Visual Studio 2026 support, new STEP and CATIA import controls in CAD Exchanger 3.24.20

Microsoft Visual Studio 2026 support

CAD Exchanger now supports Microsoft Visual Studio 2026 (vc14.5), allowing you to adopt the latest Microsoft C++ toolchain. This update enables migration to the new compiler version while maintaining compatibility with existing applications and workflows.

Eyeshot 2026 support

Support for Eyeshot has been updated to the latest stable release, version 2026.1.155. This update allows you to upgrade to the latest stable release while maintaining interoperability with CAD Exchanger.

STEP: Parametric curve import control

A new STEP reader parameter has been introduced to control whether parametric curves stored in STEP files should be imported or ignored.

This option provides additional flexibility when processing STEP data and can improve import reliability for files containing problematic or unreliable parametric curve definitions. When such curves are present, they can be skipped during import to improve overall file reading reliability.

CATIA: Performance-oriented import options

New ImportMetaData and ImportMeshData parameters have been added to CATIA import.

These options make it possible to skip metadata or mesh data processing when such information is not needed, helping improve import performance and stability in selected scenarios. Both options are enabled by default to preserve existing behavior.

Additional format improvements

CATIA

• Fixed self-intersection of certain revolution surfaces extending beyond face boundaries.
• Fixed several crashes in the metadata parser.
• Fixed an issue where unsupported dynamic tessellation caused the import to fail completely. BRep data is now successfully imported regardless of the tessellation reading outcome.

GLTF

• Added support for polylines defined by the index vector.

IFC

• Fixed a stack overflow that occurred while processing the IfcPolygonalBoundedHalfSpace with the Position that is parallel to the BaseSurface.

JT

• Fixed an error that occurred while parsing big-endian JT files.
• Fixed an error that occurred while importing B-Rep from the MultiXT B-Rep Element.
• Fixed a regression related to non-uniform scaling.
• Fixed a crash that occurred while parsing an invalid data segment.

NX

• Fixed an import error caused by links to non-existing files.
• Fixed a crash in the PMI converter.

SOLIDWORKS

• Fixed a crash in the tessellation parser.

STEP

• Fixed a crash that occurred when an incorrect AXIS2_PLACEMENT_3D is encountered.

 Manufacturing Toolkit updates

Here are the highlights of Manufacturing Toolkit 2026.4:

• New licensing workflow.
• CNC machining updates: improved accuracy of threaded feature dimensions, improved bore recognition in turning models, and improved detection of Small Wall Thickness DFM issues.
• Improved processing for sheet metal bends.
• MTK Web updates: bounding volume hierarchy support, plane section computation, and extended visual measurements.

Follow the link to find more details about the new MTK release.

To get the full list of the CAD Exchanger 3.24.20 updates, read the CHANGES.txt file.