WHAT'S NEW
What's new in Crusade
Every version, newest first. The app shows the same list under Help ▸ What's New.
The first release. Everything is new.
From the next version on, each release lists what changed here. See everything Crusade does.
What the app's What's New lists (175)
Layout sketches in assembliesAssembly ▸ Layout Sketch draws a sketch on the assembly's Front, Top or Right plane (the parts are there to snap to). Mate parts to its lines, points and circles; change the sketch and the parts follow.
Themes: Dark, Light and your ownThe Aqua look is now called Dark (it replaces the near-black Dark); Light stays. In Options ▸ Appearance, Save as Theme keeps your colors as a named theme, Copy Theme Code gives a code to share, and Paste Theme Code adds someone's theme.
Much more hardwareInsert Fastener adds button head, flat head (countersunk) and pan head screws, set screws, nylon lock nuts, fender and split lock washers and dowel pins, and more sizes (M2 to M24, #4 to 3/4 in). Flat heads, set screws and pins sit flush with the face; pick the washer and nut kind for a bolt's stack.
Mate one after anotherThe Mate panel has Finish This Mate, Start a New One: it adds the mate and clears the selections for the next, without closing Mate. The face or edge under the mouse lights up before you click it.
Assembly origin and planesAn assembly's list starts with Default geometry: the Origin, the X, Y and Z axes and the Front, Top and Right planes. Hover one to see it; with Mate open, click it to mate a part to it (a shaft on an axis, a face on a plane, a vertex on the origin).
Folders in assembliesSelect components in an assembly's list (Ctrl / Shift for several), right-click ▸ Add to New Folder and name it. Drag components in or out; click a folder to light up all of it, right-click it to rename, hide, isolate or delete it (the components stay).
Folders in the feature treeSelect features next to each other and right-click ▸ Add to New Folder, then type its name. Drag features onto a folder to put them in, or out of it to take them out; right-click a folder to rename it, suppress all its features, or delete it (its features stay).
Box selection in assembliesHold the left button on empty space and drag a box: to the right it selects the components wholly inside, to the left also the ones it touches (like SolidWorks). Ctrl adds to the selection; a click on empty space still clears it.
Find a component from the treeClick a component in an assembly's left panel and it lights up in the view.
Assembly hover fixedIn assemblies the face or edge under the cursor now lights up as the mouse moves, instead of only after scrolling.
Gear Profile panelThe Gear Profile tool's panel is easier to use: picture buttons for gear, ring or rack, a Center box, the size with its pitch, outside and root diameters live, and the tooth form and options folded away.
Sketch Pattern in the panelLinear and Circular Sketch Pattern work in the sketch panel now: selection boxes for the entities to copy and for the direction (a line or model edge) or center (a point or circle), a live preview, and click a copy's dot to leave it out.
Sketch Fillet and Chamfer panelPick the corners, set the size and watch the preview, then Apply: the first fillet gets a radius dimension and the rest are Equal to it. Chamfers can be equal, two distances or a distance and an angle.
Bodies tabThe part's bodies moved out of the left panel into a Bodies tab on the right (the strip at the window's edge), with toggles that show every body's material and mass.
Radius arrows on the arcA radius dimension placed beyond an arc's ends draws an extension arc out to its arrow, so the arrow always touches the arc or its extension.
Click a face, find its featureClicking a face or edge in the view selects the feature that made it in the feature tree, ready to right-click, rename or edit.
One relation, many entitiesSelect several lines (or circles, or points) and pick a relation: Equal, Parallel, Horizontal, Concentric and the others apply to all of them at once, in one undo step.
Flush faces mergeA boss flush with a side of the part it stands on (sketched on a block's face and lined up with its edge) now makes one face there, with no seam line.
Dimension to a circle's edgeHold Shift when you click a circle or arc with Smart Dimension: the dimension goes to its nearest or farthest point (whichever side you clicked) instead of its center.
Custom hole sizesThe Hole Wizard has a Custom size: type a diameter more than .005" (0.1 mm) off the screw's and the hole becomes Custom, named for its size (Ø.1829) or the drill it is (#14 DRILL).
Hole depths in the treeHole Wizard features show their depth in the feature tree like extrudes do (#8-32 THD ↧ 0.5 [in], or THRU), with counterbore (⌴) and countersink (⌵) sizes.
