HiCAD 2022

Sketches

• The previous N-gon function has been revised. The new N-gon function now also uses the sketching tool.
• With the new Rectangle with centre point function you draw a rectangle by selecting the centre point and dragging the rectangle. The Sketching Tool is started for this purpose.

Point option O for circles and arcs
With the new sketching functions in HiCAD 2021 SP1, the point option O was previously not available on Autopilot if, instead of a point, a line could also be selected, for example a tangent line to a circle. This behaviour has changed when sketching circles and arcs in HiCAD 2022 in the following way:

• The point option O is also available in the case of a tangential line also being selectable instead of a point.
• If the point option O is set to determine the centre of a circle or arc or the start point of an arc, then the coincidence constraint is set on the underlying line. If the point is on either the circle or the arc, no coincidence constraint will be set.

New part from 3-D sketch
As of HiCAD 2022, the algorithm of the New part from 3-D sketch function has been improved. These improvements have weakened the requirements for the 3-D sketch:

• The sketch may only contain straight lines, curves are not allowed. Auxiliary geometry is allowed but will be ignored.
• The lines of the sketch must not intersect or coincide (lie on top of each other).
• The sketch must consist of lines that are supposed to become edges of the solid to be created. Ideally, all edges should be included as lines in the sketch.
• At least two lines must converge at each line end. If this is not the case, the lines are evaluated as errors and visualised accordingly in the graphic. This way, even small gaps in the sketch can be found quickly.

If the lines of a 3-D sketch are not sufficient to create a solid, HiCAD will - if possible - automatically insert the missing body edges. In the preview, these edges are visualized in the same colour as the resulting part. The number of lines added and of surfaces created are now displayed in the dialogue.

Chamfer
The dialogue of the Chamfer function has been redesigned - with a wider selection of chamfer elements, improved preview and modification of parameters, extended value input and much more.

• In addition to the selection of individual edges and surfaces, additional elements can now be selected for chamfering via a context menu.
• Chamfering corners is no longer done via the Chamfer function but via the independent Chamfer corner function.
• For edges, the direction of the edge is visualised. This depends on the cursor position when selecting the edge.
• For variable chamfering, intermediate points can be specified as either a percentage of the length of the edge to be chamfered or as a point option. Points that are determined via a point option do not have to be located on the c-edge. They will be projected automatically.
• Segments of edges can also be chamfered - both constantly and variably. The start and end points of a segment can - just like the intermediate points in variable chamfering - be specified as a percentage or as a point option.
• The preview has been improved and can now be updated either automatically, or alternatively, by clicking.
• When changing parameters of already selected chamfer elements, multiple selection is possible.
• The function can also be used via the HiCAD API.
• Chamfered edges and surfaces of a part can be edited subsequently via the Chamfer feature.

Fillet
When filleting, it is now also possible to select all edges adjacent to a point in one step. For this purpose, the context menu for the selection of elements to be filleted has been extended by the function Adjacent edges of a point. Further more, filleting of segments is now also possible via variable filleting.

Divide along direction

• Part selection has been newly added to the dialogue window. The system will always choose the active part for processing, with the name being displayed under Part. If the function is called while an invalid part is activated (e.g. a dummy part), the text Select part will be displayed instead of the part name. In this case, you can select the part to be processed directly in the ICN or in the drawing. If you want to process a part other than the active part, click on and select the desired part in the ICN or the drawing.
• The preview has been improved. In addition to the direction, the division points and the gap, the resulting segments are now also immediately visualized in the drawing. This also applies to the Divide along direction function in steel engineering.
• If the main feature is selected in the ICN, in addition to the initial part, all associated segments in the drawing are now also highlighted in colour. This also applies vice versa. Analogously, this applies to the steel engineering function Divide along direction.
• If the main feature Divide along direction is activated / deactivated, the associated features from division are also automatically activated / deactivated. The dependent parts are calculated accordingly. This also applies to the Divide along direction function in steel engineering.

Divide with sketch
The Divide function has been renamed to Divide with sketch and extended.

