microsites>>   

Will FelixCAD Take Over Where IntelliCAD Left Off?

Richard Malloy, CET

FelixCAD 4.01 is the latest in a small number of viable AutoCAD "workalikes" that have cropped up over the last couple of years. Although FelixCAD has built quite a following in Europe and Asia, it is still relatively unknown in North America.

Why? I suspect it has something to do with the IntelliCAD juggernaut launched by Visio almost 2 years ago. Visio, with its marketing clout, presented IntelliCAD as a viable alternative to AutoCAD. It supported most of AutoCAD's commands, could run Lisp and ADS programs (with a little effort), and even used .DWG as its native file format. The best part for many people was it's under $400 price tag

My guess is FelixCAD got buried in the Visio/Autodesk battle that raged until recently, when Visio announced they were being bought by Microsoft. Just prior to this announcement, Visio handed IntelliCAD over to the IntelliCAD Technology Consortium under a quasi "open source" model. Only time will tell if IntelliCAD remains alive, and if so, continues to move forward.

In the meantime, FelixCAD 4.01 might be a very good option for those looking for an under $400 AutoCAD workalike that does about 99% of what R12 did, and about 90% of what R14 does. Some features are found only in Autodesk's latest release, AutoCAD 2000 (namely multiple drawings open at the same time). Sound like IntelliCAD? Well it is basically, with a few extras thrown into the mix.

Like IntelliCAD, FelixCAD is a complete 2/3D CAD system. However, it does not support solids modeling or ACIS objects and regions. The version I tested simply ignored these objects when encountered. According to the company, solids modeling is a planned enhancement for future releases. This means if you want to use FelixCAD for 3D work, you will have to settle for 3D primitives that are saved as a polyface mesh or 3D faces, much the same as IntelliCAD or AutoCAD R12.

FelixCAD 4.01 in General
Before we see how well FelixCAD stacks up against AutoCAD or IntelliCAD, we should examine the program on its own merits. As a general purpose CAD system that's powerful and easy to use (especially for us old AutoCAD hounds), it's very good.

Display and object selection speeds are good, even with large drawings. I did encounter some screen flicker when using the dynamic zoom and pan functions, but I'm glad these functions are included. Like other modern day Windows CAD systems, FelixCAD uses the Multiple Document Interface, meaning you can have multiple drawing open at one time. FelixCAD can open 4 drawings with 4 views of each, for a total of 16 open screens.

Drawing objects can be cut and pasted amongst open drawings, saved to file, or the Windows clipboard. FelixCAD does not support OLE automation, however I was able to easily paste bitmap images into Word. FelixCAD supports multiple undo's, but only a single redo. This is a small annoyance that could be eliminated in future releases.

FelixCAD operates solely on Windows 95, 98, and NT. I tested it on a Pentium 400, with 128MB of RAM and NT 4.0 Workstation. The program takes up about 60MB, documentation included. FelixCAD includes support for mouse or tablet operation.

Getting Started with FelixCAD
FelixCAD is available by download off the Internet or on CD. I tested the download version, as the CD version was still in production. The download was just over 12MB in size, which includes the program and online help. A separate download was required to retrieve the 4 manuals, all stored in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format.

Thankfully, the download was a self-running installation, instead of a zip file. The installation ran smoothly, allowing me to pick between a full running 30-day "trial", or a registered license. A CD key number is used to permanently authorize the system.

Using FelixCAD 4.01
FelixCAD includes a standard pull-down menu and toolbar interface, along with a detachable command line. Overall, FelixCAD fits somewhere between AutoCAD 2000 and R12 in terms of user feel, power, and functionality. One nice touch is the ability to drag and drop icons to and from toolbars and permanent areas of the desktop. This let me put my favorite command icons in a permanent area of the desktop.

All parts of the FelixCAD desktop can be toggled on or off, which lets you achieve a balance between maximum drawing area and toolbar convenience. After reading about 10 pages of the included "FelixCAD for AutoCAD Users" manual, I realized the program includes an AutoCAD R14 emulated menu, toolbars, and command alias, making it even more friendly to an AutoCAD familiar operator.

System settings and preferences are contained in a series of tabbed configuration dialogs. FelixCAD allows control over virtually any setting, with user definition of important drawing functions such as dimensioning. Drawing templates can be set up to serve as prototypes for a new drawing.

FelixCAD conformed completely to AutoCAD layering, line type definitions, entity handling, and coordinate system control. The program includes Drawing Layout functions (paper space/model space) and supports externally referenced files. AutoCAD SHX and True Type fonts are supported, with user definable font mapping. A Drawing Navigator displays non-graphic components of a drawing in an Explorer style dialog.