Hole Wizard sketch bannerWhile a Hole Wizard position sketch is open, a yellow banner at the top of the sketch panel says to finish the sketch to go back to the Hole Wizard.
Points on pointsThe Point tool places a point on top of an existing one (a corner, a line's end, a circle's center), tied to it, so the Hole Wizard puts a hole there.
A for a tangent arcWhile drawing lines, press A for a tangent arc from the line's end; after the arc the tool is the line again. When no line is under way, A is the 3 Point Arc.
Suppressed items crossed outSuppressed features in the feature tree, and suppressed mates in an assembly, show crossed out.
Type the value straight awayAn Extrude (Revolve, Fillet, Chamfer, Shell) opens with its depth selected: type the new value, Enter takes it and leaves the box, a second Enter is OK.
The wheel zooms out when pushed forwardLike SolidWorks, rolling the mouse wheel forward now zooms out by default (Options ▸ General ▸ Reverse direction of mouse wheel zoom changes it). Settings you already saved stay as they are.
Ctrl+N worksCtrl+N makes a new part in a window of its own (its default used to be Ctrl+Alt+N, so Ctrl+N did nothing); the part you were working on stays open.
Trimming keeps the sketch healthyTrimming a circle (or line) where an earlier trim left a point on it no longer turns the sketch red: the relation the cut makes repeat is dropped, and nothing that's left moves.
Sketch Fillet and Chamfer on the toolbarBoth are buttons of their own on the Sketch tab, next to Trim, instead of being inside the Trim drop-down.
Circle size at a glanceClick a circle or arc in a sketch: its diameter and radius show in the bottom-right corner.
Inch and metric friendly sizesNew features start at fractions of an inch in inch documents and whole millimeters in metric ones (the sketch fillet and chamfer at 1/4" or 5 mm), and the arrows and the mouse wheel step 1/8" or 1 mm.
Drill point or flat bottomBlind holes from the Hole Wizard end in a 118° drill point; pick another angle or Flat under End Condition. Holes in parts saved before stay flat.
More Hole Wizard sizesInch: #1, #3, #12, 9/16, 1 1/8, 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 screws, and every UNC / UNF thread from #0-80 to 1 1/2-12 with its tap drill. Metric: M18, M22, M27, M30 and M36 screws, coarse threads M1.6 to M48 and more fine pitches.
Chamfer: distance - distance and distance - angleThe Chamfer panel names its types Equal distance, Distance - distance and Distance - angle; the face the first distance runs along is tinted while you edit, and Flip direction moves it to the other face.
Linear and Circular Sketch PatternsTwo sketch tools of their own on the Sketch tab: copies of the selected geometry in rows, or around a center. Select a construction circle with a hole for a bolt circle: the holes go round its center.
Edit MaterialThe command that sets a part's material and finish is now called Edit Material (right-click the part, double-click its Material row, or SimpleSim's Edit Material button).
Sketch Chamfer fixedSketch Chamfer keeps the corner as a point where the two lines meet (its dimensions stay) and dimensions both legs, so a fully defined sketch stays fully defined and the chamfer keeps its size when the outline changes. Its size box says Distance.
Fill a hole with a clickIn Extrude and Revolve, every closed area of the sketch can be picked: click inside a circle that's a hole (the middle of concentric circles, a hole in a plate) and its area is added. Holes stay holes unless clicked.
Default planes stay out of the wayThe planes show in an empty part. Once you start a sketch they hide and stay hidden until Show Planes, and a part with sketches and features opens without them.
Fillet and chamfer only what you pickPicking one arc of a disc with slots cut through it chamfers or rounds that arc only, not every arc of the same circle.
Repeated relations are skippedDrawing an arc whose end lands on a point already on its circle no longer over-defines the sketch: the relation the new geometry repeats is dropped, like SolidWorks.
US spelling, and the license agreementCrusade now uses US spelling (license, color, meter, gray) and US dates (October 15, 2026). The license agreement is final: the installers show it, and it's on crusadecad.com/eula.
DXF text reads right everywhereFlat pattern bend notes, drawing symbols and other DXF text use AutoCAD's codes for °, ± and Ø (%%d, %%p, %%c), so laser and CAM software no longer shows them garbled.
WindowsCrusade now installs and runs on Windows 11, also with Smart App Control on: the installer and its program files are signed. The installer asks before opening STEP, IGES, STL, 3MF or DXF files with Crusade. Render's Save Image and the sketch's dimension box on scaled screens work there too.
