Contents

These installation instructions for Linux are extremely verbose and intended for users who are not familiar with the Linux operating system or who have little or no experience using such a system. If you are an experienced Linux user, installing QCAD is a simple one-step procedure consisting of running the downloaded installer file from your favourite file manager or terminal.

Please note that Linux is not an operating system for the faint-hearted. You will have to invest some time to very carefully follow the instructions below step by step.

Accessing your Download Page

After your purchase, you have received an e-mail with the subject Order / Commande / Bestellung [order number] where [oder number] is your order number.

Find that e-mail now in your e-mail program or in your web based e-mail service and click on the download link in that e-mail to show your download area.

If you cannot find this e-mail, please check also your spam or bulk e-mail folder.

If you still cannot find that e-mail, please follow our detailed instructions for downloading QCAD.

At this point, you should have your download area open in your browser.

This should look similar as shown here:

Do not proceed if you do not have this page open in your browser.

32bit or 64bit?

Next you need to find out if you are running a 32bit or a 64bit Linux operating system. Note that the actual architecture of your CPU (32bit or 64bit) is not relevant. You need to find our if you have a 32bit or a 64bit operating system. Depending on your exact Linux distribution, there are more or less painful ways to find this out:

• Ubuntu 13, 14, 15:
• Click on the gear icon at the top right and click About This Computer:
  
• Check under OS Type if you are using a 32bit or a 64bit system:
  
• Ubuntu 12:
• First you need to open System Settings. This can be done either in the dash, or by going to the gear icon (top right, see above). From there you need to open System Info. Under the Ubuntu Logo and Version Number, a line will list OS type 32bit or 64-bit.
• All other distributions including older Ubuntu versions:
• You need to use what is called a terminal or console application. This is a program that can be used to execute commands on your operating system. Look under Applications > Accessories or similar for an entry labeled Terminal:
  
• Once you see the terminal application, enter this exact text:

  uname -m

  That is uname, followed by a space, a dash (-) and a small letter m.
  Once you are convinced that you have entered this exact text string correctly, press the enter key on your keyboard. This is the key a the right of your keyboard you usually use to start a new line when typing text into a text editor. It is typically labeled Enter or Return or with a symbol that looks like this: ↵
• The terminal will now show some information.
• If that information is x86_64, you are using a 64bit Linux system:
  
• If the information is i686, you are using a 32bit Linux system:
  
• Write down what system you are using and close the terminal application clicking the red x symbol at the top left.

At this point, you should know if you are running a 32bit or a 64bit operating system.

Do not proceed if this is not the case or you are not sure about this.

Downloading the Correct File

Please click on the QCAD 3.21.3 for Linux folder to expand it. Depending on the current version of QCAD, the version number might be different.

If you are using a 32bit Linux System, and then click the download link labelled QCAD Professional Linux 32bit (Installer):

If you are using a 64bit Linux System, and then click the download link labelled QCAD Professional Linux 64bit (Installer):

Depending on your browser preferences, your download will now start or you will be asked where you want to save the file. If you are asked where you want to save the file, save it to your desktop, so you can find it after downloading. If you are not asked, the file will most likely be saved in the Downloads folder of your home directory. 

At this point, you should have downloaded the correct file for your system.

The file should be visible on your desktop or you should know where to find it on your disk.

Do not proceed if you cannot download the file or you cannot find your downloaded file on disk.

Making the Downloaded File Executable

To protect you from accidentally executing a downloaded file, Linux has made the downloaded file non-executable. This means that we now need to explicitly make it executable again.

Like all things Linux, it greatly depends on the distribution and distribution version how this can be done:

• Ubuntu:
• Right-click on the downloaded file on your Desktop or in your Downloads folder and click Properties:
  
• Switch to the Permissions tab and tick the check box Allow executing file as program:
  
  Do NOT change any of the other settings.
• Click the OK button. If the dialog does not have an OK button, you can simply close the dialog clicking the X button at the top left.
• Do NOT double-click the downloaded file at this point. It will likely not work but open a text editor which is not what we want to do.
• Other Linux distributions:
• Other Linux distributions should have a similar way to make a file executable.
  You might have to try different options or search the Internet for a way to do this.
  Search for your Linux distribution name followed by how to make a file executable.

