IronCAD’s TriBall interface has the distinction of being the very first cursor in CAD that went beyond simple crosshairs. Back in 1995, when IronCAD first launched under the name of Trispectives, the world had never before seen a user interface this advanced. The TriBall acts as a very smart 3D cursor, so smart that it…

All of those who lived through the exciting years of early computer aided design, especially on personal computers, worked mainly in 2D and 2.5D environments. Progress in the direction of designing entirely in 3D was slow. One of the most frequently asked questions was, “How might we generate 3D models based on 2D drawings, and…

The article excerpted here, “Editor’s Pick: IronCAD Integrates Photorealistic Rendering” by Anthony J. Lockwood, originally appeared in Digital Engineering. The people at IronCAD seem relentless in their pursuit to make their integrated IronCAD 3D/2D Design Collaboration Suite more productive and ever more ready for big-time collaboration. Over the past few years, for example, they’ve expanded IronCAD’s collaboration…

The article excerpted here, “Photorealistic Rendering Has Become an Essential Tool in CAD” by Anthony J. Lockwood, originally appeared in Digital Engineering. Six or seven years ago, CAD users considered photorealistic visuals desirable, but not critical. Few would have outright rejected a 3D program because it doesn’t offer the option to instantly view the design in a…

IronCAD is getting a lot of attention these days, adding TraceParts, integrating GrabCAD, and more recently, adding KeyShot. To see what all the fuss was about, I figured I’d open up the software and take a look inside. I’m not entirely new to IronCAD. Back with IronCAD version 1 in the 90s I witnessed it…

Quick Links Productivity Focused Improvements 2D DRAFT Improvements General Improvements Operating System and System Updates New 3rd Party Applications Productivity Focused Improvements Including: Improved UI Highlight on Standard Features The IntelliShape display has been improved to allow transparency display for better visual appearance on modifications. With the improved highlight, you can visually see the geometry…

Below are links to the new features that have been added to the IronCAD product over the years. IronCAD 2013 Product Update #1 IronCAD 2013 IronCAD 2012 IronCAD 2011 IronCAD 2009 IronCAD Version 11 IronCAD Version 9 IronCAD Version 8 IronCAD Version 7      

From the blue gradient of the background to the uniformity of the ribbon bar, there is something eerily familiar to every MCAD software. I have said that learning new CAD software is like learning a new language: the vocabulary and grammar may be different, but the concepts are the same. The second language seems different,…

In June 1998 I would notice a blur periodically crossing my vision. I ignored it. Flash forward to 2013, and now I wish I’d paid attention to the IronCAD neXt Generation Design Collaboration Suite. It’s no longer a half-conscious blur but a full-featured MCAD suite consisting of software elements for 3D design, 2D design and…

Design professionals are sometimes on an insatiable search for the perfect tool that will make us all the more effective at our work, expanding our creative horizons in improved form and reduced time. A CAD solution would be a system that provides the flexibility to handle several different design situations, yet enables fast and optimal…