Discontinuations

Discontinuation of Windows® 7 and Windows® 8

Microsoft® has discontinued support for the Windows® 7 operating system in January 2020. For compatibility reasons, HiCAD 2020 SP2 and HELiOS 2020 SP2 were the last versions of our CAD or PDM system to support Windows© 7. HiCAD 2021 and HELiOS 2021 no longer run under Windows© 7, Windows© 8 and the corresponding server operating systems (Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 and older) are also no longer supported. If an attempt is made to install HiCAD 2021 or HELiOS 2021 on a computer with Windows© 7 or Windows© 8, a message appears.

 

Discontinuation of "old" HiCAD itemization

As of HiCAD 2019 the “old” itemisation, i.e. the itemisation that was used up to HiCAD 2017, will only be available for model drawings that were already itemized with these functions. From HiCAD 2021 onwards, only the “new” itemization will be supported. Please also read the information given in the Conversion of Old Itemisations topic.

 

Discontinuation of "old" OpenGL versions

From HiCAD 2021 on, only OpenGL version 4.3 is used in all HiCAD modules. Until now this was only the case with the module HiCAD Point Cloud. This means that HiCAD 2022 can no longer be run on computers without a separate graphics card. To avoid possible problems with onboard graphics cards, we recommend using a stand-alone graphics card.

 

Discontinuation of old figure format (FIG)

The following notes regarding FIG-FGA conversion are unnecessary if HELiOS is used in conjunction with the HELiOS Vault Server.

Since HiCAD 2017 we support FGA as figure format (before that FIG). From HiCAD/HELiOS 2021 or HELiOS 2021 as an update for HiCAD 2019/2020 onwards, we require that all figures stored with HELiOS have been converted to the new FGA format beforehand. To convert existing 2-D FIG files, the tool Converter_FIG_To_FGA.exe is available in the exe directory of the HiCAD installation.

If there are still unconverted FIG files in the HELiOS document database at the time of the database update, you will be informed of the outstanding conversion of these files before the database update. In this case, the conversion must be carried out before or at the latest directly after the update using Converter_FIG_To_FGA.exe.

 

Discontinuation of the "old" Create detail drawing function

With the release of HiCAD 2012, the previously valid workshop drawing functionality in Steel Engineering had been extended to a function for general drawing derivation. The previous functions for detail drawings in Steel Engineering were still available in the Detail drawing section of the Drawing menu. As of HiCAD 2022 (Version 2700.0) these functions are no longer supported.

 

Discontinuation of HELiOS 32 Bit, HiCAD Viewer 32 Bit and Office Interface 32 Bit

Since HELiOS 2022 (Version 2700.0) there is no 32 Bit version available for HELiOS and the HiCAD Viewer. The HELiOS interface for a 32 Bit Office was one of the few components that was still 32 Bit on these versions. Since Microsoft has also offered a 64 Bit installation of Office since Office 2010 and many add-ins for Office are now also available as 64 Bit versions, with HELiOS 2024 we will support an Office interface only for a 64 Bit Office. If you are still using the Office interface in conjunction with a 32 Bit Office, you must uninstall your Office version and reinstall it as a 64 Bit version as soon as you update to HELiOS 2024.

 

Discontinuation of CADENAS PARTdataManager

As of HiCAD 2022 SP2, the CADENAS PARTdataManager will no longer be supported. Thus, the functions Insert main part, PARTsolutions (CADENAS program) and Import PARTsolutions part will no longer be available from SP2 onwards.

 

Discontinuation of 3-D projection grid

As of HiCAD 2023, the 3-D projection grid function is no longer available.

 

Discontinuation of the Zuken E3 interface

As of HELiOS 2024 (Version 2900.0) we will no longer support the Zuken E3 interface.

 

Discontinuation of the "old" Report Manager

From HELiOS 2024 onwards, the "old" Report Manager, i.e. the Report Manager up to 2022, will no longer be delivered with a standalone installation of the HELiOS Desktop. In a HiCAD/HELiOS installation or a HELiOS update of HiCAD, however, the "old" Report Manager is still included. From HiCAD 2025 onwards, only the "new" Report Manager as of 2023 will be supported.

 

Discontinuation of Part insertion v26 (PE)

The old Part insertion function in Plant Engineering has now been completely replaced by the new Part insertion function. Therefore, the function Part insertion v26 in Plant Engineering is no longer available as of HiCAD 2024 SP1.