• An addition to the dialogue window is the part selection.
• The sketch can be deleted automatically after the division.
• If the main feature is selected in the ICN, then, in addition to the initial part, all associated segments in the drawing will also be highlighted in colour. This also applies vice versa.
• If the main feature Divide with sketch is activated / deactivated, the associated features from division will also be automatically activated / deactivated. At the same time the dependent parts will be recalculated.
• If a sketch has HCM dimensions, they are transferred to the feature as parametric dimensions. If a parametric dimension is changed in the graphics window, this change will adjust the associated HCM dimension.

Number of holes in a hole pattern
When using the Hole pattern function, the dialogue window now directly shows how many holes will be created based on the configured hole pattern. Partially created holes (e.g. holes that are located at the edge of the processed area) will be counted as entire holes here. This value is also displayed in the Feature of the hole pattern.

Snapping of HCM and parametric dimensions
Thus far, when the cursor was pointing to the dimension figure of an HCM or a parametric dimension, the system preferably snapped the geometry behind it. In HiCAD 2022, this behaviour has changed. As of now, HCM and parametric dimensions are preferred.

Annotations

• New data format
  With HiCAD 2022, the internal data format of annotations has changed. During the creation of new annotations (also in drawing derivations and sheet developments), the new format is always used. Visually, there are no differences to the "old" format. When loading a drawing that contains annotations created before HiCAD 2022, a corresponding message appears and the previous annotation tags can be converted to the new format. The conversion of old annotation tags can also be done automatically by setting the Convert annotation tags of model drawing during loading? parameter in the Configuration editor.
• Changed context menu
  The context menu for part annotations has been changed. The Move part annotation function is no longer available. Annotations can now be moved simply by using drag & drop. Base points, i.e. additional leader lines, can now also be deleted via the context menu. A new feature is the Insert inflexion point function, which allows you to insert inflexion points at the leader lines of an annotation.

Views

• View marking according to arrow method
  In practice, it is sometimes advantageous to mark views according to the arrow method. This method allows you to represent the viewing direction of a derived view in the original view by the use of a corresponding symbol and a view marking. In mechanical engineering, for example, the viewing direction is marked by an arrow and in civil engineering by a circle with a triangle, with the view marking in the circle. ith the new View marking according to arrow method  function, HiCAD supports this method.

• View caption
  Previously, captions could only be assigned to sectional and detail views. With the new View caption function, this is now possible for all view types.

• Sectional and detail views - extended dialogues and options
  Based on the new functions View marking according to arrow method and View caption, the dialogues for defining and editing Sectional and Detail views have been revised and extended.
  • The identification of the cutting sequence and the annotation of the original view can be configured individually and are visualized directly in the drawing. Annotating can now also be done on one side and with symbols for civil engineering (circle with triangle and rectangle symbol at the end), as well as beside the arrow. In addition, identification can also be done without an arrow.
  • The identification of the detail in the original view can be configured individually. As of HiCAD 2022, the Exact detail and Rectangle (filleted) views are also available for outlines of the identification.
  • The captions of sectional and detail views an be configured individually.
  • The identification of sectional and detail views can be assigned to a specific layer.
  • The Detail view Cuboid function also supports identification and annotation of the original view, as well as configurable captions for detail views.

View selection in the ICN
For various view functions, HiCAD requests the selection of a reference view, for example in order to copy data from this view. As an example, this is the case for the functions List from ref. view and Copy shortening. In these cases, the view could previously only be selected in the graphics window and therefore only in the current area. As of HiCAD 2022, the view selection in the ICN is now also possible in such cases.

Show/Hide elements in view
The dialogue of the Show/Hide elements in view function has changed. The window has been tightened and, instead of checkboxes, the settings can now be selected via different selections. Hiding edges via the limiting angle is no longer available and, as of HiCAD 2022, you use the new Show/Hide edges function to show/hide any edges of the drawing.

Show/hide edges
The Show/Hide edges function allows you to show or hide any edges of your drawing in the active view or in all selected views. The settings have an effect on the following representations Glass Model, HiddenLine, HiddenLine dashed and Shaded with Hidden Line.

