MacDraft PE Release Notes | Microspot Support

The list below includes all the details for the release of all versions of MacDraft Personal Edition from version 5.5.3 and above.

Version 8.0.3 (26th March 2024)NEW

Version 8.0.2 (31st Aug 2023)

New Features / Improvements

Added Automatic Updates.
Added a new measure tool.
Changed the zoom shortcuts to use Command + and Command -.
Improved the text layout of the library item preview images.
Improved the quality of the library item preview images.
Dual monitor improvements when using palettes.
Improved the PDF quality and precision, for the data exported.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where there was no synchronizing of color change between Properties and Swatches palettes.
Fixed an issue where the border position selectors were not displaying correctly.
Fixed an issue where it was impossible to rename the existing Library using Rename library function.
Fixed various cursor issues when hovering over palettes and panels.
Fixed an issue where you were unable to select anything if the zoom value had not been applied in the toolbar.
Fixed a corruption issue when resizing dimensioned circles.
Fixed a crash issue when moving a copy of a linked object.
Fixed an issue where you were unable to save a template using the Save As dialog.
Fixed an issue with the scaling factor if a library item preview image.
Fixed an issue where you could not edit colors in the swatches palette, when in palette mode.
Fixed an issue where the contextual menu did not display using the CTRL key, if the zoom tool was active.
Fixed display issues when resizing freehand and bezier curves.
Fixed an issue where the cursor position was not displaying during the use of various tools.
Fixed various stability and crash related issues.

Version 8.0.1 (16th Dec 2022)

New Features / Improvements

Full support for macOS Ventura.
Added the ability to print the grid, via the Print dialog.
Cross Cursor menu item moved to the View menu.
Updated the folder structure in the Library palette.
Objects selected using the Layer Select tool, now select the object as well as make the layer active.
Added 4 new toolbar items. Home View, Library, Scale and Units and Interface Colors.
Added a keyboard shortcut for opening the Library panel (Command + Y).
Moved the Alignment tools to the Properties panel.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue when in Palette View mode, palettes were not becoming active, making it difficult to set colors and make changes to objects in the document.
Fixed an issue where Border Position could be unselected by clicking the same button.
Fixed a problem with rotated patterns becoming corrupted.
Fixed an issue when items that do not fit in the toolbar, due to screen width, become unuseable.
Fixed a problem where the prefernce toolbar would become hidden.
Fixed CPU and memory drain issues.
Fixed an issue where lines drawn by double clicking with an angle, did not display the correct angle in the Properties panel.
Fixed a crash issue when selecting and dragging a grouped line, together with its linked object.
Fixed crash issue when clicking in empty category in the Template Chooser.
Fixed an issue where tools could not be selected after editing Resize Options.
Fixed Show/Hide Area and Show/Hide Perimeter issues when trimming Bezier curves.
Fixed a display issue when using Palette View in full screen mode.
Fixed an issue where some line thickness items didn’t display correctly in the pop-up menus.
Fixed an issue where clicking the Escape key to return to the Arrow tool, would close the current palette.
Fixed an issue when multiple lines were selected and the Line Style pop-up didn’t display the correct value.
Fixed an issue with rotated lines at different zoom levels, becoming offset slightly.
Fixed an issue where the Library window remained above all other system windows.
Fixed an issue when the library panel did not become active during drag, but required a click first.
Fixed an issue where library items were not placed in alphabetical order, if you changed the name.
Fixed an issue where tools could not be selected after using palette mode and changing some settings.
Fixed various spelling and grammatical errors.
Fixed various file related crash, loading and stability issues.
Fixed various UI and workflow issues.

