GstarCAD 2027 Help Center

Before installing, verify your PC meets these requirements:

Visit www.gstarcadaustralia.com to download the installation file. Follow these steps:

1. Double-click the downloaded executable to launch the GstarCAD Install Wizard.
2. Click Browse to choose the destination path (default: C:\Program Files\Gstarsoft\GstarCAD2027).
3. Select or deselect the VBA feature as needed.
4. Read the License Agreement & Privacy Policy, then check Agree.
5. Click Install and wait for the progress to complete.
6. Select your favorite workspace and click Next.
7. Click Launch to start GstarCAD or Finish to exit.

Yes. Use the "Migrate from a previous release" option in the Windows Start menu. It lets you migrate settings from old versions (earliest supported: GstarCAD 2016) directly, without manual copying.

Migrated settings include: Customized User Interface, alias files (gacd.pgp), options, printer support files, hatch patterns (*.pat), tool palettes, templates (*.dwt), fonts and shapes (*.shx), line types (*.lin), and font mapping files.

For custom software development, .NET Framework 8.0 or above is required. If using network licenses, the license server and all workstations relying on those licenses must support the TCP/IP protocol.

You can switch between three default workspaces: 2D Drafting, GstarCAD Classic, and 3D Modeling. Use the WORKSPACE command to create, modify, and save your own workspaces. Workspaces are sets of menus, toolbars, palettes, and ribbon panels grouped for your needs.

The Quick Access Toolbar displays frequently used tools such as New, Open, Save, Undo, Redo, Save As, Plot, Plot Preview, and Help. You can customize it by adding more commands from the drop-down button, or show it below/above the ribbon.

Execute the TOOLBAR command or select the TOOLBARS option under the Appearance button (top-right of the interface). Check/uncheck the toolbars you want to display, then click OK. You can also drag toolbars to float or dock them; double-click to dock.

Type the full command on the command line and press ENTER, SPACEBAR, or right-click to start. Some commands have abbreviated aliases. To nest a command inside an active command, prefix it with an apostrophe (e.g., 'osnap). System variables (like GRIDMODE) control how certain commands work. Use F2 to open the GstarCAD Text Window showing command history.

The NaviCube is a navigation tool in 2D model space or 3D visual styles. Use the NAVICUBE command or Ribbon > View > 3D Tool to toggle it. Click faces, corners, or edges to switch between preset views, drag it to roll the current view, or set a Home view via its right-click/options menu.

Hold the mouse button down and drag to create an irregular lasso. Release to complete. There are three modes — Window Lasso, Crossing Lasso, and Fence Lasso — which you cycle through by pressing the spacebar. The PICKAUTO system variable controls automatic windowing and lasso behavior (value 4/5/6/7 enables lasso selection).

Press Ctrl+0 or click the Clean Screen icon on the status bar. This clears toolbars and dockable windows (keeping the menu bar, command line, and status bar) for maximum visibility.

Open the Customize User Interface dialog box (with the Elements Customization, Workspace Customization, and Transfer tabs). Use the innovative Drag & Drop customization — drag any command from the command list and drop it onto ribbon panels or toolbars. Use Find/Replace, filters, and Restore/Reset to manage your changes.

Profiles store your options for different users or projects. Export a profile to an .arg file (e.g., Drawing1.arg). Re-import the profile to update your settings. Your current options are stored in a profile named Default by default.

Use the options in the Windows Start menu under your Gstarsoft item:

• Export Settings — saves options, alias files, printer support, hatch, tool palettes, templates, fonts, line types to a .cfgbak file.
• Import Settings — restores from a .cfgbak file.
• Migrate from Previous Release — transfers settings from old versions.
• Reset Settings to Default — restores factory defaults (run only when software is closed).

