ViewCompanion Pro Changelog

What's new in ViewCompanion Pro 15.20

Mar 7, 2024
  • News:
  • Added an option to enable creation of progressive JPEG files.
  • Added "Convert to PDF Raster" option to the Shell Extension context menu.
  • Added JPEGPROGRESSIVE setting to conversion configuration file to enable creation of progressive JPEG files.
  • Solved issues:
  • Line merge mode was lost after converting a HPGL/2 file from customer to PDF.
  • Some of the images in a PDF file from customer were displayed with wrong background color.
  • PDF property settings didn't have any effect if PDFRASTER export format was used.
  • Missing images in CGM files from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 15.10 (Jan 10, 2024)

  • News:
  • Added an option to set compression level for exported PNG files.
  • Added PNGCOMPRESSION setting to conversion configuration file.
  • Added JPEGQUALITY setting to conversion configuration file.
  • Solved issues:
  • It was not possible to realign compared files after alignment was already done.
  • Pressing alignment will now reset any previous offsets before the user can select new points.
  • Saving comparison to PDF could cause an exception error if the color selected for equal content was different than black..

New in ViewCompanion Pro 15.01 (Dec 21, 2023)

  • A PDF file from a customer failed to open.
  • An Excellon drill file from customer was not displayed correctly.
  • Some of the text elements were not placed correctly in a DWF file from customer.
  • Converting any 24-bit image to 32-bit PNG/BMP/WEBP/TIFF/HEIC file did create a blank image only.
  • Will now maintain the original file name, if pre conversion to PDF is required during a PDF merge (for example from DWF to PDF).

New in ViewCompanion Pro 15.00 (Sep 20, 2023)

  • News:
  • ViewCompanion has been rebuilt using latest available development tools for full compatibility with the latest Windows versions.
  • Windows XP are no longer a supported platform.
  • Internal file explorer is now again available.
  • Added new sketch mode display option. This option can be useful if you're measuring geometry with wide lines.
  • Added a new option for setting a new serial number. This option can be found under the Settings tab.
  • Markup measure is now a separate panel with distance, area and counter options.
  • Added a new option to control if page rotation for DWF files should be applied (enabled by default).
  • Several other minor changes and improvements.
  • Solved issues:
  • 1557 Missing image in CGM file from customer.
  • 1550 A DWF file from a customer caused floating point exception error during loading.
  • 1549 DWF file loaded with wrong page rotation.
  • 1547 One of the pages in a DWF file was loaded with wrong extents.
  • 1543 Some Freehand text annotations in a PDF file were displayed using wrong characters.
  • 1539 Excellon files from customer loaded with wrong extents.
  • 1538 Missing markup text in a DWF file due to a clipping error.
  • 1537 Some of the markup text in a DWFX file were incorrectly rotated.
  • 1536 Some of the markup text in a DWFX file were missing due to a draw order error.
  • 1535 Some CGM files were not displayed correctly.
  • 1534 Missing points (polymarker element) in DWF file from customer.
  • 1533 Some CGM files were not displayed correctly and could cause a crash.
  • 1530 Raster images were missing in a CGM file from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 14.20 (Mar 31, 2023)

  • News:
  • Saving a comparison to PDF will now include all pages in the files being compared.
  • Command line parameters /cm and /cmi can now be used to combine several single page DWF files into a multi-page DWF.
  • Added an option in Advanced Settings to control if all pages, or only the current page, should be saved by save comparison.
  • WebP images can now be added using markup add picture tool.
  • Solved issues:
  • 1529 16-bit BMP files became black after rotation.
  • 1526 A JPEG image file was displayed using incorrect orientation.
  • 1525 Converting a 32-bit PNG to 24-bit PNG caused degrading of the quality.
  • 1523 A PLT file was converted with wrong color for some of the text.
  • 1520 A single page CGM file was loaded as two pages and was missing an image.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 14.12 (Jan 5, 2023)

