CorelDRAW Technical Suite X7 – Update 4

CorelDRAW Technical Suite X7 Update 4 includes enhancements and new functionality as well as stability and performance improvements. Please note that this update requires previous updates to be installed. CorelDRAW Technical Suite X7 Update 4 will only update CorelDRAW Technical Suite X7 Update 3.1.

Update 4

The enhancements and improvements included in Update 4 are described in the following sections.

Corel DESIGNER X7 / CorelDRAW X7

CGM import / export (Corel DESIGNER)

  • CGM export: METAFILE DESCRIPTION now includes SOURCE and DATE info.
  • Improved APS ID handling in CGM V4 file import/ export.
  • Improved ‘layer’ APS type handling in CGM V4 file import/ export.
  • WebCGM 2.x (2.0, 2.1, S1000D) export: APS ‘name’ attribute is maintained.
  • CGM import: Bitmap elements no longer get distorted.
  • Improved S1000D export with images using JPEG compression.
  • ATA GREX export: Integer precision / Index precision now properly set to 16-bit.
  • Information about temporary font replacement retained in font list on CGM export.
  • Support added for indexed colors on CGM export.
  • The ‘para’ APS type and ‘content’ APS attribute (for attaching text metadata to an APS structure) are now supported on WebCGM export and import. If the ‘content’ Object Data Manager (ODM) property is defined, the type of the respective APS structure is switched to ‘para’ on WebCGM export.
  • Improved export of the ‘region’ and ‘viewcontext’ attributes.
  • ‘refloc’ attribute (ODM element) added for export to ATA GREX (2.6+) CGM profile.
  • S1000D / ATA GREX CGM profile export: ICN (Information Control Number) / GNBR can be included in the metafile description. Assigning the CGM Metafile ID from the Corel DESIGNER API is now supported for both S1000D and ATA GREX through new document properties: ‘ICN’ for S1000D, and ‘gnbr’ for ATA GREX.
    If the respective properties aren’t defined in the document, the Metafile ID is generated from the export file name (for S1000D the ICN- prefix will be added if not included in the file name).

PDF export

  • Improved behavior of locked layer in PDF:
    • Locked layer status now is disregarded on PDF export. Locked layers are displayed in the PDF the same way as unlocked (editable) layers are.
    • In CorelDRAW and Corel DESIGNER, a printable layer can be hidden and still print. On PDF export, such a layer is invisible but printable. With Update 4, this setting can be overwritten to make layers printable only when visible in PDF by setting a Windows registry key:
      • Corel DESIGNER X7 application:
        [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Corel\Corel DESIGNER\17.0\Designer\Application Preferences\PDF Export]
        "LayerPrintWhenVisible"="1"
      • CorelDRAW X7 application:
        [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Corel\Corel DESIGNER\17.0\DRAW\Application Preferences\PDF Export]
        "LayerPrintWhenVisible"="1"
      Note that the default behavior has not changed. By default, LayerPrintWhenVisible is "0" so an invisible but printable layer is set to print in the PDF file.

Other

  • Improved display: Documents in pixel units are now opened at 100% zoom level.
  • SVG export: Documents in pixel units can now be exported to SVG enforcing whole pixel units by enabling the new Keep pixel measurements option in the SVG Export settings dialog box.
  • Corel DESIGNER X7 File Converter sample macro (Sample1.gms) no longer causes the application to stop responding.

Lattice3D Studio (CAD) Corel Edition

  • Cross-sections with fill now recognize the fill when outputting an illustration by using the Send to Corel DESIGNER command.

Update 3

The new features and improvements included in Update 3 are described in the following sections.

Lattice3D Studio Corel Edition (included with CorelDRAW Technical Suite X7)

  • Accelerated display time of illustration view.
  • Enhancements of high-quality rendering include Cast Shadow for Spotlight and Billboard display.
  • New selection mode Additional Selection to speed up selection of multiple components.
  • The Align Notes command has been added.
  • You can delete leader lines without deleting note values.
  • When you use the Send to Corel DESIGNER command in Lattice3D Studio, the Corel DESIGNER application window now appears at maximized size.
  • When exporting an illustration at a specified size (Send to Corel DESIGNER), you can now specify the width and height.
  • 3D Preview of .xv2 file in Windows Explorer is available for .xv2 files saved to version 11 or later. Note that by default, Lattice3D Studio Corel Edition .xv2 is set to version 10.
  • Preview thumbnails of snapshots are now available in Lattice3D Studio Corel Edition (basic level).