Yes, via the Windows Start menu. Read these important notes before importing:

• AutoCAD default blocks cannot be imported directly — drag them into a drawing, add them back to Tool Palettes in AutoCAD, then save and import.
• Only blocks and commands are supported; hatch patterns, light sources, constraints, and tables are not yet supported.
• Importing into GstarCAD directly overwrites the entire Tool Palettes.
• The folder must contain the AcTpCatalog.atc file.

Open Tool Palettes with Ctrl+3 or the TOOLPALETTES command. Drag blocks and xrefs onto a palette to create tools. The Design Center lets you browse drawings, blocks, text styles, and other content on your computer or network; add drawings to Favorites for quick access.

Type NEW at the command bar to open the Startup dialog (when FILEDIA and STARTUP are set to 1). You can choose:

• Default Settings — imperial (12×9 inches) or metric (429×297 mm) boundaries.
• Use a Wizard — Quick Setup or Advanced Setup (units, precision, grid limits, angles).
• Use a Template — template files (.dwt) containing unit type, title blocks, layer names, dimension styles, etc.

Use File > Save, SAVE, or Ctrl+S. To enable automatic saving, go to Options > Open and Save > Automatic Save and enter the interval in minutes. Auto-saved files use the .sv$ extension. You can also save in DXF or template (.dwt) format via Save As (SHIFT+CTRL+S).

When "Create backup copy with each save" is enabled, a .bak file is created with the previous version. Use the MOVEBAK command to change the backup folder location (enter a period for none, or type a folder name).

Use the RECOVER command (File > Drawing Utilities > Recover) to check and open a damaged file, then use AUDIT to find and fix errors. The Drawing Recovery Manager automatically starts at next startup after a crash, listing auto-backup files (recovered DWG, temporary SV$, backup BAK, and source DWG).

Use DWG Convert (File > DWG Convert) to convert one or many selected drawings to older or current DWG versions. New files can overwrite the original or be compressed into a self-extracting EXE or ZIP for batch conversion. Use SAVEAS format options to save to DXF or template formats.

The Sheet Set Manager organizes collections of sheets (layouts) from several drawing files across the full workflow — creation, printing, and publishing. Create a sheet set from an example set or existing drawings, add/remove sheets, create subsets, and publish the full set or selected sheets to plotter, DWF, DWFx, or PDF.

GstarCAD supports lines (LINE), multilines (MLINE), rays (RAY), construction lines (XLINE), polylines (PLINE), polygons (POLYGON), rectangles (RECTANG), points (POINT), and freehand sketches (SKETCH). Access each under Draw menu or the command line.

Curved objects include arcs, circles, ellipses, splines, helixes, and donuts. 3D objects include boxes, cones, cylinders, spheres, toruses, pyramids, wedges, plus extruded/revolved solids, composite solids (Union/Subtract/Intersect), polysolids, planar surfaces, offset surfaces, and conversions to mesh, solid, surface, or NURBS.

Use Draw > Table or the TABLE command. In the Insert Table dialog box, specify insertion behavior (insertion point or window), columns and rows, cell styles, and table style. Use TABLESTYLE to define format, and TABLEEXPORT to export tables to CSV for Microsoft Excel.

Standard modify tools include Erase, Copy, Mirror, Offset, Array (rectangular/path), Move, Rotate, Align, Scale, Lengthen, Stretch, Trim, Extend, Break, Chamfer, and Fillet. The new CLIP command clips blocks, xrefs, images, viewports, and underlays (replacing XCLIP, IMAGECLIP, VPCLIP, PDFCLIP, DGNCLIP).

Set the unit format (scientific, decimal, engineering, architectural, fractional) via Format > Units or UNITS. Use the new DWGUNITS command (Express > Modify > DWG Units) to change drawing units between imperial/metric. Set angle conventions (base angle, positive direction) via the Direction Control dialog.

Set object snaps via Tools > Drafting Settings > Object Snap (F3), the Object Snap toolbar, or Shift+right-click shortcut menu. Enable polar tracking (F10) and object snap tracking (F11) from the status bar. Ortho mode (F8) restricts cursor movement to horizontal/vertical.

