AutoCAD 2025 arrives with an arsenal of new features and improvements that promise to elevate the drafting and designing experience to unprecedented levels. At Brigen Consulting, we're excited to guide you through the latest advancements in this essential software. Join us as we dive deeper into AutoCAD 2025, exploring how its innovative capabilities can revolutionize your workflow, enhance precision, and bring your architectural, engineering, and design projects to life with greater efficiency and ease.

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1, Activity Insights

Monitor the progress of your drawings and evaluate their history with Activity Insights. This feature offers a specialized palette that tracks activities and allows filtering by type, user, and date. Initially launched in AutoCAD 2024, Activity Insights has been upgraded to log a wider array of activities, delivering comprehensive details through the newly added Activity Properties panel.

New System Variables: ACTIVITYINSIGHTSSUPPORT - Enables or disables the Activity Insights feature.

Deprecated Commands:

  • DWGHISTORY - This feature is now redundant as it has been incorporated into the ACTIVITYINSIGHTSOPEN command.
  • DWGHISTORYCLOSE - This function is now obsolete as it has been integrated into the ACTIVITYINSIGHTSCLOSE command.
  • Deprecated System Variables: DWGHISTORYSTATE - This functionality is now redundant as it is incorporated into the ACTIVITYINSIGHTSSTATE.

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2, Import Markup from Autodesk Docs

Enhancing the features of Markup Import, PDF markup files can now be linked directly from Autodesk Docs to AutoCAD. This advancement allows drafters to easily view and integrate revisions. Simply create markups on a PDF within Autodesk Docs, then synchronize the PDF so that the markups become accessible to collaborators in the AutoCAD Trace workspace.

The PDF markup file maintains a continuous connection to the AutoCAD drawing, ensuring that any modifications made to the markup file are immediately visible to collaborators in AutoCAD.

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3, Smart Blocks: Search and Convert

AutoCAD 2025 introduces enhanced smart block capabilities, designed to optimize your design workflow significantly. Within this update, transforming multiple instances of specific geometry into blocks has been simplified.

Upon selecting geometry for conversion, AutoCAD automatically identifies and highlights identical instances throughout the design. This allows you to seamlessly convert both the selected geometry and its matches into a single block.

For conversions into an existing block, the software offers multiple options. It enables you to select a block from the current project, access one from a list of recently used blocks, or choose from similar blocks in your library, as suggested by the software's machine learning algorithm.

Note: Machine learning-suggested blocks are only available in AutoCAD.

Upon choosing an existing block definition, you have the flexibility to modify its scale and rotation, tailoring how it substitutes the identified instances. As an alternative, you might opt to transform either the source object or the chosen instances into a new block. Within the Convert dialog box, you can establish a new block by designating a name and an insertion point for it. By default, the insertion point is aligned to the center of the geometry selected.

This capability to swiftly transform repetitive geometry into blocks streamlines the design process, significantly reducing redundancy and expanding the assortment of options available for structuring drawings.

New Commands

  • BCONVERT - Opens the conversion dialogue box, allowing the transformation of selected geometry and identical instances into blocks.
  • -BCONVERT - At the Command prompt, this function transforms selected entities and identical instances into blocks.

New System Variables

  • BLOCKEXCLUDECOLOR - Enhances the visual distinction of identified instances that should remain unconverted into blocks through color highlighting.
  • BLOCKINCLUDECOLOR - Enhances the visual cue for instances identified for block conversion through color highlighting.
  • BLOCKTARGETCOLOR - Defines the color highlighting for the given instance, forming the basis for the creation of a new block definition.

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4, Smart Blocks: Object Detection Tech Preview

AutoCAD 2025 introduces a new technology preview using machine learning to scan drawings and identify objects for transformation into blocks. With Object Detection activated, your drawing's geometry is sent to AutoCAD's machine learning service for advanced recognition. After analysis, you'll be notified about objects ready for block conversion. To examine these objects, select Review Objects.

In Review mode, the Detection toolbar at the top of your drawing window offers tools for easy navigation and management of detected objects. These objects are neatly grouped into sets based on similarity, with a "set" being a group of similar detected objects ready to be merged into one block.

Each set has a "primary" instance, marked with a blue border, which will become the model for the new block upon conversion. If you choose to merge it with an existing block, this primary instance determines the insertion's scale and orientation.

You might find inaccuracies, such as a missing similar object in a set. These can be quickly reported via the Detection toolbar, helping to improve the machine learning service's accuracy and efficiency.

Key Considerations

Object Detection is currently in a technology preview phase, indicating that its detection capabilities and functionalities are expected to evolve and improve progressively.

