CorelCAD 2013.5 is available as an update to all CorelCAD 2013 users as of today!
Go to Patches & Updates on the Corel web site to download the update for your platform (Windows 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64), or Macintosh).
Besides fixes and improvements of existing features in CorelCAD 2013 there is also a number of new tools and features that come for free with the update:
Mac users now benefit from 64-bit application power with CorelCAD 2013.5 on all 64-bit Macs (Mac OS X 10.6 and newer).
Note to Apple Mac App Store users: Please note that CorelCAD as purchased on the Mac App Store will not include the Batch Print feature in the CorelCAD 2013.5 version. There are still limitations in the Mac App Store application version caused by the Sandbox operation mode that is required for a Mac App Store application.
I have been exploring CorelCAD after being a long-time user of CorelDraw and whilst I am impressed with the capabilities of the package, I have to say that I am disappointed with the user interface. For someone coming from CorelDraw it is reasonable to expect an unbroken continuity between a Corel 2D drawing experience and then a step up to 3D. However it's like learning a new package all over again, with new and contradictory paradigms, and different terminology for the same functions. Very frustrating! Also very disappointing that there is no native CDR import (in the trial version at least).
I cannot understand the logic behind making the 2D and 3D drawing experiences so diametrically different.
While CorelCAD has unique capabilities to import CorelDRAW (CDR) files and also export complete CAD projects or parts of it directly to CorelDRAW, it primarily follows commonly known CAD applications paradigms. The UI elements such as the command window and the supported command aliases are known by many experienced CAD users.
The timing for your comment is excellent as the new CorelCAD 2014 was just released yesterday!
One of the major new features for Windows users is the introduction of Ribbon UI workspaces. This is not mimicking the CorelDRAW UI, but it should get you very close to what you're used from many other Windows applications these days.
For learning CAD from the ground up you may want to take a look at the "Inside CorelCAD" book which covers all the basics for getting started with various CAD tasks and workflows using CorelCAD.
Thanks for that. Having now purchased CorelCAD I am still disappointed. Having had such a rish experience over many years with CorelDraw I expected much more from the full version. I am especially disappointed with the lack of Video tutorials that Corel has been so well known for supplying. And those tutorials that re there are very basic and the first 3 virtually useless, explaining aspects of the user interface that would be familiar to any Windows user. The inbuilt Help is also deficient. I have spent a whole day trying to discover how to create spirals, helix's and threads (something that is well documented in AutoCAD and other CAD programs) but I am still no closer to the answer. I sent a tech support request in and the reply didn't give me any relevant answers at all, but merely invited me to a webinar on Corel2014! (Last time I checked it was still 2013).
I expect an application of this stature to be much better supported... and for my inquiries as a new buyer to be more helpful that just an advertisement to buy the new version!