  • News:
  • Compare of PDF files is now available in Pro edition.
  • Added an option to use temporary PDF files to avoid that the viewed file is being locked for use.
  • Added an option to force files being opened in separate instances when opened from Windows Explorer.
  • Solved issues:
  • If classic user interface was active the application could sometimes close when the file tab close (x) button was pressed.
  • It was not possible to assign keyboard shortcuts to file previous and next commands if classic user interface was active.
  • The height value in the markup property dialog was not remembered between sessions.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 14.10 (Nov 30, 2022)

  • News:
  • Information text showing the meaning of the different colors, are now added when a comparison result is saved as a PDF file.
  • Solved issues:
  • A DWFX file caused exception error during load.
  • Due a clipping error several images in a DWFX were displayed but should have been discarded.
  • Converting a PLT caused paper background to be flipped around Y axis due to extreme dimensions.
  • Missing Chinese characters after converting from DWF to PDF.
  • Missing content on page 2 in a DWF file from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 14.01 (Sep 4, 2022)

  • News:
  • Added an option to enable appending all pages from an imported file if the active document is PDF.
  • Previous versions would append only the first page from the imported file.
  • If a user tries to open a VCM file, ViewCompanion will now open the original file instead.
  • This will only work if filename.ext.vcm naming is used, which is default.
  • Solved issues:
  • 1497 Now checks all pages in multipage files (for example DWF, DWFX or TIFF) for page sizes larger than 5x5 meter (or 200x200 inch) before conversion to PDF. If any page is larger than this, a suitable UserUnit will be added to the PDF file. This was required to avoid warning messages when the created PDF was opened in Acrobat.
  • 1496 Hebrew text inverted after conversion to PDF if TrueType text was enabled.
  • 1493 Printing HPGL file that contained only zero width pens caused some lines to be missing.
  • 1492 Using crop on a PDF file from customer failed, only a blank file was created.
  • 1491 Filled black rectangles in a DWF file were covering other information.
  • 1490 Markup approved symbol would be wrong after saving to a new PDF, if the original PDF had page rotation.
  • 1489 A raster image was covering other information in a DWF file.
  • 1358 A raster image was covering other information in a DWF file.
  • Saving a single page from a multipage DWF/DWFX/PLT/TIFF file to PDF failed.
  • If an arrowed text element had multiline text, it was not possible to edit the whole text after creation.
  • If "stay in drawmode" mode was active the last snap indicator was not cleared when a new element was created.
  • Measurement area: If both volume and perimeter values were enabled the total text area height was wrong.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 14.00 (Jul 15, 2022)

  • News:
  • Added support for loading and converting HEIC file format files. You can read more about the HEIC format here.
  • Added support for export to HEIC file format.
  • Added splitpdf command line parameter for splitting a multipage PDF file into individual PDF files with one or more pages each.
  • Added splittif command line parameter for splitting a multipage TIFF file into individual TIFF files with one page each.
  • Added a slider to compare tab for adjusting the grayscale color for equal content to make differences more noticeable.
  • Added an option for the PDF exporter to control if TrueType text should be used if possible.
  • You may now crop PDF files.
  • The page thumbnail will now be updated after the crop command is used.
  • Markup Changes:
  • Added CTRL+D keyboard command for deleting all existing markup elements for the active document. You will be asked to confirm before anything is deleted.
  • Solved issues:
  • 1488 A DWF file from customer failed to open.
  • 1483 DWF files create from PDF had wrong page size.
  • 1482 After converting a DWF file to PDF some of the images got a greyish background.
  • 1481 A DWF file converted to PDF was missing Chinese text.
  • 1476 A DWF file from customer failed to open.
  • 1475 Missing text in a DWF file due to a clipping error.
  • 1460 When the crop function was used on a DWF or PLT file it did reject all images. Now an image will be included if it is inside the crop rectangle.
  • 1459 Missing filled items in a DWFX file.
  • 1456 Some Arabic characters were using wrong form after converting a DWF file to PDF. DWF to PDF conversion is now using TrueType text output if possible. An option to enable/disable TrueType support has been added.
  • 1455 An extra line was visible in a HPGL file that should not be there.
  • 1453 An Excellon drill file was loaded using Inch even if Metric was defined in the file.
  • 1452 Numbers in a DWF file containing Hebrew text were displayed in wrong direction (1:100 became 100:1).
  • - If measurement unit set was set to mm on start and then changed to meter, the markup property pane still displayed mm as default height.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.15 (Jan 15, 2022)