Pick the regions a feature usesExtrude and Revolve list the sketch regions they use (Selected Enclosed Sketches) or, as a thin feature, the segments (Selected Sketch Segments): click in the view to add or remove, or press Delete in the list. A sketch split by a line now has one region per area, so one sketch can be extruded whole and then cut in part; neighboring regions make one face, without a seam.
Holes show while you place themThe Hole Wizard's holes appear at the points of its position sketch as you place and dimension them.
A setup on first startFree viewer or license (Normal, checked about monthly and releasable from your order page, or Offline only), a look tried on a working preview of the window, and default units, each step sliding in. The looks show real screenshots of Crusade.
Aqua, Dark and LightThree looks: Aqua (the default), a new near-black Dark with a dark viewport, and Light. Graphite is gone (it opens as Dark). The website's Features page lets anyone try them.
License keysHelp ▸ License ▸ Activate with the key from your purchase: 3 computers, Release This Computer… to move one. Normal mode checks about once a month with the update check (at least every 6 months); offline mode never checks; a computer with no internet gets its license file at crusadecad.com/activate. Only the key and a scrambled computer code are sent; nothing is kept.
One Crusade for everyoneFree to download and view; a license unlocks editing (Help ▸ License). Locked commands show a small lock and say what a license adds; nothing pops up. STL, 3MF and DXF open in a viewing window; drawings print (File ▸ Print…) and assemblies export STEP, STL and 3MF.
File ▸ ShareSend an assembly or drawing as one file that opens anywhere without its parts (view, measure, render, print, export if you allow it), carrying nothing about you, or as a Pack and Go zip with everything needed to edit it. A shared copy whose parts aren't there opens view-only with a banner instead of errors.
Gear Pair designerAssembly ▸ Gear Pair: give the ratio and the center distance (or pick two shafts) and Crusade suggests the module, tooth counts and profile shifts that mesh there, shows them turning, and checks contact ratio and, if you like, tooth strength. Make saves both gears as parts and meshes them with a Gear mate.
Gear Profile for cuttingSketch ▸ Gear Profile puts a gear, ring gear or rack outline into a sketch as ordinary geometry, with the Gear feature's involute teeth and a tool offset for the laser or waterjet kerf; Edit Gear Profile changes it later. New: Export Sketch as DXF (right-click a sketch).
GearsFeatures ▸ Gear: spur, helical, internal ring, rack and face gears from module or diametral pitch, with true involute teeth (undercut included), backlash, profile shift, a bore with keyway, D-flat or hex, and hubs, placed on a plane, face or point. Edit it like any feature; it's named for what it is (Spur Gear 24T M2).
Windows open cleanlyOn Zorin OS and other auto-tiling Linux desktops, parts, assemblies, drawings and the Viewer's windows appear maximized straight away instead of flashing into half the screen, and Home and windows you left un-maximized open where you left them. A Home placed by the tiler opens centered once.
Dark Sheet for drawingsA button at the right end of the drawing ribbon (on every tab) shows the page dark gray with light lines, easier on the eyes. Printing, PDF / DXF export and thumbnails always use white paper.
Drawing dimensions where you clickValues sit in the middle of the dimension line, upright, like the sketch's. Smart Dimension follows the cursor and places where you click, off-center or past an extension line too. It dimensions two parallel edges (any angle), a point to an edge, or one edge's length; dragging moves a dimension the way the mouse goes.
GD&T like a real drawingFeature control frames leave from the frame's end with a shoulder and land square on the edge, or sit under a size dimension; datum triangles sit on the edge or in line with a dimension. A new Geometric Tolerance dialog has symbol buttons, datum modifiers and a live preview.
Drawing tools show their cursorEach drawing tool shows its icon beside the crosshair, and the wheel zooms the sheet (and the Viewer's sheets) the same way as the 3D view.
Sketch dimensions from the near sideDimensions between parallel lines (and point to line) come off the side where you place them instead of running back over the sketch lines.
A red flash for refused relationsA relation or dimension that would over-define the sketch flashes its message red in the Sketch panel.
Offsets that stay offsetOffset Entities ties every offset curve to its original by one distance (lines, arcs, circles, rounded corners); offsetting a slot no longer over-defines the sketch.