At this point you should have the downloaded file on your Desktop or in your Downloads folder and it should be executable.

Allowing Executable Files to be Executed

Your file manager will likely open a text editor when double-clicking the downloaded file at this point. Since we do not want that, we need to tell the file manager that it should execute executable files.

Again, this greatly depends on your Linux distribution, version thereof as well as the file manager that is being installed and used:

• Ubuntu:
• Open the file manager, likely named Files:
  
• Choose the menu Edit > Preferences. If the Edit menu is not visible, move the mouse close to the position, where it should be visible first (at the top). It should then appear.
  
  In other versions of the system, the menu might be located at the right:
  
• Click on the Behavior tab of the preferences dialog and check the check box Ask each time or Ask what to do under Executable Text Files:
   
• Click the OK button or close the dialog if there is no OK button.

Your system and the downloaded file should now be ready for the installation of QCAD.

Installing QCAD

• Double-click the downloaded QCAD installer with the left mouse button.
• Your system will now show a dialog, asking you what to do with the file. Click the Run button:
  
  
• QCAD will now be installed on your system into a directory called opt in your home folder.

Running QCAD

The installer also creates a desktop icon which you can then use to launch QCAD by double-clicking it.

Starting with version 3.1, the QCAD source code is distributed under the open source license GPLv3 with exceptions to allow proprietary extensions.

The QCAD source code also contains 3rd party libraries and various resources which are distributed under their respective licenses. For a complete overview of the various licenses involved, please refer to the LICENSE.txt file.

In all source code distributions of QCAD, you can also find a copy of the GPLv3 and the exceptions for plugins and add-ons.

QCAD and QCAD Based Products

The QCAD Community Edition

The QCAD Community Edition is everything that can be downloaded from our public git repository at github.com/qcad/qcad.

The QCAD Community Edition is distributed under the GPLv3 with exceptions to allow commercial plugins and script extensions.

QCAD Professional

QCAD Professional consists of the QCAD Community Edition with various additional, commercial (proprietary) plugins to provide support for the DWG format, improved support for various DXF format versions, improved support for splines and polyline and various other tools and improvements.

QCAD Professional is a commercial, proprietary software.

QCAD/CAM

QCAD/CAM consists of QCAD Professional and additional, commercial (proprietary) plugins to create and manage toolpaths based on a drawing and to export these toolpaths as G-Code (or similar).

QCAD/CAM is a commercial, proprietary software.

GPLv3

The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or GPL) is the most widely used free software license. It guarantees end users (individuals, organizations, companies) the freedoms to use, study, share (copy), and modify the software. Modifications and additions made to the software must generally be distributed under the same license.

GPLv3 Exceptions

QCAD is distributed with an optional set of exceptions which extend the freedoms granted by the GPLv3.

These exceptions allow us (as well as any other organizations and individuals) to distribute commercial, proprietary plugins or scripts together with the open source QCAD package.

For example, we distribute the software product called 'QCAD Professional' which contains the QCAD application under GPLv3, bundled together with proprietary extensions as outlined above.

QCAD Professional Single User License

QCAD Professional single user licenses are valid for one single user. A license may be used to install and use QCAD Professional on multiple computers and operating systems as long as there is only one user.

QCAD Professional Site License

QCAD Professional site licenses provide a quantity discount for companies requiring 10 to 20 licenses at one site. Multiple site licenses may be purchased to support more than 20 users at one site. For schools and universities or other educational institutions, educational site licenses are available for an unlimited number of users at one site or campus.

QCAD Professional Server License

QCAD Professional server licenses allow the use of QCAD Professional on a web server to process or generate data as part of a web service. The QCAD Professional application itself may not be made available for download or direct use to the users of the web service.

Extending and Distributing QCAD

Extending and Distributing the QCAD Community Edition

To develop open source or commercial/proprietary plugins or script add-ons for QCAD, you don't require any special developer license. Your plugins and add-ons may be distributed together with QCAD, under any license you choose (see GPLv3 exceptions). You may for example distribute the QCAD Community Edition (under GPLv3), together with your own, proprietary plugins and charge the end user a license fee of your choice. Such a package must contain the GPLv3 license file as well as the GPLv3 exceptions file. 