Lattice3D Studio CAD Corel Edition

The following enhancements are only available in Lattice3D Studio CAD Corel Edition:

  • Better quality of outline in illustration output.
  • Setting illustration scale no longer changes the illustration view.
  • The Add Snapshot option in the Detailed Settings area of the Send to Corel DESIGNER dialog box can be disabled.
  • Transparency is now maintained when exporting snapshots as images (Structure Panel > Snapshots > Operations > Export Image).
  • The View Emulation Mode now includes Architectural CAD option.
  • Support for 6-Plane Clipping.
  • New Create Manufacture Tree Manually allows for creating manufacture assemblies by simply selecting parts.
  • Enhancements in the Auto Detection and Update panel:
    • You can specify the properties to compare between models.
    • You can filter the Changed parts by the type of changes.
    • More information is included in the log file.
    • Colors, transparency, and activation state of snapshots are supported.
  • New Select Shells command (Tools > Modify Shape and Assembly > Select Shells).
  • Improved performance of .ifc (BIM) files after importing to Lattice3D Studio CAD.

Corel DESIGNER

  • Embedded 3D models in Corel DESIGNER X7 support new Lattice3D Studio functionality including:
    • Display of markup colors in the hidden line mode and the illustration display mode
    • Display of 6-plane clipping
    • Billboard display

Update 2

Please note that most new and enhanced features included with X7 Update 2 are available only to Technical Suite Premium Members. Performance improvements are available to all CorelDRAW Technical Suite members.

The new features and improvements included in X7 Update 2 (17.6) are described in the following sections:

New and enhanced features

  • CorelDRAW Technical Suite X7 Update 2 is certified as Microsoft Windows 10 Compatible so that you can use the software on Windows 10 with confidence.
  • (Premium) The newly updated version of AfterShot, CorelDRAW Edition features a revamped technology framework that supports high-definition displays and provides superior performance. In addition, you can now work with more RAW camera file formats, benefit from enhanced support for specific camera models, and enjoy numerous performance improvements.
  • Community website for developers: Whether you are automating tasks by using macros, creating custom tools, or developing commercial solutions that integrate with CorelDRAW Technical Suite; the new developer community website can help you with its wealth of useful resources: a programming guide, detailed Object Model reference documentation with code samples, and in-depth programming articles.
  • (Premium) When you split an object by using the Knife (Premium) tool, Corel DESIGNER and CorelDRAW let you choose whether to convert outlines to curve objects or keep them as outlines. By default, the application automatically chooses the option that best preserves outline appearance.
  • Updated tutorials in the series Insights from the Experts include:
  • Lattice3D Studio CAD Corel Edition users who have licensed the Add-on with maintenance receive updated 3D CAD file import options with support for SolidWorks 2015, NX 10.0, JT 10.0 and Parasolid 27.0. The updated 3D CAD import tools are provided for download in the “Downloads for License Customers” area in the corel.com customer account.

Performance improvements

The following areas feature performance improvements (formerly released in service packs).

Application Workspace

  • The Weld Target command was added back as a customization option in the Options dialog box (Tools menu > Customization > Commands).
  • Floating dockers no longer appear docked after they are closed by using the Close button in their upper-right corners and then opened again by using a shortcut.
  • Custom commands do not change their width when added to the menu bar.

Color and Fills

  • The Image Adjustment Lab in Corel PHOTO-PAINT no longer automatically adjusts colors without user input.
  • In Corel PHOTO-PAINT, the display is immediately updated after changing node color in interactive fountain fills.
  • Spot color names no longer disappear from the Edit fill dialog box after you fill an object with a spot color and then change the spot color.
  • You can now save CDR files that contain clones of objects filled with custom two-color fills.
  • Fountain fills in CDR files saved in version X4 now maintain their appearance when the files are opened in CorelDRAW X7.
  • Unused bitmap fills no longer increase the file size when the document is saved.

