Unstable for Professional Engineering
Unstable for Professional Engineering I purchased progeCAD based on the "Nothing to learn for AutoCAD users" marketing promise, but the reality is a significant loss in productivity due to critical engine bugs and database instabilities. Key Technical Failures: Database Corruption via Character Parsing: Using the inch symbol (") in Visibility States breaks block functionality and permanently corrupts the DWG table. There is no input validation or error messaging. Failed Block Redefinition (Ghost Definitions): The software retains "ghost" data in memory. Even after PURGE, AUDIT, and application restarts, inserting a new block with the same name restores parameters from the deleted block (mixing geometries and units). Annotative Scaling Bugs: Annotative blocks fail to scale correctly when inserted between drawings with different units (e.g., mm to meters), ignoring the viewport's annotative scale. Hatch Regression: It is impossible to have a Hatch that is simultaneously Associative (linked to polyline) and Annotative (scale-aware). Forcing a choice between these two is unacceptable in professional CAD. Missing Productivity Tools: Lack of essential commands like MOVEBAK (for network file management), TESTBLOCK (to validate dynamics inside BEDIT), and full support for Geometric Constraints. Conclusion: I am spending more time as an "unpaid beta tester" troubleshooting database-level bugs than performing actual engineering design. The software is currently unreliable for professional Fire Protection (NFPA) workflows. -------------------- UPDATE (March 27, 2026): Rating downgraded to 1/5 I am downgrading my rating (from 2 to 1) because the company’s official reply below is untrue. They claim they "found no requests," yet I have an active communication thread with Salvatore Pagani from their technical team under Ticket #XYG-485-52691. The lack of internal communication is alarming, but the technical response is worse: Misleading Support: Instead of addressing the database corruption and parsing errors I meticulously documented (such as the " character breaking visibility states), Salvatore sent me a basic video tutorial on how to create a dynamic block. As an engineering firm, we don't need basic tutorials; we need a CAD engine that actually works. Ghost Data Persistence: I have proven that progeCAD retains "ghost" data in memory even after deep purges and restarts. This makes professional Fire Protection (NFPA) documentation unreliable. Inaccurate Public Reply: Telling a verified customer with an active ticket that "no requests were found" is an attempt to discredit a professional report. Stop the administrative excuses and the "basic tutorials." Address the parsing bugs and the annotative scaling failures I have already submitted. Our productivity depends on professional tools, not marketing videos. ---------------- Update (March 28, 2026): New Critical Issue - XREF Management (Ticket #CPC-621-27334) Since my last update, I have discovered even more regressions that break the professional workflow. I have opened a second formal ticket regarding External References (XREFs): XREF Notification Failure: The software fails to notify when an attached architectural XREF has been updated by another user. In a professional engineering firm, this leads to dangerous coordination errors. Broken Path Management: There is no way to switch an XREF to a "Relative Path" once it is attached. You are forced to detach and re-attach False Marketing: The "Nothing to learn" slogan is a facade. These are not "features to learn"; these are industry-standard CAD functionalities that are simply missing or non-functional in progeCAD 2026.