Any modifications and additions which are made to the QCAD source code itself may only be redistributed under the GPLv3 (optionally with exceptions). Note that such direct modifications are usually not necessary, since almost all aspects and tools of QCAD can be easily extended or modified through plugins and script add-ons.

However, if you for example discover and fix a bug in the QCAD source code or port the QCAD source code to a new platform, those changes must be distributed under the GPLv3 (optionally with exceptions).

Extending and Distributing QCAD Professional

Any QCAD Professional license holder may create their own script add-ons or C++ plugins for use with their QCAD Professional installation. Such script add-ons and plugins for QCAD Professional may also be distributed separately, under any license of choice. QCAD Professional may not be distributed.

DXF/DWG Support (Teigha)

QCAD Professional comes with a plugin for DWG and extended DXF import/export functionality. This plugin uses the Teigha libraries from the OpenDesign Alliance. In most cases, you can simply use and redistribute (see Royalties) the compiled plugin as provided in our QCAD packages. The plugin is available for Windows 32bit/64bit, macOS 32bit/64bit and Linux 32bit/64bit.

Royalties

If your end product contains portions of QCAD Professional and you wish to distribute it, you have to purchase licenses from us for resale. In this case, you are becoming a reseller of QCAD Professional and purchase the number of licenses required from us.

You can also choose to distribute your plugins and script add-ons as a separate product without QCAD Professional and leave it up to the user to purchase and maintain their respective QCAD Professional licenses. In that case, no royalties are required to be payed to RibbonSoft.

Product Name

An end product that consists of QCAD and proprietary plugins or script add-ons must not be distributed under the name "QCAD", "QCAD Professional" or "QCAD/CAM". Instead, you can choose your own product name. You may mention in the product documentation or about dialog that your product uses QCAD technology.

Contents

Introduction

QCAD is free open source software. This means that everyone can get involved and contribute to make this project even better.

The source code of QCAD is hosted on github at: https://github.com/qcad/qcad/
This includes documentation sources, translation sources, icons, etc.
One of the most comfortable ways to contribute is to create a pull request through github.

Software Development

Every user of QCAD has the freedom to download the QCAD source code and modify or extend it. Such modifications are then usually contributed back to become a part of QCAD or an optional add-on for QCAD.

Add-ons are often developed by QCAD users to solve a particular problem at hand. A user might for example want to create an add-on to QCAD to draw some type of complex line pattern between two points. There's a good chance that there are other users our there, who could benefit from the same add-on, so the user decides to share this add-on under an open source license. Another user might start using that add-on, modify and improve it and share it back. Now the first user also benefits from the update made by the second user. This is the spirit of open source software development.

Script Development

QCAD comes with an extremely powerful and complete ECMAScript (JavaScript) interface. Any kind of new tool, dialog or widget can be (and should be) developed using ECMAScript. You can get started with script development immediately. Script files can be added in the scripts folder of any QCAD installation where you can also find the implementation of all the existing tools and widgets of QCAD. No additional software is required. If you are looking for an IDE, the Qt Creator can be used for script development. Qt Designer can be used to create user interface components (*.ui files that define the look of dialogs, dock widgets, tool bars, etc).

C++ Development

The core of QCAD is developed in C++. To extend QCAD using C++, a plugin interface is available which can for example be used to provide access to external C / C++ libraries, to register new script classes and functions, etc. A C++ plugin should be developed if your add-on depends on an existing external C or C++ library or if performance is crucial.

Testing and Feedback

If you would like to try out the latest and greatest new features and help with testing and feedback, please check out the current development version. You will need a compiler to compile the QCAD source code. Detailed compilation instructions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux systems. Other systems such as Solaris, FreeBSD, etc. are likely to work as well but are not officially supported at this point.

Documentation and Translation

Each QCAD script add-on is bundled in a separate directory with its documentation in the 'doc' subdirectory (e.g. 'scripts/Draw/Line/Line2P/doc'). Documentation can be added as HTML snippets named after the tool and translation language (e.g. 'Line2P_desc_en.html' for a description of the tool in English and 'Line2P_proc_de.html' for the procedure to use the tool in English). The automatically generated manual page for the line tool is called 'Line2P_en.html' and should never be edited by hand.