  • Changes:
  • Added an option to set default bits per pixel for HPGL/2 files.
  • Solved issues:
  • Some numbers were displayed inverted in a DWF file.
  • A couple of DWF files from customer caused exception error during loading.
  • Step and repeat commands were not supported for Gerber files.
  • Step and repeat commands were not supported for Excellon files.
  • HPGL/2 file was not loaded correctly. The HPGL/2 file contained a raster element but no bits per pixel configuration. You may now change the default bits per pixel setting in the HPGL options page.
  • Text was missing in a DWF file if the requested font was not installed on the system.
  • Excellon drill file was loaded with wrong tool sizes.
  • Some images in a DWF file were displayed using wrong scaling.
  • A red signature stamp in a DWF file should not be visible.
  • There were missing characters on some pages in a DWF file from customer.
  • Parenthesis sometimes caused additional text spacing in DWF files.
  • Text brackets were not correctly aligned with text in a DWF file.
  • Several images in a PLT file had wrong rotation and wrong position.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.14 (Nov 20, 2021)

  • Changes:
  • Markup XML change: You may now use percentage for text insertx and inserty tags.
  • Solved issues:
  • An error message box was incorrectly being displayed during command line conversion if PDF/A conversion error occurred.
  • Almost all polylines were incorrectly being split into singe line elements in a DWF file from customer. This caused print jobs to be very large and slow.
  • Some images were displayed outside the paper area in a DWF file from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.13 (Nov 20, 2021)

  • Solved issues:
  • No log file was created for PDF to PDF conversion from command line if /lf+ parameter was included.
  • PDF file caused exception error during loading.
  • Opening the converted PDF file (from PLT) in Acrobat caused an error message.
  • The 64-bit installer did copy some files to an incorrect folder.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.12 (Jul 21, 2021)

  • Solved issues:
  • HPGL/2 file was missing geometry.
  • Several annotations in a DWF file were incorrectly clipped.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.11 (Jun 8, 2021)

  • Changes:
  • The setting for overwriting converted files is now by default on.
  • Solved issues:
  • HPGL/2 files that uses RO instruction were sometimes loaded with incorrect rotation.
  • Missing Polish characters in PDF file from customer.
  • An image in a PDF file was not displayed at all scale/zoom factors
  • Fonts not displayed correctly in PDF file from customer.
  • Entering a valid serial number could sometimes cause the application to close on some systems if the evaluation period were ended.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.10 (Apr 1, 2021)

  • News:
  • The installer will no longer copy files to the common document folders to avoid errors if Controlled Folder Access is enabled.
  • Solved issues:
  • Exported HPGL/2 files had PU/PD sequence for every line segment, even if the lines were connected.
  • The /cm and /cmpdf command line parameters are now using natural sort algorithm for file names. This will make the order of the files equal to what is displayed in Windows Explorer.
  • Conversion from HPGL/2 to PDF did use wrong polygon fill mode.
  • An Excellon drill file was not identified as a valid file.
  • Missing measurement viewports in DWFX files after conversion to PDF.
  • Missing holes in Excellon drill file.
  • Now displays very fast with the latest PDF reader.
  • The active mouse action are now restored after a compare align is complete.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.03 (Feb 1, 2021)

  • Fixed:
  • An 80-meter long DWF file could not be converted to PDF. The page size limit for converted PDF files are now 120 meters.
  • An Excellon drill file was not displayed correctly.
  • An error caused a PDF to be saved with all pages even if some of the pages were removed.
  • Step and repeat with mirroring in Excellon file were not working correctly, and the file had wrong units.
  • Step and repeat with mirroring in Excellon file were not working correctly.
  • A signed DWFX file from customer failed to open.
  • A non-cgm file was incorrectly detected as CGM file. ViewCompanion do now only accept CGM files with cgm or cgb extension.
  • Using /cm command line option did not work for tiff files if path was not included in the input file argument (for example only "*.tif").
  • Several filled areas in a DWF file were missing transparency.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.01 (Nov 23, 2020)