FelixCAD makes liberal use of dialog boxes when a command is run. For example, when I typed "TEXT", the system popped up a text editor style dialog box in allowing me to enter text and place it according to options contained in the dialog. The command "QTEXT" can be used to execute a command line variant of text entry, much the same as AutoCAD. FelixCAD does not support more advanced multi-line text functionality like AutoCAD.

I found drafting in FelixCAD to be quick and easy. The program offers an option bar or option menu (selectable) that relays available options as you draw. You can pick or type the first letter of an option. Dimensioning and hatching are associative and complete, although I found the boundary hatching got confused on occasion if it encounters extremely complex crossings. I reported my findings, and word is a fix will be coming soon.

A wire-frame model and its rendered form in FelixCAD 4.01

FelixCAD includes a number of features that I found useful. The animated rendering function (illustrated above) pops up a quick rendering of 3D objects. The rendering window let me zoom and pan the rendered image, and spin the object at will. Although not photo-realistic, I found this function handy for quickly viewing 3D drawings.

FelixCAD includes rendering to screen, bitmap, or the Windows clipboard. "Fast hide" and "hide to file" functions are used for hidden line removal.

The program includes a batch plotting and file conversion utility that I found useful. To test it, I selected a large number of existing AutoCAD DWG blocks, and converted them in a single pass to FelixCAD .FLX files. This allowed me to use the excellent parts library manager to make a library of visual parts that I could insert at any location and scale.

FelixCAD supports raster images, but is limited to BMP, TIF, and RLC. Luckily, BMP and TIF are common file formats, and there are numerous third party programs on the market that can convert other file types. The raster functions worked well, allowing precise image placement and transformation, with image assembly.

FelixCAD does not support grips. Instead, it includes a "mouse context" switch that when on, allows left mouse button picking of any object. A full array of editing options is presented without having to locate specific functions. The only thing I couldn't understand is why this setting is not on by default. I found it a very intuitive way to work.

FelixCAD supports a large array of snap options, with combined settings available when needed. Snaps can be toggled on or off as needed. Layer access and linetype management are superb, with single button selection. Objects can be grouped or ungrouped, which is good because I use grouping all the time in my work.

Customization
FelixCAD was originally developed specifically as a CAD "engine". According to the company, nearly 80% of worldwide revenues to date have been derived from the licensing of FelixCAD to corporate and third party developers.

FelixCAD's dual role as a customizable CAD engine shows. In fact, I have found very few CAD systems that are as customizable as FelixCAD. Using the built-in dialog, menu, and toolbar editor, I was able to create a floating toolbar that contained all of my favorite functions in about 5 minutes. Menu and dialog editing is just as easy, making rapid prototyping of custom applications a breeze.

For serious customization, FelixCAD supports LISP, C++, and Delphi programming. My only caveat is that Visual Basic is not included in the programming API. If Visual Basic was supported, FelixCAD might very well be the best system I have seen for creating integrated solutions.

Adding to its appeal for AutoCAD or IntelliCAD developers, is a series of translation utilities that automatically convert menus, dialogs, and even AutoLISP code for operation with FelixCAD. I tested these utilities on a couple of my own AutoLISP programs. After a little tinkering getting used to the translators, my add-ons worked perfectly.

Summary
I found FelixCAD 4.01 to be more than a match for IntelliCAD 98 as far as freestanding CAD operation is concerned. I found FelixCAD to be more intuitive, faster, and easier to customize to the way I like to work.

Low price isn't everything. But, when you take into account it's under $400 street price, FelixCAD 4.01 is a bargain if you don't require the solids modeling functionality of AutoCAD.

• Powerful and easy to use
• AutoCAD compatibility
• Customization capabilities
• Price

• No solids modeling
• No VBA

• 4.5 stars out of 5

Richard Malloy, CET

Please rate our article...
">

 

Sponsored Links

<% Call SelectBanner("sponsoredlinks") %> AnyDWG Offers DWG to PDF, DWG to DXF, PDF to DWG, DWG to JPG, PDF to DXF Converters

AutoDWG offers DWF to DWG, DWG to PDF , PDF to DWG, DWG to Flash Converters, DWG Viewer.

eCampus.com Get your stuff for College... Cheap! Textbooks, Greek Gear, DVD's, University Clothing, Computers and MORE!

Access Your PC from Anywhere Free Trial plus 10% Off!