Discover all the New Features
of the ARES Trinity of CAD Software

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.

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.

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.

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.