawing as it was when the printout was made. The latter would be helpful, for example, if we had both an “official” version of the drawing and an in-progress version (which we were not ready to share because it had not been validated yet).
We can also insert both the “Download Link of Latest Version File” QR code and a URL from the CLOUDFIELD dialog in a drawing we’re sharing with a collaborator. This would ensure partners will always be able to download the latest version of the file and start their project, whether they have a PDF or a printed version in hand.
When adding the link to the drawing, users have always a choice of inserting a QR code, a clickable text link, or both.