When a dwg file written with Parabuild is opened in an application without Parabuild then the Parabuild parts will not be visible.

This will happen with AutoCAD, BricsCAD, Trueview, and online viewer tools.


There are 2 possible solutions to this problem :


Enabling proxy data

When we enable proxy data in Parabuild then the dwg file written by Parabuild will also contain appearance information of all the Parabuild parts.

This appearance information is then used by AutoCAD, BricsCAD, and Trueview to display the Parabuild parts even though these software programs have no knowledge of the parts.

Proxy data can be enabled in Parabuild in the Global settings :



Using Parabuild as a viewer

It is required to have AutoCAD Full or BricsCAD Pro installed for this solution to work.

With this solution we would install Parabuild without an active license.
When you do not activate a license in Parabuild, Parabuild will work as a viewer.

The viewer mode of Parabuild still has the following capabilities :

  • Opening and saving Parabuild drawings
  • Printing Parabuild drawings
  • Browsing Parabuild drawings (Zoom/pan/3D Orbit)
  • Visibility manager for hiding objects or for manipulating the view
  • Use quick select to find parts in the drawing
  • Use the Properties dialog box for reviewing the properties of all Parabuild objects
  • Reviewing the parameters of macros (but not modifying them)
  • Adding native AutoCAD/BricsCAD entities to the drawing and still save them in the Parabuild drawing
  • The sheets manager for viewing all the 2D sheets contained in the drawing
  • Opening and printing 2D sheets
  • Drawing additional objects on 2D sheets such as dimensions and annotations


The above capabilities are not possible with the proxy data solution (except for the viewing/browsing of Parabuild drawings).