Rib: blind each wayRib thickness can be Blind on one side, the other side, or a different depth on each side, besides Mid Plane. Editing a feature no longer shows its old shape tinted beside the preview.
Windows open cleanlyEach kind of window remembers its size and place; the first time documents open maximized and stay that way under tiling desktops such as Zorin OS; a window saved on a missing monitor comes back on the main screen.
Delete a relation with the keyPick a relation under Existing Relations and press Delete: the relation goes, not the sketch entity (before, only the Delete button did that).
Files carry their finished shapeEvery save now stores the finished model next to its recipe, so an assembly or drawing can be sent as one file that opens without its parts. Tools ▸ Update Files for Sharing does it for files saved earlier.
A lighter viewportStudio Dark's 3D view is now a flat mid gray, and fully defined sketch geometry and dimensions are black, so sketches stay readable on light parts. Dimensions have their own color in Options ▸ Appearance.
Thread callouts, onceDrawings show one thread callout per size in each view ("4× 1/4-20 UNC") instead of one per hole; View Properties can turn them off.
Inch drawingsDimensions on inch drawings keep their trailing zeros (6.000, 2.500), as ASME drawings do.
Fasteners in counterboresClick a counterbore's rim and Insert Fastener sizes the screw for the hole and seats its head on the counterbore floor. Inch fasteners are named 1/4, not 1-4.
No more 1e+03SimpleSim and other messages write big numbers out (1,000 lbf, 2,500,000 times).
Box select in sketchesPress on empty space and drag: to the right a solid box selects what is wholly inside, to the left a dashed box also what it touches. Ctrl adds to the selection.
Sketch against the modelEvery model edge and corner is projected onto the sketch plane, even when the sketch is square to it: start lines on a corner (coincident), make lines parallel or collinear to an edge, and dimension to edges, hole outlines and hole centers seen from the side. Click the edge where the model draws it, also in a turned view; the sketch follows when the part changes.
Construction for one entityConstruction (Q) with nothing selected makes just the next entity you place construction geometry, then switches off by itself. With entities selected it only switches those.
No seam on both-ways extrudesExtruding in two directions gives one face per side instead of two halves split at the sketch plane.
Render passesPreview passes in the Render panel; Save Render Image asks for the size and quality (Draft 500, Good 2,000, Best 10,000 passes). Hovering the feature tree no longer restarts the render.
Small fixesThe rollback bar stays where you let go; sketches are indented in the tree; the Auto Save switch is green while saving.
Render panelRender has its own panel on the right (the strip's Render button), in parts and assemblies: Start Rendering, the background, camera and depth of field, and Save Render Image.
Cleaner previewsThe default planes step aside while a feature is open, and drop-down lists open showing every option.
A present on HomeWhat's New no longer pops up: after an update its button on Home is a red present until you open it, and an Update available present when a newer version is out. Windows now open filling the screen. Check for Updates is next to User Guide; closing Home no longer opens an empty part. Home always opens at startup and Crusade checks for updates again every 24 hours.
New MeasureLike Onshape's: a panel on the right (beside SimpleSim and Variables), and every click adds a face, edge or point (no Ctrl or Shift). Center, max and min distance with X / Y / Z, drawn in the view; (x) makes a variable.
Right-hand stripButtons at the right edge open SimpleSim, a Variables panel (edit variables right there) and Measure. Parts open with these panels closed.
Hole WizardClearance holes by screw size with a close / normal / loose fit; tapped holes by thread with a dashed cosmetic thread; names like 1/4 CLOSE, 1/4 CBORE, 1/4-20 THD; positions from several sketches, for faces at different angles.
Pick sketch regionsExtrude and Revolve: click the closed regions of the sketch to use (the others are left out); Use All goes back.
Edit Sketch, cut directionRight-click a feature ▸ Edit Sketch. A new Cut-Extrude starts into the material.
View PropertiesDrawings: double-click a view for its own scale, hidden lines, center marks and a label under it.
Dome and exploded animationInsert ▸ Dome swells a flat face into a cap. Motion Study ▸ Explode and collapse animates the exploded view (and saves a GIF).
WrapInsert ▸ Wrap: text and sketch outlines embossed, debossed or scribed round a cylinder.
Move FaceDirect Edit ▸ Move Face: move or turn a hole, pocket or boss on any part, imported STEP too.