All HTML snippets from all script tools are compiled fully automatically into the complete user reference manual which is available on our web site at http://www.qcad.org/doc/qcad/latest/reference/en/. This process ensures that titles, menus and shortcuts used in the manual always match the current software version.

The user manual is currently most complete in English, German and Japanese with machine translations for Dutch, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish but other translations can be added as well.

User Interface Translation

The user interface of QCAD can be translated using the Qt internationalization tool chain (lupdate, linguist and lrelease).

Our WebLate translation server can be used to translate the user interface of QCAD conveniently online:

translate.qcad.org

This tutorial introduces the basics of the QCAD property editor.

Contents

Property Editor Basics

The property editor is shown at the right side of the QCAD application window after the first launch of QCAD. If you cannot see a property editor, you can show it using the menu View > Property Editor. Just like most other widgets in QCAD, you can dock it in any desired location, usually somewhere at the right as shown here:

The property editor displays the various properties of the entity or entities that are currently selected and allows you to change them. In the example above, a dimension entity is selected and the property editor shows all properties of this entity.

In this case, there is for example property called Label which shows the value Auto. This means that the label of the dimension is not explicitly set and is therefore calculated automatically. We can use to property to enter a fixed label to be used instead.

Dimension Labels and Symbols

Dimension labels often contain special characters that are hard to access on a keyboard (⌀, °, ±, ...).

A right-click into the dimension label text field in the property editor shows a context menu which can be used to quickly insert commonly used symbols and formatting:

Of course, you can also type these codes or symbols directly into the text field. The context menu is merely provided for convenience. The most important code is <> (less than, greater than) to use the automatically measured value in combination with a symbol or text. For example R<> creates a dimension label R7.5 if the dimensioned radius is 7.5 drawing units.

Changing Multiple Entities at Once

You can also change multiple selected entities at once using the property editor. To add an R in front of all radial dimension labels, simply select all radial dimensions and type R<> into the value of the label property.

Filtering by Entity Type

Sometimes, selecting all radial dimensions might be a challenge, especially in large and complex drawings.

To assist with that, the property editor offers a filter at the top where you can choose to only display the properties of a certain entity type. To add an R prefix to all radial dimension entities using this feature, we can simply select the entire drawing (Select > Select All) and then filter the property editor by radial dimensions by choosing Radial Dimension from the Selection box at the top of the property editor:

This filter also comes in handy when reorganizing drawings. To put for example all texts on a separate layer called text, you could select the whole drawing, choose the filter Text in the property editor and then change the layer property. You can even move all selected texts to a new layer by clicking the button at the right of the layer property and choosing Moving Selection to New Layer.

Table of Contents

Installation

What are the minimum system requirements for running QCAD on platform XY?

The CPU and RAM requirements depend very much on the complexity of the drawings you want to create, view and edit.
For simple drawings (a few thousand objects) the recommended minimum requirements for running QCAD 3 on your operating system are:

• Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11:
• 260MB disk space
• 1024x768 pixel screen resolution
• 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 2 gigabyte (GB) RAM
• macOS:
• 260MB disk space
• Any official Intel based or arm64 (M1 or M2, Apple Silicon) Apple computer that runs macOS >=10.7.
• Linux:
• 260MB disk space
• 800x600 pixel screen resolution
• 500MHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 500MB RAM
• The actual requirements may also depend on the window manager you are using (KDE, Gnome, etc) as well as installed background services, etc.

Symantec Norton recommends not running your installer

We usually do not white list our software installers with Symantec since it is a long and tedious process (several weeks). By the time Symantec would approve one version of our installer, we have usually released one or two new ones already.

Ordering and Updates

How can I know if there is a new version of QCAD?

Updates are announced in our forum at:

QCAD User Forum

You can check what version of QCAD you are currently using under menu 

Help > About QCAD (Windows, Linux) or

QCAD Professional > About QCAD Professional (macOS).

You can also check for updates using menu Help > Check for Updates...

Update are alwo announced on Twitter and Facebook.

How can I update to the latest QCAD release? / How can I download QCAD again if I lost the downloaded file?

Please refer to our detailed instructions for downloading software and e-books from our web site.

What is the difference between the QCAD User Reference Manual and the book "QCAD - An Introduction to Computer-Aided Design"?

