- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP/Vista
- Date added: July 12, 2009
- Total Downloads: 12,319
- Downloads last week: 541
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 7 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET staff on December 04, 2009
IMSI/Design's DoubleCAD XT is a compact CAD utility for Google SketchUp. Based on the developer's professional CAD product, DoubleCAD XT is similar to other slimmed-down CAD packages, but it offers more than most of them, for less: it's free.
DoubleCAD XT's interface will be familiar to many, even those with no CAD experience, since CAD tools generally look and function much like photo editors and other typical graphics utilities, and DoubleCAD XT is based on pro software. It's well designed, as you'd expect from design software. It's easy to use if you have CAD experience but easy to figure out if you don't. For a free tool, it offers basics and extras too numerous to list entirely, but a few are: Enhanced .SPK compatibility with SketchUp, layers, a 3D-to-2D flattener, a brush editor, and automatic scaling. DoubleCAD XT is a great choice as a .DWG viewer for those with older AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT versions that can't read the latest formats. It's also handy for those who need to import or otherwise view and utilize CAD images for other purposes, such as presentations or digital publishing.
DoubleCAD XT is certified for both Windows XP and Vista, but not yet in Windows 7. It downloads as a Zip file, but at nearly 58MB, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It also requires you to enter the provided serial number--not too many hoops to jump through for such fine free tools. Highly recommended.
Publisher's description
From IMSI/Design :DoubleCAD XT is the CAD of choice for Google SketchUp users and a great companion to AutoCAD if you're looking for an extra CAD seat. Based on IMSI/Design's award-winning CAD code with over two million copies sold worldwide, DoubleCAD XT works like AutoCAD LT but goes beyond in a number of important areas, including innovative features like: Self-healing, ADT-compatible walls; Self-aligning blocks; Transparent fills; Draw order by layer; Bezier curves; Flatten 3D to 2D views; Hatch pattern editor; Advanced polyline editing * Automatic scaling of units between drawings; Parametric variable palette * Embed/bind image files in drawing * Input multiple unit types on-the-fly; Snap prioritization * Brush editor; Smart dimensions; Import xrefs.
With high-level .DWG and .DWF support, exchanging drawings with AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT is simple and straightforward. DoubleCAD XT is even a great free DWG viewer for those with older copies of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT that can't read the latest AutoCAD files. DoubleCAD XT also has superior .SKP compatibility with Google SketchUp, importing all visible geometry, layers, and components, converting all components to DoubleCAD blocks to optimize drawing performance, and creating a paper space from each SketchUp scene, thereby saving time by automatically creating viewports with the correct layer visibility and 2D or perspective view properties. These paper space views are also immediately ready for dimensioning and annotation. Please use Serial Number: CE80-2087-8000-2230.
What's new in this version:
change to serial number
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.1 stars out of 7 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 6 user reviewsSee all 6 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: DoubleCAD XT 1.1
"The Best Substitute There Is."
Pros: The interface and usability are very similar to AutoCAD LT. The program can save and import AutoCAD files but its best feature is that the commands work very much the same - little to no learning curve at all if you're familiar with AutoCAD.
Cons: Could not find 'endpoint' for the osnap feature but figured it out eventually.
Summary: I have not found a more compatible CAD program out there when compared to AutoCAD LT.
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: DoubleCAD XT 1.1
Pros: Has good compatibility with AutoCAD dwg files.
Cons: Crashes on one out of four computers I've installed it on.
Summary: I have a licensed copy of AutoCAD 2002 and was having to read more and more files from more recent versions of Autocad (it has zero backward/forward compatibility). Rather than spending $900 to update AutoCAD, I downloaded DoubleCAD just to convert... read more >>
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Version: DoubleCAD XT 1.1
Pros: easy to use
Cons: program start up slow but ok;
Summary: helpful;
easy to use and handle;
easy convert to autocad format up 2000 to 2009; -
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: DoubleCAD XT 1.1
"Was the wrong program for what I needed"
Pros: no comment
Cons: no comment
Summary: Uninstalled it
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Version: DoubleCAD XT 1.1
Pros: Not sure yet, still playing with it.
Cons: License is listed as free, but after downloading you will get a pop-up stating it is only a 30-day trial.
- See all 6 user reviews Write review
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