connectCAD

What's the deal?

Each purchase of connectCAD adds facilities to a single Vectorworks seat which is determined during online activation, and includes an initial support period. During this period you get access to the subscriber areas of this site. This allows you to activate connectCAD on your system, gives you access to online documentation, free updates and our assistance with any problems relating to connectCAD. You can renew support for a much lower annual fee to keep your installation up to date.

If my support expires what happens?

connectCAD will continue to function as installed on your computer and you can keep on using it. You will lose access to some site facilities (online help, support, upgrades, activation etc.).

Refund Policy

We offer a 30-day money back guarantee. We are confident that you will be more than happy with your purchase, but if for any reason you are dissatisfied tell us why within 30 days and we will refund your money. Please contact us if you have any questions.

What do I need to run connectCAD?

connectCAD uses the award-winning program Vectorworks as a CAD engine and can work on Mac & Windows.

connectCAD uses an external CAD engine because systems design isn't just about cabling - you also have to integrate with the physical world. You need a good CAD package for this anyway - Vectorworks combined with connectCAD connectivity tracking provides you with an integrated solution at an excellent price.

Vectorworks is a powerful 2D / 3D CAD program that is very easy to use and quick to learn. connectCAD and Vectorworks share the same philosophy - we keep simple things simple. This let you get your work done quickly without having to read an entire manual. But advanced features are there when you need them.

You can obtain the latest version Vectorworks from your local distributor - visit the Nemetschek North America website to find out more.

Which Vectorworks version can I use?

Our policy is to keep connectCAD compatible with the current version Vectorworks and the previous one. See the product page for details. We strongly recommend upgrading to the latest version of Vectorworks - you will see many benefits in performance and features. When you buy the latest version of connectCAD we provide you with a free connectCAD upgrade when the next version of Vectorworks is released.

Can I use connectCAD on a Mac or PC?

Yes! connectCAD is embedded in Vectorworks and is fully cross-platform. The installer runs from within Vectorworks and is the same for Mac and PC.

Can connectCAD / Vectorworks work with AutoCAD?

Yes! Vectorworks has excellent .dwg import and export.

Our experience is that most .dwg files import very nicely into Vectorworks. Going the other way back to .dwg is slightly less intuitive because connectCAD uses Vectorworks facilities that are not present in AutoCAD. So we provide a menu command that removes all the "intelligence" from the drawing so AutoCAD can understand it.

AutoCAD file formats keep changing from year to year and Vectorworks file import/export follows these changes but it sometimes takes  some months to catch up. So if you are using an earlier version of Vectorworks you clearly can't expect it to open .dwg file formats that were not then in existence.

Practically this is hardly ever an issue, because you can always ask to have the AutoCAD file saved in an earlier .dwg format which you can open with your Vectorworks. This compares most favourably with the cost of paying for AutoCAD upgrades every year.

Is there a demo version of connectCAD?

We only provide a demo version to authorised Vectorworks distributors. If you are a distributor and are interested in re-selling connectCAD please get in touch. We try to explain as clearly as possible how the product works on this website and we are very happy to answer all your questions. And we offer a full 30-day money back guarantee. Please contact us if there is anything you don't understand.

Is connectCAD useful for me?

Quite probably. connectCAD in principle can be used to design any system that consists of a number of connected things, and people do this... we have even seen drawings of museum exhibits with compressed air and water pipes and the electrical signals used to control them.

What's the connection with Neatworkz?

This is the old name of connectCAD. Back then it was a set of simple tools. Now it has evolved into a full workflow solution that tracks connections both in the theoretical and physical domains. It's a mature product and the time came for a more serious name that tells you what it is and what it does.