  • Using crop could sometimes cause hidden text in DWF files to become visible.
  • A DWF file had an image that was displayed outside the paper area.
  • Converting PLT to Raster PDF caused the resulting file to be clipped at 5.08 meter. Large format support does now work for PDF raster conversion too.
  • Some information was displayed outside paper area in a DWF file.
  • PLT file caused exception error during loading.
  • Command line parameter /comparepdf could sometimes cause an exception error.
  • Main window is now properly hidden during all command line conversions.
  • PDF compression method selection had no effect for 32-bit images.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 13.00 (Sep 25, 2020)

  • News:
  • New compare context ribbon tab with a new alignment tool.
  • Added option to show only differences for compared files.
  • Added option to use a transparent watermark during printing.
  • Header and footer can now have separate font and color.
  • PDF encryption is now available for all editions.
  • A new PDF Batch Encryption tool is now available for all editions.
  • The following TIFF tags can now be overridden: software, artist and copyright.
  • The following PDF properties can now be overridden: creator, producer and more.
  • PDF compression options for exported files now includes LZW for color images.
  • Added support for loading Excellon Drill files.
  • Markup Changes:
  • Added markup layer selection to the markup property bar.
  • Added wall area to the measurement area summary dialog.
  • Added volume to the measurement area summary dialog.
  • The active measurement unit is now saved in the markup file.
  • Added hide element toggle button to markup list toolbar.
  • Markup list now includes a new optional column measurement area wall area. This value is only available if a height have been defined for the area.
  • Markup list now includes a new optional column for user defined comment (this is an editable field).
  • Markup list is now sortable.
  • Markup element lock now toggles state for all selected items in the markup list.
  • Added text alignment option for XML markup text when insertx and inserty are used for defining the text origin.
  • A standalone symbol library manager is now available.
  • Solved issues:
  • 1342 Missing transparency for markup elements in DWFx file.
  • 1340 A markup file with an empty text element could cause application error.
  • 1337 A DWF file was missing Chinese text due to a missing font. This font will now be replaced with one that support Chinese characters.
  • 1332 A DWF file from customer contained a gray polygon area that should not be visible.
  • 1327 Converting DWF files with dimensions larger than 5 meters to PDF sometimes caused images to get poor quality.
  • 1322 A DWF file caused exception error during loading.
  • 1320 A DWF file from customer failed to load.
  • 1319 CGM PIP amplitudes were too large.
  • 1318 A CGM file was not displayed correctly, filled areas should contain many different colors but were displayed as black only.
  • 1317 A CGM file had random grid and text color each time it was loaded.
  • 1316 A DWF file caused an exception error due to a corrupt PNG stream.
  • 1315 CGM files from customer were not displayed correctly.
  • 1314 Several polygons in a CGM file were incorrectly drawn with an outline which made them to look connected.
  • 1312 CGM+ seismic data were missing in files from customer.
  • 1311 CGM+ seismic data were missing in file from customer.
  • 1310 PDF file from customer was only partially displayed.
  • 1307 CGM PIP data was missing and a text with 90 degrees rotation was not correctly displayed.
  • 1304 Gerber: Round apertures with hole did incorrectly cover other information below.
  • 1303 Saving a PDF from customer to DWF caused an application error.
  • 1302 Rotating a DWF file caused 32-bit images to lose transparency.
  • 1301 Missing image signature and stamp (markup) in DXWF file.
  • 1297 A text element was incorrectly being covered by a black rectangle in a HPGL/2 file.
  • 1293 Added support for digitally signed DWF files.
  • 1292 An image in a DWF file was incorrectly being displayed with transparent background.
  • 1290 PDF file was only partially displayed.
  • 1289 A text element in a DWF file was slightly too large and at wrong position.
  • 1288 If you did crop a loaded image file and then try to “Save As” to a TIFF, the resulting file contained only a blank page.
  • 1256 A text element in a DWF file was slightly too large and at wrong position.
  • Center lines are no longer drawn for seismic data if there is a negative or positive amplitude (CGM).
  • Text, in for example DWF files, were not affected by monochrome or grayscale mode.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.33 (Apr 8, 2020)

