From version 7.0, all CAD Schroer products will be marketed under the M4 brand. The individual industry-specific product packages are given the appropriate product names, such as M4 DRAFTING for 2D design in mechanical engineering or M4 FACTORY for the 2D/3D layout in factory planning.
The complete range of all new packages and prices can be found under the respective product. An overview of our current product range can be seen in the following graphic.
The P&ID tool for pipe labelling now allows the definition of user-dependent standard attribute values. The user can define standard values for the currently used attributes within a session. This allows the user to temporarily change the standard attribute values within a project and thus further accelerate the pace of design.
M4 has supported the renumbering of complete drawings since the version 6.3. This function makes it possible to renumber many copied elements in a drawing so that no components with the same name are used. In version 7.0 this function has been extended to instrumentation, so that the used instruments are now renamed correctly.
M4 allows the connection of several drawing sheets into one design project. The lines are connected logically between the individual drawings by sheet connectors. With version 7.0, the Sheet Connector dialog now shows the user which connections are not yet paired in a selection dialog; so the “not yet connected” lines can be easily selected and continued on the current sheet.
M4 offers a default structuring of all components, by types and subtypes; whereby a simpler structuring and parts list generation is made possible. As of version 7.0, the subtypes of the components can be freely edited and individually selected. Direct entry of a new subtype is also possible.
Starting with version 7.0, M4 now offers the option of saving individual P&ID symbols into a favourite’s area of the symbol tab. This is done conveniently via the context menu, where the currently selected symbol is added to the favourites. Favourites created in this way are used to generate diagrams even faster, thus saving design time.
M4 now allows changing of the datum when placing a component. The individual connection points can be used as alternative datums. The selection can be made conveniently from the context menu.
In M4, the P&ID symbols are displayed as a preview in a clearly arranged dialog. The size of the symbols in the preview could be adjusted, but for all symbol types at the same time. Starting with version 7.0, M4 now offers the option of individually scaling the symbol sizes for each category. For example, symbols for equipment can now be displayed smaller than those for instrumentation.
As of M4 Version 7.0, the connection points on the P&ID symbols can be provided with nominal diameters. These can then either be output in a report or used in 3D piping design to place the appropriate components; previous to Version 7.0 nominal diameters were only inherited from attached pipelines.
As of version 7.0, symbols or line labels can be moved in M4 by simply double-clicking on the corresponding symbol. The current symbol is selected and the appro-priate move function is activated. This results in a significant reduction in user input and a decrease in design time; P&ID’s are amongst the most edited of drawings.
As of version 7.0, symbol legends can be generated in M4 for individual P&ID flowcharts or complete projects. These are generated either on the current sheet or on a new sheet. During generation, the user can decide exactly what the legend should contain. The user can decide between the current sheet, the entire project or an area in the catalog. The position and size of the legend can also be adjusted. This function eliminates the tedious manual creation of symbol legends, as these can now be generated project-specifically with just a few clicks.
As of version 7.0, the P&ID administration includes additional options. For example, individual symbols, groups od symbols or complete symbol catalogs can be displayed or hidden from users. It is very common to use alternative symbol sets for different customers; this makes that very simple.
The generation of BOMs has been further improved in version 7.0. The dialog for generating BOMs has been simplified. Options for configuring the parts lists are now only visible when the user has logged in as admin. Parts lists, placed as table on a sheet, can be updated now rather than repalced. In addition, the BOM configurations are now stored in separate files, making it easier to exchange them between users.
In addition to the many innovations and new products, the new version of M4 contains over 350 customer-oriented productivity improvements. These optimization suggestions are regularly submitted by CAD Schroer customers via the customer portal and are thus incorporated directly into the software development process.
The CSG Update Client enables maintenance customers to update the software as easily as possible directly via the Internet. In the new version, the Update Client has been highly optimised and now additionally updates the software during the installation.
From version 6.3, MPDS4 and MEDUSA4 offers new dialogs giving the user a better overview of the available user manuals, video tutorials and release notes.
The graphics performance of MEDUSA4 has been greatly improved in version 6.3. This optimization now enables much better handling of very large 2D CAD drawings.
Starting with version 6.3, MEDUSA4 offers the ability to add company or project specific sheet templates to the backstage are in a structured way. The templates can easily be structured in folders.
Starting with version 6.3, MEDUSA4 3D supports the latest 3D libraries for optimized import and export of 3D models. The 3D interfaces have also been optimized for performance, resulting in faster 3D data processing, higher model quality, and reduced file sizes.
With version 6.3, the P&ID module has been extended with the possibility of renumbering the components contained in the diagrams. This function is particularly useful for users who often copy parts of drawings and use them in other other diagrams. Automatic numbering can be used to renumber a drawing or a complete project with several drawings. This increases the quality of the drawings and thus of the entire project.
In addition to the numerous innovations and new products, the new version of MPDS4 and MEDUSA4 includes more than 220 customer-oriented productivity improvements. These optimisation suggestions are regularly submitted by CAD Schroer customers via the customer portal and flow directly into the software development.
Thanks to the MEDUSA4 MEDRaster Colour Module, as of version 6.2, images with a transparent background can be loaded into the drawing, edited and saved. That way, the images are better integrated into the drawing as the background and image frame are no longer displayed. The supported formats with transparency are PNG and TIF. The module still supports all standard image formats.
The 64-bit version of MEDUSA4 now allows you to process far larger models. This means vast models can be imported from third-party systems, before being simplified in MEDUSA4. This is especially helpful being able to process these very large models of machines, systems and whole plants.
As of version 6.2, the MEDUSA4 interface to Creo Parametric supports the latest Creo -version 4. Now the MEDPro interface supports all three most up-to-date versions 4, 3, and 2 of Creo Parametric.
From MEDUSA4 version 6.2 the interface to Teamcenter also supports the current Teamcenter version 11. Thereby, the MED2TC interface supports both widely used versions 10 and 11 of Teamcenter.
Through version 6.2 of MEDUSA4 P&ID, the production of flow diagrams has been improved. Attention was given especially to easier selection of symbols and lines, with a new browser making placement even easier and more precise. Moving multiple components has also been optimised, further enhancing the editing of existing flow diagrams.
As of version 6.2, the MEDUSA4 terrain modelling module has been included in the packages MEDUSA4 Premium and Ultimate. That way, MEDUSA4 users can very quickly and simply produce a detailed, scaled, terrain model by simply annotating a 2D drawing with height texts.
From version 6.2, a PDF viewer is available that is fully integrated in MPDS4 and MEDUSA4. This makes it easier for the user to use the integrated PDF documentation. An additional installation of a compatible PDF viewer is therefore optional, as the software always features the integrated viewer.
In addition to the numerous innovations and new products, the new version of MPDS4 and MEDUSA4 includes more than 250 customer-oriented productivity improvements. These optimisation suggestions are regularly submitted by CAD Schroer customers via the customer portal and flow directly into the software development.