CadTools, free 3D and surface utility for AutoCad, ZWCAD 2018-2021 and BricsCAD

Design your civil work in real 3D with this handy tool!

Latest update: 2022-10-03 Build 757

CadTools (ToolBox) is developed for Civil Engineers using CAD. There are a number of great software on the market supporting the design process of roads, rails etc. For minor design work CadTools can be very useful, it contains more than 50 commands mostly in real 3D to support your work. By combining separate commands through the work process you can achieve almost anything you want. When I developed the commands I certainly had some situations in mind but every command can be used in a variety of situations not only in civil work design. With CadTools you can create your own surface models based on objects in the drawing or import triangles from DWG (other civil software). You can create profiles and cross-sections of multiple surfaces, calculate volumes and plot contours. It's easy and fun creating real 3D models with CadTools commands, some of these commands can only be found in software that you have to pay money for. I work as a civil designer at one of Sweden's leading consulting companies. My main tool for civil design is Bentley InRoads/RailTrack, one of the best software I've seen. Sometimes you need something less complicated so I started developing CadTools while traveling to work by train. After more than five years and thousands of hours of developing this software now is a powerful tool way beyond my first intentions. Honestly I can't be without it, hope you will feel the same. CadTools is an out of process software and supports AutoCAD versions: 2001-2023. (vanilla and verticals i.e. Civil 3D). It also supports ZWCAD+ (2014-2015 and 2018-2023) and BricsCAD

 

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Major Commands in CadTools are listed below. CadTools has a complete helpfile with images of command results.
 

Text Insert or remove characters to single line text. Align text to UCS and scale it. Align Text to Left. Send selected text to Excel Line Aligned Text Capitalize/Uncapitalize text Lines Area calculation of polylines based on color or layer. Results can be exported to Excel Export polyline coordinates to Excel Length calculate of polylines based on color or layer. Results can be exported to Excel Reverse polyline Point section and offset from polyline Draw slopemarks from polylines Offset 3DPolylines Create cylinders (pipes) from polylines/lines. Profile 3DPolyline Create road signs and markings Level out 3Dpolyline Transverse 3D lines between 3D Polylines (3D Slope signs) Join 3D Polylines Draw Slope Arrows for 3Dpolylines (Ditch bottom slope direction) Stationing Polyline Line Aligned Text Edit Polyline Elevation and slope (In table) Create 3D alignment from plan and profile Best fit, 3D-polyline regression. Simplify command for 3D-polylines Set polyline elevation by nearest text, fixes contours with no elevation but text! Lines/Polylines to EPANET INP-file Layers All layers on All layers off but selected All layers off but current Layer off by object Xref layer freeze by single object Move to layer by object Set current layer by object Delete layer Draw Draw polylines, circles and blocks from coordinates. Paste from Excel to CadTools

Surface Generate longitudinal features (ditch bottom, surface interception) with cut/fill tick marks. Import Triangulated Surface from Graphic (from other software) Triangle Volume and color cut/fill areas in plan. Triangulate objects (create surface models) Drape surface with objects and lines Pick and annotate elevation from surface Create wireframe surface Cut & Fill areas in cross-sections Create Surface Profiles Create Surface Cross Section View Surface Slope and Direction View Perimeter for flat (or any slope interval) Surface Areas Pick and annotate Slope vector from surface Constrained triangulation (breaklines) Surface Contours Trickle, traces the path of a drop of water down a selected surface. Volume by Elevation, triangle volumes at intervals Trickle All, evaluate surface water paths. Convert Convert 3DPolylines to 2Dpolylines Convert 3DFaces to 3Dpolylines Convert arc to 3Dpolyline Create coordinate grid Place sloped text Convert Circle to 3Dpolyline Xref Open Xref by Object Detach Xref by Object Save/Load Xref-settings to/from file Block Edit block attribute text Annotate block elevation Drainage network evaluation, evaluation of block (manholes) and Lines (pipes). Result in Excel Export block information to Excel (coordinates, attribute values) Hatch Export Hatch area to Excel Miscellaneous Vehicle Turning Simulation (Vehicle Tracking) Drafting Annotate Profiles/Cross sections

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Vehicle Turning Simulation (Swept path analysis). Configure vehicles of your own and do analysis in the drawing. Much faster design than using turning templates.

 

Create surface cross-sections as 2D or 3D. Display crossing reference lines
Surface Contours

View Surface slope and direction. Easily detect flat areas. Perimeter of areas with userdefined slopes.	Create real 3D cut and fill by applying end-conditions to 3Dpolylines. Very simple and powerful step by step process.
Create Give Way	Create Chevrons

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Limitations:
CadTools does not work with AutoCadLT. Some features are limited for unregistered users.

Windows Vista users! Problems running CadTools? Probably it's Vista's UAC dabbling, try to launch CadTools as an Administrator. Simply find the shortcut for CadTools, right click on it then in the Compatibility tab select the option that say: Run this program as an Administrator.

If you are using Bricscad you will find the Vehicle Turning in BricsTurn. The Vehicle Turning is also available as a freeware for Microstation V8. MSTurn

Downloads
Download (MSI-file, ca 7,2 Mb), Last updated 2022-10-03 Build 757
Alternative download (ca 13,5 Mb Zip-file containing complete installation and update plus reference manual)
Update for CadTools (ca 3,8 Mb), Last updated 2022-10-03 Build 757
Download update only. If you already installed CadTools and only need the update, use this link.

Additional downloads
Reference Manual English (ca 2,6 Mb) (PDF document, printed documentation 112 pages, updated 2014-06-20)
Reference Manual Italian (Translated by Gennaro Bellaiuto)
Video Samples (Collection of video demonstrations)
Default Vehicle library (metric) Vehicle samples in metric units
Default Vehicle library (imperial, 2013-05-13) Vehicle samples in imperial units

Portable version of Build 748
CadToolsPortable (ca 47 Mb) Run CadTools from a USB stick (Virtualized)

 

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