Shaded, without highlighted edges
The new Shaded, without highlighted edges function provides another representation mode for views. This function shades the parts of the active view and displays all visible edges, with the exception of highlighted edges. Highlighted edges are theoretical edges that occur in places where there is no clear edge due to a rounding. This display mode can be useful for improving the performance while working on large constructions in the model view.

Sectional views with Steel Engineering plates
As of HiCAD 2022, it is also possible to define for Steel Engineering plates whether or not the coating should be marked in the Sectional view, analogously to Sheet Metal parts. The coating is displayed in the form of an offset edge, the so-called coating line.

Weld seams and weld symbols
The Insert weld symbol function has been renamed to Free weld seam symbol and provided with a new function icon. A new feature is the Annotate weld seam function, which you can use to insert weld symbols for existing welds.

Internally referenced parts in externally referenced parts
When working with drawings that contain internally referenced parts within externally referenced parts, the behaviour when making changes to internally referenced parts has changed. If the internally referenced part is changed, its identical part is updated and both the identical part and the externally referenced parent part will be identified as a changed part. The exception to this is if the externally referenced part is locked against processing. In this case, the identical part will not be updated and not be identified as a changed part. In addition, a message will appear, indicating that the part could not be updated and therefore two different versions of the internally referenced part now exist in this drawing:

Projection grid
The Projection grid function in the context menu for processing planes is no longer available.

Purchased and factory standard parts
Previously, it was not possible to incorporate assemblies and parts with subordinate parts from the Purchased/Factory standard parts catalogue. As of HiCAD 2022, this is now supported. This means that, in addition to assemblies, for example, sheets stored in the Purchased/Factory standard parts catalogue can now be incorporated into the drawing using the Purchased/Factory standard parts function. However, it should be noted that these sheets are combined into a solid during installation. This means that the installed part will no longer be considered a sheet from the HiCAD point of view!

Clipping
With the release of HiCAD 2022, working with clipping boxes has changed, which is also reflected in the changed Point Cloud Ribbon. Since point clouds are usually very large, they can only be used sensibly if parts of the point cloud that are not required are temporarily hidden. To make this possible, HiCAD creates a so-called clipping box when inserting a point cloud, which completely encloses the point cloud. By moving and rotating the clipping box and by defining subtractions in this clipping box, areas of the point cloud can be temporarily "cut away" so that the remaining area of the point cloud can be better measured or processed. For example, only the back wall or floor of a building can be displayed and edited in this way.

Select processing plane from points
By averaging different points of a point cloud (e.g. a wall) you create a processing plane with the new function Plane from points. You can select the orientation freely, parallel to the plane or orthogonal to the axis.

ISD templates for thread-cutting screws
As of HiCAD 2022 ISD templates for the following screws are available:

• Hexalobular socket pan head drilling screw
• Hexalobular socket oval head drilling screw
• Hexalobular socket hexagon head drilling screw
• Hexalobular socket countersunk head drilling screw
• Hexalobular socket cheese-head self-tapping screw

Each template includes a table file (.IPT) and a KRA file with a predefined and parametrically designed 3-D part on which the table is based. You can then add more data records to the copy of the table. Or you can use the respective KRA file to define individual bolts and screws.

Delete table columns
It was already possible to insert new columns into tables from the Factory standards catalogue. However, the deletion of columns was blocked. As of HiCAD 2022, the deletion of table columns is now also supported.

Versioning of catalogue data
If a data record of a table is changed, this leads to the fact that standard parts already installed in a drawing and based on this data record differ from newly installed standard parts based on the changed data record. To prevent legacy data from changing - especially in referenced models - it is possible from HiCAD 2022 to version data records in catalogue tables.

EJOT - New fasteners and consoles
The HiCAD catalogues for factory standards have been expanded to include more fasteners and fixing consoles from Ejot and some of the existing tables have been replaced.

Update to CADfix 12 SP2
With the update to CADfix 12 SP1, interfaces to the following format versions are now available in HiCAD 2022:

• ACIS 2021 1.0 (R31)
• CATIA V5 V5-6 R2021
• DWG 2021
• DXF 2021
• Inventor 2021
• JT 10.8
• PLM XML 10.8
• Parasolid 33
• SOLIDWORKS 2021
• NX 1953 Series

Navisworks - Export
Export to Navisworks was previously only possible via the HiCAD API. From HiCAD 2022, designs and parts can also be exported to nwc and nwd format using the function 3-D formats (STEP, IFC, 3D PDF ...). Please note that exporting as an nwd file is only possible if a licensed version of NavisWorks is available on the computer.