Version 8.0 (27th May 2022)

Version 7.0.3 (29th April 2020)

Version 7.0.2 (12th Nov 2019)

Version 7.0.1 (25th June 2019)

New Features / Improvements

The zoom menu items and toolbar item now zoom into the selected object.
You can now zoom in to the maximum level at larger drawing sizes.
Extra large zoom option has been added
You can now export your reports
Choose how many color/pattern/gradient widgets are shown in the Attributes pop-up (allows for larger previews)

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where duplicating with an offset was not staying on the grid snap value set.
Fixed a visual issue with frames in the template chooser.
Fixed an issue where if �Underline� was set as default, you couldn�t turn it off.
Fixed crash related issues with .md60 files.
Fixed issue with zooming not working if system preferences are set to commas as separators instead of decimals.
Fixed issues where MacDraft would not remember the screen/window size.
Fixed issue where MacDraft would not save the screen/window size on secondary screens.
Fixed issue with incorrect ruler coordinates when restoring from max zoom.
Fixed a crash issue when turning off a layer below the one that is being imported.
Fixed an issue where you were not able to set the zero points of the rulers by dragging from the corner.
Fixed file related issues when opening older files
Fixed text related issues with dimensions on older files.
Other minor bug fixes and improvements for application efficiency.

Version 7.0 (29th March 2019)

Only Supports Mac OS 10.11 and above

New Features / Improvements

64 Bit Compatible.
New User Interface
- Dark / Light Mode
- Single Screen
- Tools Panel
- Properties Panel
Retina Support
New Text System
- Spelling and Grammar
- Clipped Text
- Emoji and Symbol Support
AutoSave
Full Screen Mode
Document Tabs
New File Formats
- Improved MD70 file format
- Support for opening old MD60 files
Improved Walls / Parallel lines
Improved Bezier Curves
Usable Gray Space
Share & Collaborate
Improved Snapping
- Snap between layers
- Smart Snap Imrpovements
- Snap to Guide Lines
Turn text into vector graphics
New Square Grid option
Swatches Panel
- Manage all colors, gradients and patterns in one place
- New, Edit and duplicate swatches
Properties Panel
- Edit selected objects in one place. All options for the selection will be available in this one panel.
Calculate Perimeter
Alpha Gradients
Improved Patterns
- Larger pattern sizes
- Paste an image at correct size and the pattern dialog will turn into a MacDraft pattern
Align to Page/Document
Contextual Menus
More Templates
Improved Library
Improved Welcome
Faster document control
Improved power and speed with the new 64 bit architecture

Manual Update
The MacDraft manual has been re-written to incorprate all the new features and options, including the interface changes.

Bug Fixes

A whole host of legacy bugs have now been fixed or removed as the new program has been written with modern and up to date code from scratch.

Version 6.2.1 (27th March 2018)

Version 6.2 (26th September 2016)

New Features / Improvements

Smart Snapping Feature:
- Objects can now snap to each other using smart handles.
- This option can be turned on and off at any time
- Snap to centers, edges, corners and bounds.
Replaced the Show Size palette with live cursor information:
- Position information shows on the cursor as you are dragging
- Size of object displays live on the cursor as you resize
- Size of the object displays live on the cursor as you are drawing
- This option can be turned on and off at any time
Helper palette:
- Selecting items in the Tools palette and Dimension palette displays help content in the Helper palette
- Helper palette displays steps by step guide on how to use the tool
- The Helper palette includes modifier keys
Documents guides:
- Add document guides from the rulers by dragging them out.
- Add document guides precisely using a menu item.
- Objects can snap to the guides when positioned.
- Guides can be turned on and off
- Guide snapping can be turned on and off.
Custom background and grid color
Centered drawing area:
- Document is centered in the window
- Zooming is made easier and centers on the document by default
Dead Zone feature:
- The grey space around the document area can now be used
- Store objects and items in the dead space.
- Dead zone content is excluded form print.
- Create bleed documents and full page spreads with the dead zone.
Welcome Screen:
- Take a tour slider, showing all the key areas to look at when learning the product.
- Video tutorials, links to all the latest video guides, tutorials and lessons.
- Forum access and link to Register your Product
Template chooser:
- Now choose templates to start with from the main window.
- Store your own custom templates in My Templates and access them from the template chooser
Recent documents added to the Welcome panel
Custom preferences for template behavior:
- Decide how your new documents will open
- Select custom templates to open whenever a new document opens.
Updated interface elements and options:
- Added steppers in Resize palette.
- Updated the toolbar and some palette icons.
- Added new features into the toolbar.
- Tidied up the View and Layout menu for consistency.
- Option added for printing background color.
- New Save As Template... option in the File menu
Improved Speed and Power
- Updated document window with modern window technologies to load faster
- Improved speed and power from the updated drawing technologies
License information is now stored at system level, which means all users on the machine can run the product