There are two primary sources of documentation for QCAD:

• The QCAD User Reference Manual which is included with every installation of QCAD.
• The book / e-book "QCAD - An Introduction to Computer-Aided Design".

The user reference manual lists all available tools with brief usage instructions.

The book / e-book is a complete introduction to QCAD and 2D CAD in general with many examples and step by step instructions, independent of the QCAD User Reference Manual.

You can see a preview of the book on our web site.

The book is available as printed book or e-book in PDF format in English, German, French and Italian.

How does the EU tax system apply when purchasing from RibbonSoft?

RibbonSoft GmbH is a Swiss company registered in the EU under the EU's OSS (One Stop Shop) scheme. OSS allows us to account for VAT (normally due in multiple EU countries) in just one EU country.

For all purchases from outside the EU (e.g. US, Canada, Asia, Africa, Switzerland, Norway, etc.), no taxes are collected from our side. If your country charges taxes over such purchases, you are responsible for handling these.

For purchases from companies with a valid EU VAT number who are located in EU countries, the EU VAT reverse-charge mechanism applies. We do not collect taxes on such purchases.

For purchases from private customers and companies without a valid VAT number, who are located in any EU country, the VAT rate of the country in which the customer is located is charged.

You're a Swiss (non-EU) company. Why are you making us pay VAT?

As a non-EU supplier of electronically supplied services we are required to account for VAT on these services provided to EU non-business customers as a result of the VAT place of supply rules contained in Council Directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of value added tax.

In order to fulfil our EU VAT obligations, we have opted to register for VAT under the special scheme for non-EU suppliers of electronic services, also known as the one-stop scheme, in accordance with Article 357 to 369 of the above EC Directive rather than register for VAT in each EU member state individually.

As we are registered for VAT under this one-stop scheme we are required to charge VAT to non-business customers at the rate which applies in the customer's member state. The VAT collected will be paid over to the tax administration of the Netherlands as this is the place where we have chosen to register for the one-stop scheme from an administrative perspective.

What is RibbonSoft's VAT Registration Number?

RibbonSoft's VAT identification is EU528661876. Note that as a customer, you never need this number for anything. It's an EU internal number for registering suppliers in non-EU countries.

Purchases from us are not subject to EU Intra-Community Supply (ICS) declaration.

Why does your VAT ID begin with "EU"?

We are a non-EU supplier of electronically supplied services. As such, our VAT registration number is prefixed by "EU" and has been issued by the tax administration of the Netherlands. If you have indicated an EU VAT number during purchase, your purchase is subject to the EU reverse charge mechanism and taxed at 0%. However, the transaction cannot and doesn't have to be reported through the EU ICP mechanism.

Using QCAD

How can I group entities?

Groups are called 'blocks' in CAD / QCAD. Think of a block as a group with a name. The advantage of blocks over groups is that blocks can be inserted multiple times in various locations at different angles and scales.

The most common way to create a block in QCAD is by selecting the entities you want to be in the group and then choosing menu Block > Create Block from Selection. Then you need to enter a name for the new block. Make sure to enable the block list to manage blocks. Keep in mind that once defined, a block can be inserted multiple times if needed.

How can I copy a selection with a reference point in newer QCAD versions?

Newer QCAD versions come with two versions of the copy and cut tools, one with and one without defining a reference point. The hotkeys are Ctrl-C, Ctrl-X (default, without reference point) and Ctrl-Shift-C, Ctrl-Shift-X (with reference point).

How can I cut / copy / paste items between two drawings?

To cut or copy entities:

1. Use the selection tools in the CAD toolbar at the left to select the entities you want to copy to the clipboard. All entities that are selected (highlighted) will be copied.
2. Choose the menu Edit > Copy with Reference with the mouse.
3. Now the CAD toolbar shows a selection of tools to specify the position of the reference point. For example you can choose the button 'End' (left column, 2nd from the top) to choose the end point of an entity as reference point.
4. Click with the left mouse button somewhere near the endpoint (or other identifying point) you want to use as the reference point of your selection. Note that the same reference point will be used later to position the entities when pasting them.