IFC-Import - BOM-relevance
Until now, the BOM-relevance of parts and assemblies was automatically removed when importing IFC files. From HiCAD 2022, an additional checkbox can be used to specify whether the attribute BOM-relevant should be assigned to the imported parts and assemblies or not.

IFC-Export - Reference View
For the interface version IFC4, the export as Reference View is also supported for the IFC export from HiCAD 2022.This setting assumes that the exported model is not to be changed. This makes sense if the exported model is only to be used for pure coordination purposes, e.g. for visualisation, collision detection, quantity takeoff, etc., and therefore no absolutely exact geometry is required. The geometry is represented "simplified" here, i.e. simple geometry with extrusions only, complex geometry as a tessellated polygon mesh. With this definition, there are also fewer compatibility problems in the IFC management programs than with the IFC 4 Design Transfer View.

Merge flanges/bend zones
The new Merge flanges/bend zones function has been developed mainly to assist you in joining different Sheet Metal parts. For example, you can join two Sheet Metal parts with the Connect sheets function and then merge the adjacent flanges or bend zones. The prerequisite is that the elements lie on one plane and touch each other. When merging the pairs, the system first checks whether they can be united, otherwise an error message appears. As the list is processed one after the other, flanges (or bend zones) can be united several times with different flanges in one step.

Design Variant "Sheet corner with stiffener"
In the Sheet corner Design variant, you can now insert standard parts without the stiffener. This means that even though the stiffener and the sheet are not screwed together, the standard parts appear in the bill of materials.

Connect sheets
With the Connect sheets function, sheet metal parts that have been created with the functions

• Sheet from solid and
• Sheet from surface

can also be connected from HiCAD 2022 onwards. The feature log and part structure are merged during the connection.

Change semi-finished material in Feature log
From HiCAD 2200 it is possible to activate the semi-finished product not only via the dialogue but also via the feature log.

Feature

Parameterise part attributes
As of HiCAD 2022, it is also possible to parameterise part attributes such as Article number, Quantity 1 or the Development width via formulas using the function Parameterise part attributes.

Deselect feature steps
If one or more feature steps are selected in the feature area of the ICN, these can also be deselected in analogy to the behaviour in other places by clicking on an empty area of the Graphic window.

Support of multi-line formulas
In the Formula Editor, it is now possible to enter formulas in multiple lines. This has no influence on the calculations performed, but complex formulas can be entered much more clearly this way. In addition, the size of the Formula Editor window can also be changed vertically to be able to display formulas with many lines completely. Furthermore, the keyboard can be hidden and shown again via the arrow symbol next to the text input field or via the key combination Alt+Page Up or Alt+Page Down.

Hole pattern: Number of holes
For Hole patterns that were created using the same-named function, the Number of holes attribute is now displayed in the feature entry, indicating how many holes were created by this hole pattern. Holes that were only partially created (e.g. because they are located on the border of the processing area) are counted as normal.

Parametrics

Preferred snapping of HCM and parametric dimensions
Thus far, if an HCM or a parametric dimension was displayed directly above a part of the drawing in the drawing view, the system preferentially snapped the geometry behind it when clicking. This behaviour has now been changed so that the HCM or parametric dimension will now be preferentially snapped in this situation.

Display of directed distances in the ICN
The display of directed distances in the ICN has been redesigned so that directed distances together with their direction can already be identified by the icon and its description (Example: Directed Y-distance). Thus, it is no longer necessary to expand the entry of a dimensional constraint just to see whether and to which axis this distance is parallel. Additionally, this display is now identical between the Part HCM and the Sketch HCM (both planar and 3-D sketches).

Part HCM: Reverse dimension direction
For undirected distance constraints in the Part HCM that refer to a plane (for example, the distance of a point to a surface), the Reverse dimension direction function can now be used. Your result matches the result you can achieve by reversing the algebraic sign of the distance.

