QCAD

Support for external references (XREF)

Chain dimensions

Reference dimensioning (baseline dimensioning)

Create multiple dimensions using the same base line.

See discussion at:
http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=2614

UCS support.

It would be a nice feature to be able to select multiple layers to remove them all at once.

Hi,

from time to time I need to place a circle etc precisely between two entity’s - what is a lot of construction work to get it correct. With the new “Info tool “Distance Entity to Entity” we have already the base for a new snap tool which could help to get rid of the time consuming construction process in cases like this. I would appreciate to get a new snap tool which is able to figure out the shortest distance between to entity’s and then will snap to the middle of it.

Pic 1: Given situation
Pic 2: Result after using this new snap tool

Would it make also cense to have a second new snap tool which works opposite for the furthermost distance between two entity’s?

My task: To hatch an area.

Right now, if I want to fill an area with a hatch pattern, I have to select all the enclosing objects (lines, arcs) and then I can select the hatch tool. That can be under some circumstances a tedious task.
To illustrate this, I created a simple example (see Attachment 1: Hatching.png).

Step 1: Create a rectangle.
Step 2: Draw four vertical lines.
Step 3: Select the four lines surrounding the first area. –> Problem! The horizontal lines are too long.
Step 4: Divide the long horizontal lines of the rectangle where the vertical lines touch. Now the lines surrounding the three areas can be selected.
Step 5: Hatch the selection. Done.

Just for fun try recreating my second example (see Attachment 2: Hatching2.png)

Therefore I would like to suggest a far more simple approach.

Step 1: Select the Hatch Tool.
Step 2: Click inside the area you would like to be hatched. Done.

Of course that would mean that the hatch style is already pre-defined and can be changed later, if needed.

In this way productivity can be increased by ... [fill in you own estimate] ... times.

Example 2 would need only 13 clicks to hatch all the areas (including the hatch tool button).

Use case:

• Start tool
• Choose one entity of the contour
• If contour is closed, area of closed contour is calculated an printed in the command line history
• Configuration parameters: segment length for arc interpolation

A new tool to create Spirals would be great to have, with an option to restrict the decline to achieve to draw either Logarithmic or Linear styles.

Please see related topic:

http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3236

Possibility to draw Polygons with a given dimension for across flats (not only corners).

Having practically no experience in scripting, a recorder that one could activate to memorize repetitive tasks (ie: inserting several layers with different attributes when starting a new drawing)would a useful tool to help get a start on scripting.

It would be nice to implement the old hatch function as a tile function in parallel with the newer more industry standard hatch function. A tile function that would allow overlap +/- would be even better, and a great productivity boost, almost like an array within a set of bounds.

Thanks, Bob

The 3dConnexion Space Navigator would be wonderful as a pan and zoom control. I find it extremely useful in SketchUp and when I switch from that to QCAD am always disappointed to find it doesn’t work.

3dconnexion DOT com/buy/shop.html?3dxcp=GA_GA_search_google_US_Brand

While full support for the buttons and such would be nice, just the ability to map the axis to pan and zoom would be wonderful.

To improve useability/efficiency I would like to propose the following changes/additions to the layer list:

1) Combining the show and hide button into one button.

Clicking once will hide all layers, clicking again will show them all again.

2) A “lock/unlock” button.

Clicking once will lock all layers, clicking again will unlock them all again.

Regarding the icons I suggest that instead of show both the black and grey version of the eye/lock, you could switch between them depending on the state the switch-button is in. Also the mouse-over-text could/should change with the state.

See drawing: I can’t seem to be able to manually change to the “To” variants – that is, override the decision of the label/arrow placement engine.

The circle in the attachment is a borderline example of when even just in this form I would more like it on the outside. If the drawing is crowded in that area, it would be even more useful to have it the other way around.

It would be nice (and a time-saver!) to have an additional option in the alignment tool: Distribute entities / blocks equally.

An option to remember the last active layer in an exisisting drawing when reopening.

Please see topic:

http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=31&p=9687&sid=7204a32dd33d5aa65ad5f979915cb7b2#p9687

Please seet topic:

http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3124

Please see last few posts here:

http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=3227&p=11777#p11777

With dxflib, QCAD cannot open any file with Chinese file name or path name, it popups a “Important Error” dialog.
But the writing (”Save As” command) with Chinese file name or path name is of no problem.
Does it mean dxflib can only handle single byte characters file name/path name?
WinXP, QCAD 3.8.0

See:
http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3410

see:
http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3466

I would love to have a ‘Double Line’ tool in QCAD.

For me this would be such a time saver when drawing out building floor plans in QCAD.

Add a tool to detect overlapping segments or lines and arcs.
Similar like the “overkill” command in other CAD systems.

Show area of closed polyline, hatch, solid fill in property editor.

To add the option to ‘print only’ selected area in a drawing.