Filters

  • Export to 3D PDF: If a Corel DESIGNER document contains an embedded 3D model that has several snapshots, the snapshots now appear as views when the exported file is opened in Adobe Reader.
  • Exporting to PDF by using the File > Export command works as expected when you enable or disable the Export this page only option.
  • The names of custom spot colors are preserved when exporting to PDF.
  • Fountain fill rotation is preserved in imported Adobe Illustrator (AI) files.
  • When importing PDF or AI files, the order of objects is maintained in the Object Manager.
  • Exporting a CorelDRAW or Corel DESIGNER document by using floating point numbers on the Advanced tab of the Export to EPS dialog box, no longer generates an EPS bounding box error.
  • Export to EPS from Corel DESIGNER: Callouts with opaque halos no longer appear pixelated in the exported file.
  • When opening or importing AutoCAD Drawing Interchange Format (.DWG) files in Corel DESIGNER, text and objects are properly displayed.
  • After exporting a Corel DESIGNER document to WebCGM by using JPG compression, transformed (rotated) bitmaps are properly displayed in the CGM viewer app IsoView.
  • When exporting to CGM using the CGM version 4 “S1000D" profile, the resulting CGM file is now properly tagged as "ProfileId:S1000D" "ProfileEd:2.3" (in the file header of the binary CGM).
  • When you export a file with multiple layers to WebCGM, the content of all layers is now displayed in the CGM viewer app IsoView.

Objects

  • Objects on layers that are set to be invisible, non-editable or hidden can no longer be seen or edited when the Shape tool is selected.
  • The Attributes Eyedropper tool can now properly copy object properties from resized stars, complex stars, and polygons.
  • The Undo command now restores the outline width of clone curves.
  • Applying the Revert to Objects command to a placed symbol no longer changes the default object properties.
  • You can now use the rotation handles to rotate objects when zoomed in.
  • In Corel PHOTO-PAINT, you can now quickly edit lens effects in the Objects docker.
  • Vector objects that have outlines of hairline width and were created in CorelDRAW or Corel DESIGNER can be pasted in a Corel PHOTO-PAINT document.

Text

  • Scrolling in the Font list box when certain fonts are present no longer causes the applications to stop responding.
  • You can now open CDR files that contain frames with the wrap paragraph text property enabled.
  • You can now discard hyperlink formatting when you import text and the Automatically hyperlink option is disabled in the Options dialog box (Text > Writing Tools > Quick Correct).

Tools

  • When using the Shape tool, you can access all commands on the property bar even after stretching and scaling nodes.
  • Node alignment still works properly after you rotate or skew nodes with the Shape tool.
  • Nodes can be reliably aligned to the last selected node by using the Shape tool.
  • You can now nudge nodes in half-pixel increments when editing nodes with the Shape tool in Pixel view while zoomed in.
  • Double-clicking now deletes multiple selected nodes.
  • Callout text is aligned correctly when the Interactive text option is selected.

Printing

  • When creating imposition layouts in the Print Preview dialog box, you can now do the following:
    • specify page numbers by pressing Enter
    • navigate pages by pressing Tab
    • access the Edit Gutters & Finishing option
    • view the correct page number on the toolbar when specifying a page number and then switching to another page
  • Spot color fills with transparencies applied no longer appear on the CMYK plates.

Stability

  • The following actions no longer cause CorelDRAW and Corel DESIGNER to stop responding:
    • including a forward slash (/) in the name of a custom color management preset and then selecting any preset
    • using Ctrl+Tab to switch between documents while editing fountain fills interactively
    • tracing 1-bit black-and-white bitmaps or using black-and-white color mode in the Dutch version of the application
    • editing OnApplicationEvent in the Macro Editor
    • opening version X5 CDR files that contain contour effects
    • opening version X6 CDR files that contain hidden layers and drop shadow groups
    • using the Crop tool on selected PowerClip content
    • opening version X4 files that contain lens groups
    • exporting a document that contains linked bitmaps to the SVG file format
  • The following actions no longer cause Corel DESIGNER, CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT to stop responding:
    • setting up for area capture in CAPTURE, opening or importing a bitmap in Corel DESIGNER, CorelDRAW or Corel PHOTO-PAINT, bringing up an effects dialog box, and then trying to complete the capture
    • trying to do area capture in the Export to EPS dialog box
  • The following action no longer causes Corel PHOTO-PAINT to stop responding:
    • using the Liquid Smear tool on an editable area

Update 1

Please note that most new and enhanced features included with CorelDRAW Technical Suite X7 Update 1 (X7.5) are available only to Technical Suite Premium Members. Performance improvements are available to all Technical Suite members.