Use Format > Layer or LAYER to create/name layers, set the current layer, control visibility (on/off), lock/unlock, freeze/thaw, printing, plot style, color, linetype, lineweight, and create filters. Use LAYULKALL to unlock all locked layers at once.

Turn grid (F7) and snap (F9) on/off and specify spacing on the Snap and Grid tab of the Drafting Settings dialog. Grid and snap spacing don't need to match. Wide grid spacing works as a reference while closer spacing helps specify points accurately. Isometric snap (F5 / Ctrl+E) aligns to three isometric planes.

Use the Spell command to check spelling of all text in the drawing. You can also specify the language dictionary used and customize/manage multiple custom spelling dictionaries.

You can create five basic types: linear, angular, radial, diametral, and ordinate. Additional types include horizontal, vertical, aligned, baseline, continued, rotated, jogged, quick, and arc length dimensions, plus center marks and centerlines.

Use Dimension > Style or DIMSTYLE. In the Dimension Style Manager, create, save, restore, rename, delete, and compare styles. You can control dimension lines, extension lines, arrowheads, text placement, primary/alternate units, and tolerances.

Add geometric tolerances via Dimension > Tolerance, defining feature control frames, material conditions, datum references, and projected tolerance zones. For dimension inspection, use Dimension > Inspect to add/remove inspection frames with tag, dimension value, and inspection rate.

Combine objects into a block using Draw > Block > Make, entering a name, picking an insertion point, and selecting objects. Use WBLOCK to save a block as a separate drawing file. Insert blocks anytime with the Insert command. You can create nested blocks, update definitions, define attributes, extract attribute data, and synchronize attributes.

External references link a drawing to other drawing files so changes to the original are reflected. Use Insert > External References to attach (Attachment or Overlay). You can control referenced-layer properties, clip boundaries, nest/overlay, bind an xref to a drawing, and refresh xrefs.

Yes. GstarCAD supports full DGN files (DGNIMPORT, DGNATTACH, DGNADJUST, DGNMAPPING), DWF underlays, and PDF underlays so you can reuse data from PDFs and other formats in your own drawings. PDF import/export lets you convert PDF geometry, text, and raster images into GstarCAD objects.

Create your drawing on the Model tab, then create a new layout tab. Add at least one layout viewport (MVIEW) to show your model, and set the paper size, drawing orientation (landscape/portrait), plot offset, plot area, and plot scale. You can create layouts from templates and move/copy layouts.

Choose File > Plot (Ctrl+P). Set the printer/plotter, paper size, plot area (layout, window, extents, or display), plot scale (or Fit to Paper), plot options (background, lineweights, plot styles, transparency), and orientation. You can also plot to image formats (DWF, PDF, JPG, PNG, SVG) using plotter drivers.

Plot styles control how a drawing looks when printed, saved in plot style tables. Two types exist: color-dependent (CTB) based on the 255 index colors, and named (STB) which you define regardless of color. Select a plot style table in the Plot dialog and edit it via the Plot Style Table Editor.

Use Publish to assemble, reorder, rename, copy, and save drawing sheets as a multi-sheet set. You can publish to multi-sheet DWF, DWFx, or PDF, set output location and naming, choose precision, include plot stamps, publish in background, and open in a viewer when done.

Dynamic blocks contain grips or custom properties that change how the block is displayed after insertion. Create them in the Block Editor by: (1) planning the function, (2) drawing the geometry, (3) adding parameters and actions, and (4) testing the block. Actions include Move, Stretch, Scale, Rotate, Array, Flip, and Visibility.

Common parameters include: Base Point, Point, Linear, Polar, XY, Rotation, Alignment, Flip, Visibility, and Lookup. Each parameter works with matching actions to create flexible, intelligent blocks.