Duplicate (copy, clone) a layer with or without entities on it. New name can be specified by user.

To have the option to set your own ‘user defined’ line weight.

To re-introduce Tile and Cascade window options like as before in QCAD 2.2.2.

When using the Lengthen/Shorten tool it would be good to have an additional option to be able to pick a point to lengthen or shorten to.

Add option to place text to follow along a given curve,arc etc...

See related topic:
http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2330

Sometimes you end up with a straight line which is broken/split into several parts. It would be great to have a tool to merge/combine these segments into one.

That would be the opposite/complementary tool to the “Split Entities” tool.

My system: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU 650 @ 3.20GHz and 8 GB of RAM and NVIDIA GT218 (GeForce 210)

For a normal drawing displaying it in all detail is a good thing and the performance of my quad-core system is more than adequate.

But I discovered (or rather experienced) that when putting a large collection of individual drawings of gears onto one big sheet (960 mm x 600 mm - preparation for laser cutting), the performance was so bad that I had to wait several seconds (>10 sec) for each step in the process of arranging all the parts on the layer.

Request: It would be a big help and performance booster if you could disable the detailed view of each part/layer and only draw a rectangle to visualize the outline of the part.

Please take this in consideration. Attached you find an example of how that could look like. (Actually when pasting a drawing from the clipboard you already do that.)

Would it be possible to add a feature which turns selected text into solid fill hatched polylines?

That would make it possible to migrate the drawing from one computer system to another without having to worry whether the used font is installed on both systems, like when sending a drawing to a manufacturer for laser engraving.

Right now I can do it by hand, letter by letter, and that is a rather labour-intensive task.

Many times I’m faced with the situation that I have to use a rectangle related to other entities. Dimensions/Angle = unknown.

We have in QCAD a rectangle tool with a two point diagonal determination but this is limited to two points and it will only work in a horizontal and vertical direction.

My feature request is based on the idea to draw a rectangle with 3 points - regardless the angle.

1. First point: start

2. second point: determination of the first side (width?) and it will also provide the angle for the rectangle

3. third point: determination second side (height?)

I’m asking for an additional new tool? No - just as an option to the existing rectangle tool ...

When double clicking on an entry in the layer list just nothing happens.
I would prefer if this would directly open the layer attributes dialog to change color/name etc.

Wipeout entities can be used to hide rectangular or polygonal sections of a drawing, for example to make space for a label inside a hatch.

I would very much like to ask for the option to Hatch/Fill with a gradient of one or two colours.

Many Thanks

Clive

For some tools like the Horizontal or vertical line, it would be good to have button options (similar to infinite and ray line buttons) instead of the drop down menus.

Now - after enjoying the great new “Scale” option for Dimensioning I like to ask for the same scale option for the “Info tools”.
It would be really nice to have more flexibility (without a pocket-calculator) in reading and displaying the Info tool results.

Add support to draw revision clouds or convert polylines, ellipses, circles to revision clouds.

Easy transfer of properties from one entity to others

It would be very useful to have the same possibility for Isometric projection like the Paste tool etc.. An option which ask me to put a new Isometric projection on the current layer is right now missing. If I like to have this new Isometric Projection on a different layer I have to reselect the projection and move it to that layer. That is plain inconvenient.

Please see topic:
http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=31&p=14209&sid=162973e4a12f58c8116299b62673a520#p14209

An additional option would be useful to paste any given entity a set number of times with even/equal gaps in between.

It would be helpful to have the added option to lengthen/Shorten from both ends of entity at the same time.

Hi,

I use a lot of “temp” layer to keep my drawing organized during a design session. Ad the end of the day (or week or month ...) I need to get rid of this “garbage” but unfortunately there is no easy way to delete all this layer in one go.
Most of the time those layer are invisible. The “important layer” are visible. If I could toggle all layer from visible in invisible in one go with a switch like “Toggle visible layer all” and then use “Select all” / delete / Purge unused layer I’m able do get rid of this stuff with just a few clicks.

The same tool would help to improve the workflow in the case that I just have to switch between all visible / invisible layer for testing / double checking / cleaning or what ever. Currently I have to toggle every single layer to get this done and if I work with many layer I need to have a perfect working memory (or a piece of paper with many notes!) to be able to restore the same desired working order.

And I’m confident - there are many more useful scenarios for a tool like this one ...

pics: “Toggle visibility all” with one click:

New Tool request:

When drawing a line it would be good to have a tool/option to ‘run parallel with’.

For example start to draw a line and choose ‘run parallel with’, select appropriate line to draw parallel with!

This one is a really important one for me, as currently I am doing a lot of dimension and annotation drawings.
I would like to request an option to be added to the dimension settings for both drawing and application settings to be able to choose whether the dimension text is to the right or left side or over the top or underneath the dimension line.
This would help tremendously when a lot of dimensions are needed!

Regards

Clive

Please see:

https://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=5024#p18601