"Use external references" button in the HCM area of the ICN
Similar to the Feature window in the ICN, a button for activating or deactivating the Use external references function is now also available on the HCM tab.

New HCM constraint "Group" (Sketch HCM)
The new HCM constraint Group is now available in planar and 3-D sketches. It can be used to combine two or more graphical elements into a group, which can then only be moved together by the HCM. After calling the function via Sketch > HCM > Coincidence > Group, HiCAD prompts you to select the graphical elements you want to add by clicking on them one after another. You also have the option to select Lines in rectangle or Connected lines or edges via the context menu. Additionally, you have the option to add All lines of the sketch to the group. After completing the selection via the middle mouse button, the group will be created and HiCAD will prompt you to select graphical elements for an additional group. Pressing the middle mouse button without having selected graphical elements will terminate the function.

Only one symbol for coincidences between a line and a point
If there was a Coincidence constraint between a line and a point in the drawing, then the coincidence icon was displayed both at the point and at the line. It often happened that the icon covered the line. This has now been changed so that the coincidence is only displayed at the point.

Steel Engineering

Clamping plate
New in the Civil Engineering functions docking window is the clamping plate function. Clamping plates are used when parts are not to be screwed or welded. The following connections are possible:

• One plate between two beams. The clamping plates are bolted to the plate.
• One beam and one plate. The clamping plates are bolted to the plate.
• Two beams. The clamping plates are bolted to the second beam.

Zinc plating holes for galvanisation
From HiCAD 2022 onwards, only one of the zinc plating holes for galvanisation will be annotated in the workshop drawings, and not each zinc plating hole as before.

Creating detail drawings
With HiCAD 2012, the previously valid functionality for creating workshop drawings in steel engineering has been expanded to a function for general drawing derivation. For compatibility purposes, the previously available functions for detail drawings in steel engineering were still available under Detail drawing in the Drawing menu. As of HiCAD 2022 (version 2700.0), the previous functions for creating and printing detail drawings will no longer be supported. Use the Derive drawing function to create detail drawings.
However, in some cases the other functions can still prove useful for old drawings. Therefore, these functions were combined in a separate submenu.

Sectional views with Steel Engineering plates
As with Sheet Metal parts, from HiCAD 2022 it is also possible to specify for Steel Engineering plates whether the coating is to be marked in the sectional view or not. The marking is done by an offset edge, the so-called coating line.

Metal Engineering

Insertion of transparent insulations
Insulations created with the functions Insulation along sketch, Insulation from cross-section or Insulation from border can now also be created as transparent elements if desired. The Transparent option is available in the dialogue window for this purpose.

Filter templates for foils and insulations for automatic annotations
To use annotation templates for automatic annotations, the templates must be assigned to the parts via a part filter. The new templates Insulation and Foil are now available.

Drawing Management

New template file for assemblies with sub-assemblies
As of HiCAD 2022, assemblies containing sub-assemblies are considered separately when creating drawings. If an assembly contains sub-assemblies, the new template file is used.
If this is not the case, then the template file BIM_WSD_Default_Assembly.dat is used as before.

Format of manually managed drawings
When creating external production documents, the DIN format of the drawing frame is transferred to the HELiOS attribute FORMAT from HiCAD 2022 on. For example, if your design contains a sheet area with section views in a drawing frame of size DIN A2 and you have activated the creation of PDF files for general documents in the Configuration Editor, the PDF file in HELiOS has the attribute FORMAT = DIN A2.

Changed structure of the parameters in the Configuration Editor
In the Configuration Editor the structure at PDM > Drawing Management > Production drawings has been changed. The parameters for generating the drawing numbers have been combined in a separate section.

Generation of drawing numbers for external documents
The drawing number generation can now also be done considering the attribute DOKUART.  This allows the drawing numbers of external documents (e.g. PDF) to be individually configured for model drawings whose DOKUART attribute has a specific value.