Geometric constraints manage how objects relate to each other, enabling automatic adjustments when changes are made. There are 12 types: Coincident, Collinear, Concentric, Fix, Parallel, Perpendicular, Horizontal, Vertical, Tangent, Smooth, Symmetric, and Equal. (Available in GstarCAD Plus versions.)

Dimensional constraints control the size and proportions of a design. Seven types exist: Linear, Horizontal, Vertical, Aligned, Angular, Radius, and Diameter, plus two auxiliary functions (Form and Convert). Use the Parameters Manager to create, edit, group, filter, search, and highlight dimensional variables.

GstarCAD supports .NET Framework (VB.NET, C#, Managed C++), ObjectARX/GRX (compatible with AutoCAD ObjectARX 2020 APIs), LISP (via Visual Studio Code debugger), and Python (with over 790 commonly used interfaces). Use COPYLINK to copy the drawing view to the clipboard as a linked OLE object.

Requirements: Python 3.11.8 on Windows 10+. Install Python as administrator, import the development packages (pygcad.core and pygcad.pygrx), register custom commands using the @command decorator, then load the .py file via the APPLOAD dialog box.

Use Security Options in the Save As dialog box. Set a password in the Password tab; anyone opening the file must enter the correct password. Remember the password — if lost, the drawing cannot be recovered. Drawing passwords are not case-sensitive.

Use DIGITALSIGN (SAVEAS > Security Options > Digital Signature) to attach a digital signature providing origin, identity, and status information. Use SIGVALIDATE to check whether a signature is valid. Signable types: DWG and DWT files compatible with AutoCAD 2000+, and DWS files.

The SECURITY command sets the system security monitoring level (Very High, High, Low) and manages trusted publisher certificates. Low is not recommended. Higher levels disable unsigned or untrusted macros.

Enable it via GRAPHICSCONFIG, the Performance Settings icon on the status bar, or the Options dialog. Hardware Acceleration uses the GPU for optimized rendering, providing smoother line display and clearer highlighting.

Set gcad.exe to use the high-performance (dedicated) graphics card. Example on Windows 11: Right-click desktop > Display settings > Graphics > Browse for gcad.exe in the installation path > add it > set Options to "High performance" and save.

Use the incremental save percentage in Options > Open and Save or the ISAVEPERCENT system variable. Incremental save updates only the changed portions until reaching the maximum value, then performs a full save.

GstarCAD 365 is a multi-platform tool for team collaboration — viewing drawings, managing projects, and sharing. Cross-platform products include GstarCAD for Mobile (Android/iOS), GstarCAD View (Windows), and GstarCAD for Web (browser). Features include drawing management, drawing chat, cloud notes, collaborative editing (edit-lock), and instant messaging.

New enhancements include:

• Line Enhancement — ANGLE option to draw lines at specified angles or referenced to other lines.
• Polyline/Rectangle Enhancement — ANGLE and OBLIQUE options for rotated shapes.
• Circle Enhancement — CONCENTRIC option for concentric circles.
• Copy/ Rotate Enhancement — Measure, Divide, Path options; multiple-copy rotation.

The Magnifier lets you view and draft small details without zooming (Region or Window style, square or circle shape). The QR Code (QRCODE) makes text and block attributes scannable by a mobile device. The Barcode tool generates barcodes (Code 128A/B/C, Code 39, Code 93, EAN 13) for drawing/document management.

Other innovative tools include Symmetric Draw (draw both halves automatically), Outline Objects (extract outline shapes), Area Table (mark areas and auto-generate tables), Automatically Layer, Attribute Increment, Viewport from Model, and Free Scale (non-uniform, rectangle, or free scaling).

GstarCAD supports IFCIMPORT/IFCEXPORT (with Structure Panel for managing BIM data), RVTIMPORT (Revit files with complete BIM data), and STEP/IGES import (.step, .stp, .ste, .igs, .iges) for 3D model data. The STEP/IGES module is included in the installer.