It is designed primarily for plan-view drawings, optimizing its performance in such contexts. AutoCAD's ability to identify various objects is steadily growing, with the current iteration of Object Detection excelling in recognizing the following objects:

  • Single-swing doors
  • Double-swing doors
  • Toilets
  • Bathtubs
  • Urinals
  • Generic lighting symbols

Note: Object Detection relies on machine learning algorithms, so the results may not always be completely accurate or comprehensive.

To enhance the accuracy of detection while advancing the machine learning algorithm, we recommend configuring your drawings to real-world units prior to initiating the detection process.

While in review mode, the following commands are temporarily blocked:

  • BEDIT
  • COMPARE
  • COUNT
  • COUNTLIST
  • PLOT
  • PUBLISH
  • REFEDIT
  • TRACE
  • XCOMPARE

New Commands

  • DETECT - Displays the Detection palette and starts object detection.
  • DETECTCLOSE - Ends the detection review.
  • DETECTCONVERT - Displays the Convert dialog box, which you can use to convert the highlighted instances into blocks.
  • DETECTPRIMARY - Specifies the detected instance from which a new block definition is created.
  • DETECTREMOVE - Removes selected instances from the set.
  • DETECTREVIEWNEXT - Displays the next set of detected objects.
  • DETECTREVIEWPREV - Displays the previous set of detected objects.

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5, Hatch Improvements

The HATCH command has been enhanced to allow for the drawing of hatches without requiring any pre-existing boundary geometry. Users now have the flexibility to either create filled shapes or perform hatching along a designated path, with options including polyline, circle, or rectangle drawing choices.

Updated Commands

  • HATCH - Populates a defined space or chosen objects with a hatch pattern, solid color, or gradient fill, enhancing visual aesthetics and clarity.

New System Variables

  • HPDRAWMODE - Regulates the drawing mode applied during the creation of new boundaries for hatching or filling.
  • HPPATHALIGNMENT - Indicates that newly drawn paths should be aligned for hatching or filling.
  • HPPATHWIDTH - Defines the width for newly drawn paths that will be either hatched or filled.

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6, Esri Maps

Five new Esri maps have been introduced to enhance the assignment of geographic location information to drawings.

You now have access to five different Esri map varieties, expanding your options for incorporating geographic details into a drawing file.

To open, click Insert tab > Location panel > Set Location > From Esri Maps.

Or from the command window, type GEOGRAPHICLOCATION and select Map.

Now, you can choose from five new Esri basemap styles:

  • Esri OpenStreetMap
  • Esri Imagery
  • Esri Streets
  • Esri Light Gray
  • Esri Dark Gray

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7, Trace Updates 

Updates to Trace include an improved toolbar and editing xrefs while in Edit Drawing mode.

  • Trace Toolbar

The Trace toolbar has been updated for enhanced clarity, now distinctly indicating whether you're in trace editing mode (TRACEEDIT) or drawing editing mode (TRACEVIEW).

Furthermore, the Settings drop-down menu features an option to pin it, keeping it visible even when the cursor moves away. This menu can also be dragged and relocated like a palette, offering greater flexibility and efficiency.

  • Edit External References while in Edit Drawing mode

While a Trace is open, in edit drawing mode, REFEDIT is now enabled, meaning you can now make changes to xrefs.

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8, Markup Import and Markup Assist

Markup Import and Markup Assist continue to improve, making it easier to bring drawing revisions from a markup file into a drawing.

The following enhancements were made:

  • Markup Assist can now be applied to external references.
  • With Markup Assist, when adding a revcloud, users now have the option to insert it as either rectangular or polygonal. Opting for a rectangular revcloud will utilize the highlighted border to dictate its size and shape. Alternatively, choosing a polygonal revcloud will approximate the detected markup's shape to determine its dimensions and form.
  • Markup Assist now allows for the addition of multiple text markups within a single text insertion. This enhancement enables you to efficiently incorporate various text strings from multiple markups into a single mtext or mleader object, saving valuable time. When you open the Markup Assist text dialog box, simply click on "Select Markup Text to Add" and choose the text markup objects you wish to include.
  • In Edit Drawing mode, when reviewing imported markup, Annotation Styles can be conveniently accessed from the Settings drop-down menu. This feature simplifies the process of assigning current text and mleader styles while utilizing Markup Assist.

In summary, the latest updates to AUTODESK AutoCAD 2025 bring a host of improvements and new features designed to streamline and enhance the drafting experience.

These updates not only provide greater flexibility and efficiency but also improve collaboration and accuracy in drawing revisions with new options for revclouds and the inclusion of multiple text markups in a single object.

If you're keen to explore the full range of new features and capabilities of AUTODESK AutoCAD 2025, we invite you to click here for a detailed overview.

At Brigen Consulting, we're committed to helping you leverage the latest advancements in civil engineering outsourcing technology to enhance your civil projects. Whether you're looking to upgrade your software or seek expert advice on integrating these new features into your workflow, our team is here to assist. Contact us today to learn how we can help you take your civil engineering projects to the next level.