Cost EstimateEvaluate ▸ Cost Estimate: a rough price per part and per batch for CNC, 3D printing, sheet metal or a weldment, with your shop rates.
Weld symbolsAnnotation ▸ Weld Symbol: AWS weld symbols with size, length-pitch, all around, field weld and a tail.
Drawing templates and logosSheet Properties: title block layouts (ISO with checked / approved / tolerances) and your company logo; File ▸ Save as Template for new drawings.
Motion StudyAssembly tab: turn a part with a motor or drive a mate, watch the mechanism move, and save it as an animated GIF.
Collision DetectionAssembly tab: turn it on and a part you drag stops where it would run into another; the faces that meet show red.
Design CheckEvaluate ▸ Design Check: thin walls, holes too deep or small, sharp inside corners a cutter can't make, and whether it fits your printer, for CNC or 3D printing.
Analysis displaysEvaluate ▸ Analysis: color the part by draft angle (molding), wall thickness, curvature, or zebra stripes, with a legend of the areas.
Split, Insert Part, Save BodiesCombine drop-down: cut a part into bodies with a plane or sketch, save each as its own linked part, or bring another part in (mirrored, moved, or cut out as a mold cavity).
Fill and Curve Driven PatternIn the Linear Pattern drop-down: fill a sketched outline with copies or ready-made vent holes (square, staggered or rings), or copy features along a curve or a helix.
SimpleSim: natural frequenciesOptions ▸ Natural frequencies: a beam or shaft's three lowest natural frequencies (Hz) and how each mode moves it, with the masses it carries.
Print OrientationEvaluate ▸ Print Orientation: which way up a part 3D-prints with the least overhang, overhangs in red, and Export 3MF already that way up.
Variable-size filletFillet ▸ Type ▸ Variable size: one radius at the start of each edge, another at the end.
Import DXF into a sketchIn a sketch: Import DXF brings a drawing's lines, arcs, circles and polylines in, in its units and the layers you pick; closed outlines extrude.
Bolt CalculatorEvaluate ▸ Bolt Calculator: preload, tightening torque and factors of safety for a bolt pattern, without a study.
SimpleSim: temperature changeA load case can warm or cool the part: a bar held at both ends pushes on them (σ = E α ΔT), a free end just grows.
Sketch PictureTrace over a photo or drawing: Sketch ▸ Sketch Picture, then Scale Picture from two points of a known distance. Saved inside the part.
3MF with colorsExport 3MF carries the part's color and faces' own colors, for multi-color printing.
IGESOpen, import and export IGES as well as STEP; imported IGES surfaces are sewn into a solid with its flat and round faces recognized.
Where UsedFile ▸ Where Used: the assemblies and drawings that use a part (also through subassemblies), before you change it.
Threads in drawingsCosmetic threads now show in drawings: thin lines from the side, a three-quarter circle end on, and the size as a callout.
Clearance Check, sheet metal gaugesAssemblies: Evaluate ▸ Clearance Check lists the smallest gaps between parts and draws them. Base Flange: pick a gauge (16 ga steel, 0.125 in aluminum, 2 mm …) for thickness, bend radius and K-factor.
SpaceMouseA 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse turns, pans and zooms the 3D view (Linux: install spacenavd and libspnav0). Left button: fit; right button: the view picker. Speed in Options ▸ General.
Helix: springs and coilsInsert ▸ Curve ▸ Helix round a sketch's circle (pitch, turns, taper, left or right hand), then Sweep a small circle along it for a spring.
Drawings: ordinate, baseline, chain, Auto DimensionIn the Smart Dimension drop-down: click points (hole centers snap) and press Enter for ordinate (a 0 and lined-up values), baseline (all from one base) or chain dimensions. Auto Dimension does a whole view: outline, steps, hole positions and sizes.
Split LineInsert ▸ Curve ▸ Split Line: a sketch projected onto the part splits the faces it crosses, so part of a face can have its own mate, fillet, color or SimpleSim load.
MacrosTools ▸ Macro Console: Python with your part or assembly at hand (doc, api, kernel): build features, measure, export, change variables; each run is one Undo step. Tools ▸ Run Macro runs a .py file (Documents/Crusade Macros has an example). docs/MACROS.md lists the helpers.
