3.4.07

KeyCAD Mystery

We were contacted last week by a customer who sent us CAD files created in a software called KeyCAD with a .kcw extension.

We can not find much information on KeyCAD and KeyCAD Pro. Although it is still marketed on Amazon.com with good reviews from users who needed a cheap CAD package for home use, Softkey, the company who manufactured it, is out of business.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoftKey

Moral of the story is, when purchasing a CAD package, find out how or if , it's drawing files can be read by other CAD software packages. Keep in mind that you may eventually want to issue your drawings in another CAD software. If you don't know how to export your drawing to a more readable format, you may be stuck with files that have to be redrawn from scratch.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

KCW is not an extension from KeyCAD. KCW is from a software called KCDW which is a cabinet making software ( something like cabnetvision and pattern system)
You can not open KCW files unless you have paid the top dollar for the software and have a dongle to use the software with.

cheers

Anonymous said...

I have just come across the same problem. However with a copy of KeyCad Complete for Windows V1.0. It has the options to save documents as a KeyCAD(*.KEY) or as a symbol file(*.SYM). However it only saves in *.KEY on my machine running XP. As a side note, the ‘about KeyCAD’ lists Deltasoft as a copy write holder along with Softkey

Joseph Oathout said...

KeyCad was bought by borderlund learning and now is a part of their package system. You can supposedly download it for free to try off their server. As for the File Format Flaw, it is the same as the programing language flaw and media flaw. Every industry wants you to buy their product and will force you through file format and drm. The good thing about KeyCad Pro is that if you know about Portable Apps, this program works beautifully in that environment and does not hog system resources.

ClearLogicGroup said...

We did check out this lead and found mention of KeyCAD on the BorderBund.com site. However, we could not find any way to download or purchase KeyCAD here.

If anyone has purchased a new copy of KeyCAD recently, please fill us in.

Anonymous said...

Just purchased key cad complete for windows and mac. It is not complete it lacks the file for industrial drawings gears and the such. any Ideas where I might find them?

Kevin said...

Did anyone figure this out? I'm in the same boat I'm afraid!

Anonymous said...

I've been using Keycad for 20+ years. It is an assembler program by Softkey (out of business) that came complete with quite a few files on a 1.44 floppy. It saves in assembler, too. It is so old, however, that the protocols included in the print file no longer support any of the modern printers, so I just transfer it to TurboCad, which I don't like, to print . It imports and exports 16 different file extensions including 2 different ones for AutoCad. It is hands-down the greatest 2D CAD I have used, but since it is in assembler, I can't change anything. I have tried to buy a new copy and have had no luck.