The entities are now on the clipboard of QCAD. You might want to click the right mouse button or press the Escape key twice to return to the main menu in the CAD tool bar. Do not close QCAD, as the clipboard contents will be lost if you do so.
To paste:

1. Open the drawing into which you want to paste the previously copied entities.
2. Choose the menu Edit > Paste.
3. Use the mouse to position the entities. Again you can use the snapping tools to specify an exact location or you can type a coordinate into the command line of QCAD.

All required layers and block definitions are pasted together with the entities. In the options tool bar, you can choose if you wish to overwrite existing layers and block definitions.

How can I move the label of a dimension entity?

1. Create the dimension.
2. Select the dimension.
3. Locate the small blue spot that appears at the center of the text label.
4. Move the mouse pointer very close to that blue spot.
5. Press the left mouse button and hold it.
6. Move the mouse a few pixels until the text label 'hangs' on the mouse cursor.
7. Position the text label with the left mouse button.

How can I adjust the drawing scale (1:1, 1:10, ...)?

Switch to the print preview (File > Print Preview) and use the controls in the options tool bar to adjust the drawing scale and position.

When I type a Foot / Inch measurument (e.g. 5'-3 7/8") in the options tool bar or command line, QCAD doesn't seem to recognize it. How can I do that?

Please use only regular mathematical expressions as you would in a calculator. For example: 5*12+3+7/8. Fractions with leading whole numbers are also recognized. For example: 7 3/4 is interpreted as 7+3/4.

How can I select a solid fill entity?

Click on it somewhere far away from any other entities. You might have to zoom in a bit to achieve this. This behavior is intended since otherwise it would be impossible to select a line that is inside a solid fill since the solid fill would always be the one that is closest to the mouse cursor.

What can I do with images (bitmaps) in QCAD?

QCAD is not an image manipulation program. Usually the reason for importing bitmaps into a CAD application is to trace the image contours with lines, arcs, polylines or splines to vectorize the bitmap.
If you intend to edit the bitmap itself, you should use an image manipulation software instead (e.g. Photoshop, Gimp or Paint Shop Pro). In QCAD, images can be transformed like other entities - you can move them, scale them, rotate, mirror, ... However, you cannot edit the image data itself, adjust the colors or anything like that.

What is the small red circle in my drawing that moves position while constructing?

The red circle indicates the position of the relative zero point, an important feature when constructing with QCAD. It is not a part of your drawing and only displayed as information for you while working with QCAD. The relative zero point is not printed or included on any exported output such as bitmaps or PDFs.

If it seems to be in your way, you can 'lock' its position for example at 0/0 with Snap > Lock Relative Zero. This is of course not recommended as relative coordinates will not work as expected anymore.

Alternatively, you can change the color of the relative zero point to something less obtrusive or to completely transparent under Edit > Application Preferences > Graphics View > Colors > Origin > Relative zero.

License

I use more than one computer / operating systems - how many licenses do I have to purchase?

Licenses are per user, not per installation or system. With one single user license, you may install and use QCAD on multiple computers and multiple operating systems as long as you are the only user. All of our QCAD products give you access to QCAD packages for all supported platforms either through a download area or on DVD.

For how long is my QCAD license valid?

QCAD licenses are not time limited. You can buy QCAD now and continue using it without any limitations for as long as you like. During one year after your purchase, you can download free updates of new versions of QCAD. After one year, you can choose to renew your license at a 30% update discount and continue receiving updates or you can keep using the version you currently have. An update discount coupon code is sent to you via e-mail before your free access to updates expires.

Is QCAD Open Source Software?

Yes, starting with version 3.1, the QCAD software is distributed under the GPLv3 with exceptions. In accordance with these exceptions, add-ons and plugins may be released under their respective licenses. For example the QCAD Pro add-on or the QCAD/CAM add-on are proprietary plugins. 

What is a Site License and when do I need one?

If you are an individual who likes to purchase QCAD, you don't need to worry about this. Simply purchase a single user license.
A site license is a type of software license used by companies, universities and other organizations with 10 to 20 QCAD users. A QCAD site license allows an organization to install QCAD on up to 20 computers.Note that the software itself is identical. If you represent an organization and there are more than 10 people on your site (campus) who use QCAD, you will need at least one site license. If less than 10 people use the software, it is more cost effective to purchase individual single user licenses.