Direct editing: Delete Face, Offset FaceInsert ▸ Direct Edit (or next to Shell): take holes, fillets or logos off a part and heal the gap, or move faces along their normals (thicker, a hole smaller). Made for imported STEP parts that have no features to edit; works on any part.
Search commandsThe magnifier at the top (or Alt+C): type part of a command's name, like "fil" or "hole", and run it with Enter. It shows where each command lives and its keys.
Pack and GoFile ▸ Pack and Go: a part, assembly or drawing with every file it uses (subassemblies, fastener parts, variable tables, and the drawings showing them if you like) copied to one folder or a zip, renamed with a prefix or suffix if you like. The copies point at each other.
A new view cube, a name bar and a view pickerThe view cube comes in three looks (Graphite, Frosted glass, Soft porcelain) with a blue hover on its faces, edges and corners, full size or small, or hidden. Or use the name bar instead: the view's name (Front, Top, Isometric…) in a corner of the view. Space, or a click on the bar, opens the view picker: a clickable cube (Other side for Back, Left, Bottom) and the named views with their keys. Options ▸ General ▸ View cube.
Render OptionsView ▸ Render Options: Studio, Outdoor, White or Dark backgrounds; a perspective camera; depth of field (Pick Focus Point, then click the spot to keep sharp). Save Render Image now renders again off screen at 2× the window or 4K, with every pass, so it's refined rather than grainy. Options ▸ General ▸ Render raises the live view's 1,000 passes (up to 1,000,000).
FixesStandard views really glide from where you were now (the end view no longer flashes first). Home can be minimized, and what you open from it gets the focus. Planes you've hidden stay hidden after a sketch started with nothing selected.
RenderView ▸ Render: a realistic image of the part or assembly, with soft shadows, reflections and each part looking like its material and finish (brushed steel, black oxide, anodizing, brass, clear acrylic). It sharpens while the view holds still; Save Render Image keeps it.
A cleaner look for partsParts are lit per pixel with clearer light and dark faces and thin dark edges, like Onshape. A part with no material shows in light blue-green, so a missing material stands out.
Smaller fixesDimension text is never crossed by its own line or arc, and text dragged past an end gets its line carried out to it. A line from a circle's center snaps onto the circle. Esc after a tool's first click leaves no stray point. The wheel over the ribbon switches tabs. View keys glide without flashing the end view first. Home stays open when you open a file from it.
SimpleSim: redesigned, several studiesThe panel is now Setup | Results | Studies with numbered cards, support symbols, compact load rows and the factor of safety against your target. Several studies (each its own supports, loads and options) run side by side and compare. ⋯ ▸ SimpleSim Preferences sets how finely parts are sliced: a total, or per length.
Kyle's CAD is now CrusadeA crusade against expensive CAD software that is often lacking, with its own logo: a sword whose crossguard is a dimension line (app icon, Home screen, About). Your settings, recent files and autosave copies came along. Sweep has a new icon.
Faster: new material on overlapping bodiesAdding material that touches several bodies overlapping each other (copies from Move/Copy Body) was refused by its own check and redone one body at a time; now it's accepted at once (a stress-test part: 22 s to 10-15 s for that feature).
Threads you can see; partially threaded boltsInsert Fastener ▸ Thread: fully or partially threaded (the standard thread length). Screws, bolts and nuts show their thread as a helix. Thread ▸ Cosmetic thread does the same on your own parts: drawn, not cut, so it rebuilds instantly.
Materials & FinishesRight-click the part ▸ Material & Finish: black oxide, zinc, anodizing (with its color), paint and more. Parts show in their material's or finish's color. Insert Fastener picks the material and finish too; Options ▸ Materials & Finishes sets the defaults for each type of hardware, material and finish, for all documents or just this one.
Assembly mass: missing materialsMass Properties warns first when some parts have no material, lists them, and Select Them picks them out.
Fewer failed features: unionsSome bosses failed with "Union failed: the result lost material" because the geometry kernel dropped the part from the union. Now the new material is added in two halves when that happens, which works. And cuts no longer fail over a tiny leftover sliver from an earlier cut.
Sketch: Fully Define SketchSmart Dimension drop-down (or right-click) ▸ Fully Define Sketch: relations and dimensions at the current sizes and positions (nothing moves) until the sketch turns fully defined.