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue with text shifting with Print to PDF / Export PDF
Fixed an issue where the Dimension cursor disappeared when dragging to scroll the document window.
Fixed a load layer bug where a dialog appeared saying the file content could be loaded.
Fixed an issue with tools not selecting correctly after the keyboard shortcut has been used.
Fixed various document specific issues with content not displaying correctly.
Fixed an issue with Parallel Lines options dialog not behaving correctly
Fixed various file related crash issues.
Fixed zooming issue when using the zoom in and out options from the view menu.
Fixed automatic scrolling issues by allowing dragging outside the document using the Command key only.
Optimized for the latest operating system.
Fixed issue where application crashes when user selects row and columns in Report window and places cursor outside of the window
Fixed issues with missing Spotlight and Quicklook
Fixed issue with size of drawing area being increased if close Print Active Layer dialog while object is in Dead area.
Fixed issue where recent documents are restored if Mac is restarted
Fixed issue with 3 Point Circle tool.
Fixed issue where Zoom-in line weights should not affect selection frame.
Fixed refresh issue when switching "Grid Lines" ON/OFF
Fixed issue where report is printed incorrectly if increase column width or decrease paper size.
Fixed issue when scrollbars do not work in Symbol Libraries dialog
Fixed issue when Extrude Parallel Polyline tool doesn’t work correctly.
Fixed issue with incorrect title being suggested by default in Print dialog if Save document as PDF.
Fixed issue by making dimensional text background transparent by default

Version 6.1.3 (2nd February 2016)

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue with Zooming out not zooming out correctly.
Fixed window not automatically scrolling when selection or drawing tool is moved down and right.
Fixed document not automatically scrolling left or up when using the bezier tool.
Fixed an issue with keyboard shortcut reverting a particular tool to the default tool in the tool palette.
Fixed Rotate90Left & Rotate90Right toolbar icons becoming obscured by the Title Bar when set as small icon.
Fixed rulers flicker when using the scroll wheel on a mighty mouse and when moving objects using the arrow keys.
Fixed issue with Show Size palette are not displaying values correctly for ΔAo
Fixed refresh issue when resizing images spread over several page document.
Fixed an issue with copying to clipboard which did not copy correctly.
Fixed an issue where objects could not be drawn to the edge of drawing area if rulers were showing.
Fixed an issue where objects could not be moved to the edge of drawing area if rulers were showing.
Fixed mirrored text getting corrupted when rulers are showing.
Fixed Recovery folder with the last MacDraft document appearing in the Trash after shutdown.
Fixed an issue preventing certain older files from opening.
Fixed arc dimensions shifting when printing or saving to pdf via the print dialog.
Fixed a crash bug when adding edit points to an open ended parallel line.
Fixed an issue of origin not being moved when rulers were showing.
Fixed an intermittent problem where the cursor did not show after returning from customizing the toolbar.
Fixed a bug with arc and elliptical arc tool that did not draw an object.
Fixed an issue where attempting to move dimension object with arrow key corrupted the object.
Fixed a crash bug when grouping certain objects in an older file.
Fixed several file specific issues with opening older files..
Drag and drop to library palette reverted back to Command + Drag & Drop.