The new features and improvements included in the X7.5 Update are described in the following sections:

New and enhanced features

  • When you split an object by using the Knife (Premium) tool, Corel DESIGNER and CorelDRAW convert the object outline to curves to better preserve outline appearance. The Convert outlines button is enabled by default.
  • You can zoom in and out in preset increments by using common keyboard shortcuts, supported by web browsers and other applications.
  • You can now quickly access the File > Open Recent command from the standard toolbar.
  • Update 1 offers more than 340 new premium templates that feature 27 designs in areas as diverse as education, accounting, legal services, hospitality, recreation, and event planning.
  • Updated CorelDRAW tutorials in the series Insights from the Experts include:

Performance improvements

The following areas feature performance improvements (formerly released in service packs).

Document

  • Intermittent problems when saving to DropBox have been addressed.
  • Switching between documents when the PowerClip toolbar is enabled no longer results in an error.
  • Scrolling by using the mouse wheel works as expected.

Color and Fills

  • When inverting CMYK objects (Effects > Transform > Invert Colors), CMYK white now becomes 100% black.
  • Enhanced View displays fills that contain Pantone colors without delay.
  • User-created fills on a Turkish operating system now appear in the Private list even if the user name contains special characters.

Filters

  • SVG export from Corel DESIGNER: Fountain fills no longer change color position and angle in the exported file.
  • DXF import in CorelDRAW and Corel DESIGNER: You can now move lines that have line styles applied.
  • CGM export from Corel DESIGNER: Files containing bitmaps are now supported in CGM viewers incl. IsoView when exported with JPG compression.
  • Transparent background in bitmaps is preserved when sending vector illustrations from 3D views to Corel DESIGNER.

Objects

  • You can now use alignment guides to place objects on top of one another or create new objects with precision, without a 1-pixel offset in Corel PHOTO-PAINT.
  • You can now press Enter to rename a symbol in the Symbol Manager.

Text

  • Fonts from the Switzerland family and Hebrew fonts can be used without issues.
  • All lines in paragraph text are displayed after the text is copied and pasted.
  • Changing the default font size of artistic text and then clicking Cancel in the Change Document Defaults dialog box now preserves the default font size.
  • Turkish characters are properly displayed regardless of the font.
  • In CorelDRAW and Corel DESIGNER, the settings for Asian line-breaking rules can now be saved as part of the default properties of paragraph text.
  • You can now align linked text frames vertically.
  • The PANOSE font matching dialog box no longer appears when opening files that contain embedded and installed fonts.
  • Asian fonts can now be installed through CONNECT.

Tools

  • The Liquid Smear tool in Corel PHOTO-PAINT no longer creates pixelated edges.
  • The Shape tool can be used to select and move character nodes in Asian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Urdu text.
  • Parallel, horizontal, and vertical dimension lines remain attached to the center point of objects when the objects are moved.

Printing

  • When dragging an image in Print Preview in Corel PHOTO-PAINT, CorelDRAW and Corel DESIGNER, you can see the blue dotted outline.

Stability

  • Font family names that contain an apostrophe (for example, "Stahls' Mega Greek") and fonts that contain incomplete data will now be gracefully handled, allowing the applications to function normally.
  • The following actions no longer cause CorelDRAW to stop responding:
    • editing large files while they are being saved
    • clicking the Save button on the standard toolbar a second time before the button becomes enabled
    • editing a fountain fill and then pressing the space bar
  • The following actions no longer cause Corel PHOTO-PAINT to stop responding:
    • dragging a file into a Corel PHOTO-PAINT document and then switching the zoom level
    • applying a fill with the Interactive Fill tool and then clicking Cancel when closing the file and prompted to save the changes
  • Corel DESIGNER no longer stops responding when you change settings on the Callout or Dimension tool property bar and click the Keep settings button with nothing selected.