Sketch: Split Entities, Perimeter CircleTrim drop-down ▸ Split Entities: click a line or arc to cut it in two there. Circle drop-down ▸ Perimeter Circle: a circle through three points.
Sketch: yellow arc jointsWhere an arc meets a line or another arc at an angle (not tangent), that point is drawn yellow, defined or not. Right-click: Select Yellow Points, Make Tangent. A line drawn from an arc's end near its tangent snaps tangent (T).
Scale per axis: faces stay flatAfter scaling a part by different amounts per axis its flat faces are flat again (sketch and mate on them) and later features rebuild far faster (a test part: 62 s to 9 s).
Sheet metal: JogA step in the sheet: draw a line across a flat face, give the offset; two bends lift the far side and it carries on parallel.
Drawings: Flat Pattern viewsModel View of a sheet metal part offers its Flat Pattern: the unfolded outline with bend lines and notes like "UP 90° R2", ready to dimension for the shop.
Assemblies: Mirror ComponentsSelect components and a plane: copies on the other side, placed as their mirror image.
Drawings: Auxiliary viewsView Layout ▸ Auxiliary View: click an angled edge, then where the view goes: the part seen square to it, so a bent flange or angled face shows at its true size.
SimpleSim: critical speedRotating shafts get their first critical (whirling) speed (Rayleigh, with the gears and pulleys you add as masses) and a warning when the running speed is too close.
Drawings: Broken viewsView Layout ▸ Break shortens a long part's view (click the two ends of the stretch to leave out); dimensions across the break keep their true length.
SimpleSim fixes: holesWhere a hole or slot splits the part's section in two (a hole through a flat bar's thickness), only one piece was counted, about doubling the stress there; and the narrowest section at a hole beside the axis could fall between two stations and be missed. Both fixed, and SimpleSim is now checked against hand calculations on random bars with holes.
Weldments: end caps and gussetsStructural Member ▸ End caps on open tube ends, and gussets in the corners; both in the cut list.
Sheet metal: Sketched BendDraw a line across a flat face of the sheet and bend it there, at any angle, either way; the flat pattern stays exact.
Weldment cut listEvaluate ▸ Cut List: the structural members by stock, length and end angles, with quantities, ready to copy into a spreadsheet; on drawings, Annotation ▸ Cut List puts it on the sheet.
SimpleSim: bolt groups take the momentSeveral bolts or pins at a Fixed support now share its moment (the outer ones are pulled or pushed sideways harder) and the most loaded one is checked: a row along the part or a pattern beside its axis (a wide bracket's 2 × 2 bolts, which also takes the twist).
Sheet metal: HemFold an edge right back over the sheet, closed or with a gap; in the flat pattern too.
Drawings: GD&T and surface finishAnnotation tab: Geometric Tolerance (feature control frames with datums and Ⓜ / Ⓛ), Datum Feature symbols, Surface Finish marks with Ra, and a Hole Table (X / Y / size of every hole in a view); in PDF and DXF too.
Insert FastenerAssemblies: standard cap screws, hex bolts, nuts and washers (ISO and inch), like SolidWorks Toolbox. Click a hole's rim first and the fastener is sized for it and mated into it, with washers and a nut if you like. Section View in assemblies.
Faster rebuildsNew material now joins only the bodies it touches; joining several overlapping bodies gives up after 45 s instead of freezing (a stress-test part rebuilt in under a minute instead of ten).
Structural members and framesFeatures ▸ Structural Member: tube, pipe, bar, angle or channel along every line of a sketch, mitered at the corners (stock sizes in inch and mm). SimpleSim ▸ Analyze as Frame: the members as a welded frame: the most stressed member, every member's factor of safety, deflection, buckling, reactions, and the bent frame in the view.
Patterns and planes like SolidWorksLinear Pattern: Direction 2 for grids; Instances to Skip in linear and circular patterns; Circular Pattern: Equal spacing off sets the angle between copies. Plane: At angle (about an axis or a clicked edge) and Mid plane (between two planes or faces). Mirror the whole part. Sketch Driven Pattern: copies at the points of a sketch. Sketch: 3 Point Rectangle (at any angle). Extrude: Draft (tapered walls).
SimpleSim: own weight, grooves, Miner's rule, pin jointsThe part's own weight as an option in every study; retaining-ring grooves found on shafts; Miner's rule over cycling load cases; frames with pinned joints (trusses) or single pin joints; round plates with a hole in the middle (flanges, covers).