Corner types for triangular SZ20 tray panels
For triangular ALUCOBOND® SZ20 tray panels you can now configure which variant of the acute corner is created. For this purpose, the new Triangular panel area is available on the Extensions for SZ-20-Standard tab. As Corner type, you have the choice between Open and Triangular flange. Open corresponds to the previous HiCAD behaviour, where the corner did not receive any further processing and remained open. Alternatively, you can select the type Triangular flange, which creates a triangular flange including rivets for fastening.

Fasteners and fixing consoles by EJOT
The HiCAD catalogues for factory standards have been expanded to include more fasteners and fixing consoles from Ejot and some of the existing tables have been replaced.

ALUCOBOND® easy fiX
The new ALUCOBOND® easy fiX panels are now also available for Element Installation. You can choose between the fastening modes 90°, 135°, Bolted to profile or Bolted to sub-structure.

Activate pipeline via list
Since HiCAD 2020 (V 2500), the active pipeline is determined via the active part. This means: If the active part belongs to a pipeline, then this pipeline is considered to be an active pipeline. Otherwise, no pipeline is active. Up to HiCAD 2019, the pipeline could also be selected via the list of all pipelines using the Activate pipeline via list function. This function was "reactivated" again with HiCAD 2022. In contrast to the previous function, however, the selected pipeline now becomes the active part.

Parts with unchangeable colour
The colour of parts added to a pipeline depends on the Plant Engineering Settings for Part insertion. If the checkbox Take over pipeline colour is active there, the part receives the current colour of the pipeline, to be more precise, of the part ~parts of the pipeline. If the checkbox is inactive, the part receives the current surface colour set in HiCAD. Sometimes, however, it is desirable - especially with elaborate parts - if they retained their original colours during insertion. For example, the different areas of complex valve parts may have been coloured according to their function. In order to mark such parts accordingly, an additional part attribute is available that specifies whether the colour of a part may be changed during insertion:

Pipeline planning - Article attribute for length allowance
The Pipeline planning functionality supports the Length allowance attribute for pipe parts. This allows you to specify that a part is actually longer than the insertion length. An application case is pipes that are provided with a loose flange before insertion and then flanged. The flanging of the pipe reduces the insertion length, but the pipe must be ordered in the original length. he length allowance is taken into account in the Total length column of the layout plan BOMs. In this context, the range of parts has also been extended for the variants for welding neck flanges that use the length allowance.

Isometric drawings and pipe spool drawings - - Article attribute for length allowance
In the BOMs of isometric drawings and pipe spool drawings, too, the length allowance is taken into account. The columns in these BOMs are filled via configurable text keys, of which the following evaluate the length allowance from HiCAD 2022 onwards:

• %PART_QUANT
  Returns the insertion length plus the length allowance for straight pipes
• %PIPE_LENGTH
  Returns the insertion length plus the length allowance
• %LENGTH_COUNT
  Counts pipes of the same length, where insertion length plus length allowance must be equal.

Isometric drawings and Pipe spool drawings - Presetting editable columns
In the Settings dialogue for Isometric drawings and Pipe spool drawings, the BOMs that are to be automatically inserted into an Isometry or Pipe spool drawing can be configured on the Lists tab. In particular, individual columns of the BOM tables can be provided with the special text key %USR, which makes the column editable. This is done via the Editable column button. From HiCAD 2022 you can now store a default value in the %USR text key by separating it from the random string with a colon.

Isometric drawings and Pipe spool drawings - Editing Bills of Materials (BOMs)
As of HiCAD 2022, editing bills of materials in Isometric drawings and Pipe spool drawings and Pipe plan no longer requires a Plant Engineering licence. To edit a bills of materials table, right-click on the table and select Edit. The ISD has made this licence change to make it more flexible for customers to fill in BOMs at a later date. For example, additional information that the actual designer does not have can be added subsequently.

New part insertion function
The Pipe parts function for inserting parts in Plant Engineering has been completely revised. In this dialogue window you have full control over which search criteria are used to find a part. The previous function for the installation of pipe parts is still available.

Revised variants JISB2301
The variants of the standard JISB2301 have been revised. The previous variants of this standard will no longer be delivered, but have been replaced by revised variants. In addition, numerous new variants of the standard are available.