Do you offer educational licenses / educational site licenses?

We offer educational site licenses which are valid for an unlimited number of users at one location (campus).
For single users, we occasionally offer educational discounts. Please contact us for details.

What types of packages / licenses do exist for QCAD?

There are three different types of packages for the QCAD software:

• QCAD Professional is the latest version of QCAD with add-ons for advanced DXF support, DWG support and many extra tools and features. It can be purchased from our online shop.
• The QCAD Trial packages contain a trial version of QCAD Professional, intended to try the software before you buy it. You can download trial packages from our web site.
• The QCAD Community Edition is the basic QCAD system, released under an Open Source license. Some Linux distributions contain packages of this QCAD version.

To compare the features of the QCAD Community Edition against the features of QCAD Professional, please refer to our feature list.

Troubleshooting

How can I reset QCAD to its default configuration?

Please refer to our detailed tutorial "Resetting the QCAD Configuration".

Dimension labels appear to be displaced in a loaded drawing / How can I move a dimension label back to its automatic position?

1. Select all dimension entities from which you want to reset the dimension label position.
2. Type the command 'dimregen' into the command line prompt and press enter.

The problem with loaded drawings might occur with drawings from older versions of QCAD.

I cannot see the line pattern (style) of the entities I am drawing. The style seems to be 'continuous' even though it is not.

The line pattern of a pen is scaled with the width of the pen. If the width is very thin, the line pattern might not be visible on screen or on your printout. Increase the line width to make the pattern visible.
Note that in draft mode, the line patterns don't scale with the pen width in an effort to speed up the display of the drawing.
You may also set up a drawing specific additional linetype factor in the drawing preferences: Edit > Drawing Preferences > General > Linetype

Another software 'XY' cannot read files produced by QCAD.

Please note that many CAD applications can only read certain (older) versions of the DXF or DWG format. Autocad version X can only open DWG and DXF files of version X or earlier. For example, Autocad 2010 can only open DWG 2010 and DXF 2010 or earlier. QCAD saves drawings in DWG / DXF 2013 by default, but you can choose the exact format version in the File > Save As dialog. Only use a DXF or DWG version older than 2010 if the target system does not support anything newer. Some older DWG / DXF format versions might not be able to store all information contained in your drawing.

My print out or PDF is empty or some elements are missing, what is wrong?

Your drawing might contain very fine elements (line thickness 0.00mm or 0.05mm) that are too fine for your printer to print or are almost invisible to the human eye. Please increase the line thickness of those elements.
It is also possible that you have not adjusted the paper settings, drawing scale and drawing position before printing. You can adjust the paper format in Edit > Drawing Preferences > Printing > Page. Please use the print preview (File > Print Preview) before printing to adjust the drawing scale and position.

I cannot see any hatches or large texts or bitmap images.

Most likely you are in draft mode in which hatches, large texts and bitmaps are not shown to speed up the drawing display. Please try switching to normal mode: Menu View > Draft Mode.
If you are sure that you are not in draft mode and you still cannot see any text entities or hatch patterns, please check whether the fonts and hatch patterns can be found by QCAD. If you don't get a font list in the text creation dialog this is not the case.
This problem typically occurs under Linux, if QCAD is not started from its installation directory. Please start QCAD from the directory where it has been installed. For example:

cd ~/opt/qcad 
 ./qcad

I can create dimensions but they show no label.

Most likely the labels are created but are too small or too large. Please change the dimension label settings in the drawing settings: Edit > Drawing Preferences > Dimension Settings

My entities in a block appear to be on more than one layer.

Each entity inside a block is on a layer. Each block reference itself is also on a layer. In that sense, one could say that an entity inside a block reference is on two layers.
Tree structure of an example drawing with a block reference:

• Block reference of a block on Layer '2'
• Some entities in the block definition are on Layer '1'
• Some entities in the block definition are on Layer '2'

Turning off layer '2' will make the whole block reference invisible and with it also the entities inside the block reference. Even the ones that are on layer '1'.
Turning off layer '1' will make some entities within the block reference invisible (those that are on layer '1').

I have accidentally switched QCAD to a language other than the one I prefer. How can I switch it back to English or any other language?

Please refer to our tutorial for setting the language.