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Getting Started with XiCAD
Alpha status (14 October 2026): XiCAD is planned and its public installer is not verified. This page describes the checked CADCraft foundation; XiKey integration is still in progress. Alpha is free today.
Overview and Alpha Status
XiCAD is the XiKey™ 2D drafting and engineering-documentation project based on CADCraft by the ArtCraft team (MIT OR Apache-2.0). It is planned in the Alpha stage, with no verified public installer. Alpha is free today. Signed updates through XiLauncher are in progress.
Opening and Saving DXF and DWG Drawings
- The checked foundation reads and writes DXF and DWG, and supports DWT templates. Unsupported custom objects and foreign data can be lost through DWG saving; preserve originals and inspect a saved copy.
- Choose File › New to begin a drawing, or open a prepared DWT template for layers, dimensions and paper-space setup.
- Export drawing sheets to PDF, SVG or PNG. SVG/SVGZ import is limited. 3D solid modeling and STEP/IGES/STL exchange are absent in the checked foundation.
Welcome Screen and Workspace Choices (Status)
- In progress: XiKey Arabic interface and one-click switch, style-grouped Arabic font dialog, XiKey splash/About/message dialogs, and signed updates through XiLauncher.
- Planned: Classic/Modern layouts, Retina scaling and icon refinements, and sandboxed XiLauncher-managed add-ons.
- Upstream theme and language controls are separate from these XiKey integrations.
Next Steps
- Learn the Command Line, Tool Sets, and drafting toggles in Interface Overview.
- Draft a dimensioned architectural plan in Drafting a Glasshouse Botanical Conservatory Floor Plan.
- Draft a 2D mechanical part and plot Paper Space sheets in Drafting a Machined Gearbox Housing and Plotting Paper Space Sheets.
XiKey is a trademark of Pioneer Local Development Co. Ltd. XiCAD is based on CADCraft by the ArtCraft team (MIT OR Apache-2.0).