SimpleSim: fatigue, pins, bolts, platesLoad cases can repeat (Repeated, Reversed, or between a fraction and full): a fatigue check with a life estimate ("lasts about 230,000 cycles"). ◎ on a support checks a pin (shear, bearing, tear-out) or preloaded bolts (proof, separation, slip, tightening torque) in the hole there. Analyze as Flat plate: rectangular or round plates on their edges under pressure or a central force.
WindowsThe app now runs on Windows 10 / 11: windows\setup.bat installs it, windows\Crusade.bat starts it (docs/WINDOWS.md). Documents move freely between Linux and Windows: assemblies and drawings find their parts by name if the folders differ, and sketch text falls back to a similar font.
SimpleSimEvaluate ▸ SimpleSim: a live strength check of beams and shafts in a panel on the right. Add supports and loads (several load cases), and see the factor of safety, stress, deflection, twist, buckling, stress concentrations at shoulders, holes and keyseats, and fatigue for rotating shafts, updated as you edit; stress colors on the part, a sizing hint, forces off the axis (a pulley's rim), and a shareable report.
Rotation like SolidWorksMiddle-drag turns about the part's center, step by step about the screen axes; middle-click a face, edge or vertex to turn about it. Options: view rotation speed.
SketchingSwitch tools mid-chain (Line → Tangent Arc …) and go on from the last point; the tool's icon rides by the cursor; Construction with nothing selected is a mode; Convert Entities works like SolidWorks (no more purple copies while drawing); face sketches have the part's origin in its real place; trimming keeps the relations at a line's ends.
Feature tree valuesBlind depths, fillet radii and 45° chamfer sizes right after the names, Σ when an equation drives them. Units are shown in brackets: [in], [mm].
Easier to seeA red Auto Save switch while a document isn't saved anywhere yet; hovering a face outlines and tints it instead of painting it orange.
Backupspython -m kcad.backup puts the whole project, its history and your documents in one dated folder to keep on Proton Drive or a USB stick.
Move, Rotate and Scale EntitiesSketch tab: move, turn or scale the selected sketch geometry, or copies of it, with a live preview; relations to the rest of the sketch are dropped like in SolidWorks.
ThreadReal threads on holes and shafts (ISO metric, UNC / UNF, or a custom pitch; left-hand too): click the rim of a hole or shaft and the size that fits is picked. Hole Wizard drop-down, or the context toolbar on the rim.
Extrude: more end conditionsUp To Next (a boss grows until it meets the part; a cut goes through the first layer of material), Up To Body (bosses), Up To Surface on curved faces too, with an offset (Offset From Surface), and Start: Offset to begin the extrusion away from the sketch plane.
Context toolbarClick a face, edge or plane: Edit Feature, Edit Sketch, Sketch, Normal To, Fillet, Chamfer, Measure, Appearance (a color for just that face). In sketches it offers the relations that fit what you clicked; in assemblies Open Part, Mate, Move, Fix, Hide, Isolate, Transparency.
Instant3D and drag handlesDrag the end face of an extrusion, or the arrows of Extrude, Revolve, Fillet and Chamfer while they're open.
Quick matesIn an assembly, click a face of one part and Ctrl+click a face of another: pick Coincident, Parallel, Concentric … right there.
SolidWorks keysEnter = OK (or repeat the last command), Esc = cancel, Space = view orientation, F2 = rename in the tree, Tab = hide the part under the cursor (assemblies), double-click a face to edit its feature, Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V in sketches.
Select Other and Zoom to SelectionRight-click for everything under the cursor (faces behind faces); zoom in on what's selected.
DrawingsProjected View; centerlines along holes and shafts seen from the side.
Feature treeHover a feature for its values and to see its faces; clicking a face tints its feature; the part follows the rollback bar live while you drag it; Undo names what it undoes.
Mass propertiesMoments of inertia at the center of mass, and the principal moments.
OptionsMouse: SolidWorks or Onshape navigation. Smooth view, zoom, panel and dialog transitions (Smooth animations).
Faster and sturdierBig parts rebuild about a third faster and redraw without re-meshing; assemblies refresh in milliseconds; Fillet, Chamfer, Shell, Draft, Sweep, Loft, Scale and Thread can no longer take the app down when the geometry kernel crashes; a failed fillet names the edges that can't take it.