Version 6.1.1 (22nd August 2014)

Version 6.1 (15th April 2014)

Version 6.0.6 (9th November 2012)

Version 6.0.5 (21st May 2012)

Version 6.0.4 (14th February 2012)

Version 6.0.1 (9th December 2010)

Version 6.0 (19th August 2010)

Version 5.6.7 (17th June 2009)

Version 5.6.6 (07 November 2008)

Version 5.6.5 (12 June 2008)

Version 5.6.4 (26 February 2008)

New Features / Improvements

MacDraft 5.6.4 has no new features.
Leopard compatible.
Uses installer to install instead of drag and drop.

Manual Update
The MacDraft PE manual has references to functionality no longer supported in version Version 5.6.4 and should be ignored. These are :

PICT or enhanced PICT documents.
Saving a document in PICT or enhanced PICT format.
Opening a document saved in PICT or enhanced PICT format.

Bug Fixes

Various bug fixes to improve compatibility between older systems and leopard.
Files created in older version of MacDraft some times do not open or open incorrectly
Files, transferred or renamed under Windows cannot be opened.
Holding down the control key when dimensioning does not make dimension line hairline.
Some fonts are not preserved while transferring Symbol libraries between applications running under different operating systems.
Old MacDraft File does not open with correct font, even installed.
Text in group doesn’t restore the correct size after Undo Resize command.
Object type isn’t refreshed in the Resize palette after show/hide its area.
Dimension text disappears when older 4.3 file is opened in 5.6.3/4
Object area value will be found while searching for dimensions using Select Special dialog.
Adding edit handles to object with displayed area after performing Undo Add Handle causes crash.
Area can be deleted when its parent object linked with locked object.
Area value is not updated if it was hidden before resizing object and displayed again.
Values in edit fields of Resize palette are not properly refreshed while duplicating objects by Cmd-Option-drag.
Undo doesn’t work properly for meta-polygons.
Tolerance text disappears from dimension after zooming
Polyline end caps don’t work according to the options set in Parallel Line Setup dialog.
Ellipses and elliptical arcs are imported with incorrect size from Media Assistant Lite if pasted from non-1:1 scale drawings.
Default parallel line width is read incorrectly from older format drawings in non-default scales.
Distance between the parallel lines not as specified.
Text becomes invisible when Text tool popup menu is expanded while text object itself is in edit mode.
Dimension outline displays incorrectly while drawing.
Palettes don’t hide after closing document if another one is minimized.
Sometimes, pixmap placed in Clipboard from Photoshop causes MacDraft to crash.

Version 5.6.3 (19 November 2007)

Version 5.6 (20 April 2007)

Version 5.5.4 (14th May 2003)

New Features / Improvements
Included support for opening of MacDraw II files. Users wishing to open documents created by other Claris applications such as Claris Cad and Claris Draw should save the document as MacDraw II format from within those applications.

Bug Fixes

Undo on a group that did not work correctly
Freezing bug when scroll full right with maximum drawing size
Marquee selection that worked incorrectly with smoothed closed polylines
Grouping of smoothed closed polylines which caused edit handles of object to be at wrong locations
Eye dropper tool does not apply object data to groups
Groups are resized incorrectly using the percent option in resize palette
Changing line pattern on polygons on reflected in the attributes panel
Entering of Custom Circle units problem in set scale/units dialog
Most PICT files don't import at 0,0 Show
Clipboard minimum size too small
Invisible Dimensions if the object is at the top of the document
Grouped rotated ellipses behave incorrectly when ungrouped
Does not release from the Zoom mode when you Command key click on document
Elliptical arcs do not display correctly after they have been flipped and edited
Grouped objects warp in shape when nudged
Document does not open as saved when document contains part pages.
Cross hair symbol does not undo if deleted
Library items dragged out of Media Assistant Lite lose grouping
Command Click no longer works for terminating spline curves Round pen style makes it difficult to move rectangles
Dimensions extend in symbol libraries
Print shrink when printing documents created by older versions of MacDraft
Crash on opening saved symbol library with a group containing arc and radial Dimensions

Version 5.5.3 (19th February 2004)