Bricsnet IntelliCAD 2000 Review

Geoff Harrod

Bricsnet IntelliCAD 2000 is a powerful and cost-effective AutoCAD-like CAD system. Since IntelliCAD has usually been considered in respect to its compatibility with AutoCAD, we must look at that aspect, and for some people, this version may be found lacking. But as a CAD system in its own right Bricsnet IntelliCAD is an excellent choice. 

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Screen Layout & Toolbars

The startup default screen toolbar and prompt area layout which is very wasteful of work area, especially on an 800x600 screen as here. But you can easily alter it as much as you wish.

1024x768 screen as above with the Tools menu dropped down to show the range of facilities. The default work background is black, but I hate black and IntelliCAD does allow any choice of color. This choice is like the old green chalk-boards.

Customisation & Programming

IntelliCAD supports all the AutoCAD customisation and programming methods except ARX. Add-on applications written with AutoLISP, DCL (Dialog Control Language), SCRipts, Menu files and ADS can be transferred to IntelliCAD, although a little minor tweaking of programs may be needed, and ADS programs will need to be recompiled. The latter, as with the whole ADS system, is not for casual programmers, but all the special tools are provided except the C compiler. AutoCAD’s Visual LISP is not supported, but a LISP programmer may be able to convert those to AutoLISP. IntelliCAD also supports the Microsoft VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming system, and all the Microsoft inter-application linkage systems. Bricsnet recommend the use of VBA as the preferred tool for new programming work.

A customising feature that IntelliCAD still has over AutoCAD 2000, is the ability to record macros as you work, to produce a program that will then automatically perform those tasks. IntelliCAD also provides unlimited undo and redo steps, which can be quite an advantage.

Briscnet can also supply IntelliCAD 2000 to specialist developers as a compilable "CAD Engine" to use within new stand-alone Windows applications. They use that mechanism themselves for the Bricsnet Architecturals program, which adds the ACIS solid modeling engine to produce a 3D object-oriented architectural CAD system. Bricsnet were a pioneer in that type of program, previously using other platforms.

Filetypes Supported

The raster image support is comprehensive. Filetypes supported include WMF and EMF metafiles, BMP, JPG, GIF, TIF, PCX, PNG, RLC, TGA and CALS-1 raster files, plus AutoCAD SLD slide files. Controls are provided for stretching the image to fit over drawn features, its level relative to CAD work so that the image will cover-over line-work or form a background, and transparency of particular colour areas.

Rendering Capability

Bricsnet incorporate the highly regarded Lightworks Design 3D rendering sub-system within IntelliCAD 2000. There is no solid modeling sub-system in IntelliCAD 2000 but the built-in surface-based 3D features are adequate for quite a bit of 3D work, certainly enough for architectural-type work where complex curves, blends and filleting is not needed. Actually the same proviso applies in practice to the solids-based 3D features in AutoCAD 2000. Very good models can be built and displayed with considerable realism using the advanced rendering facilities. Many ready-made surface treatments, textures and backdrops are provided, and several pre-set lighting schemes provide someone new to modeling with a head start. Full control is provided for all types of lights and their placement.

1024x768 screen with menus etc reorganised to provide a bigger work area. This shows the sample 3D drawing SpaceStation.

IntelliCAD Vs AutoCAD

So IntelliCAD in its latest form cannot be considered as 100% AutoCAD-equivalent, usable interchangeably alongside AutoCAD 2000 in an office without restriction. But it is a very highly effective and powerful CAD system with capabilities slightly ahead of AutoCAD R14 and at much lower cost. Considered in its own right it represents excellent value, power and effectiveness. It is a bit more backward-compatible than AutoCAD, in that it can read and write DWG and DXF files right back to version 2.5.

Summary

An office that uses IntelliCAD 2000 will be able to do anything that AutoCAD R14 could do. They will be able to make very good use of DWG file data received from AutoCAD users. Even though they may need to edit it a bit to make it appear they way they like on paper, there will be no loss or mutilation of actual drawing data. They will be able to send their work to AutoCAD users, confident that the data will survive the journey without risk of getting mutilated in any translation process, as often happens with other CAD products that do not use the DWG format natively.