  • This update solves a critical error related to reading and saving of text annotations.
  • 64-bit ViewCompanion could sometimes fail to load previously saved text annotations. ViewCompanion 32-bit version could not load text elements saved with 64-bit edition. This error was introduced in version 12.32.
  • Extra lines that should not be displayed in HPGL/2 file from customer.
  • Some Chinese characters in a PDF file where not displayed correctly.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.32 (Mar 24, 2020)

  • News:
  • You can now add SVG files as markup using the insert markup picture function.
  • Added support for Intergraph Type 2 raster format.
  • Solved issues:
  • DWF files from customer opened with wrong extents.
  • HPGL/2 exporter did always convert arcs to polylines. The exporter will now always write arcs (AA) to the HPGL/2 file.
  • Several filled rectangles in a PLT file should not have been drawn at all, since they should be rendered using a merge control code that would make them invisible.
  • A Gerber file was not detected as Gerber format and failed to convert.
  • Some arcs in a Gerber file where drawn as full circle instead of arcs with a very small span angle.
  • Text was missing in CGM files from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.30 (Feb 23, 2020)

  • News:
  • You can now add symbols from SVG files by using the symbol library manager.
  • Added an option to overwrite files for batch and command line conversion. If this option is disabled ViewCompanion will now create incremented file names, for example: filename(1).pdf, filename(2).pdf and so on. This option is by default disabled.
  • Solved issues:
  • After conversion from PLT to PLT some of the text got poor quality.
  • Drawing content in HPGL/2 file was incorrectly covered by black filled rectangles.
  • Missing raster images in PLT file from customer.
  • Hatched areas missing in PDF file.
  • Chinese text was not searchable in PDF files converted from DWF files.
  • Converting to DWF Raster format could sometimes create blank files.
  • Fixed an error that could cause symbols to disappear after the entity property dialog was closed with OK.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.23 (Dec 11, 2019)

  • Missing filled areas in DWF file from customer.
  • Some of the text in an output DWF file got wrong rotation if the original file was rotated before conversion.
  • An DWF file from customer failed to open.
  • Warning and error messages could sometimes be written to STDERR during command line conversion.
  • A CATPart file was incorrectly identified as Edmics TG4.
  • An Intergraph TG4 raster file had wrong rotation.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.21 (Oct 28, 2019)

  • Viewing and converting Office documents could fail if LibreOffice 6.2.7 was installed.
  • Converting a file to DWF format could cause application to close.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.20 (Oct 12, 2019)

  • News:
  • Complex PDF files with a lot of vector graphic should now load and display faster.
  • Switching between documents with many pages is now faster.
  • Added an option for disabling hidden text in DWF files.
  • Added an option for converting DWF named views to PDF bookmarks.
  • DWF viewports with measurement scale is now included when converting to PDF.
  • If you convert a DWF to PDF, a bookmark for each page in the DWF will be added, and the named views as child to these (if this option is enabled).
  • Black theme will now be default if you run Windows 10 with dark mode activated.
  • Solved issues:
  • Gerber file caused exception error.
  • A CREO file was incorrectly being identified as HPGL/2 format.
  • Opening a PLT file would fail if it was open for read/write in another application.
  • DWF file was loaded with wrong extents.
  • Some GUI elements did not have proper style if Black theme was selected.
  • Only named views for first page in a DWF was loaded.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.12 (Aug 3, 2019)

  • News:
  • Added horizontal scrollbar for TextExtract dialog.
  • Added option to extract images as PNG files when creating DXF files.
  • Solved issues:
  • Issue Description
  • DXF exporter did support only up to 64 characters in a layer name.
  • PDF file caused exception error during reading.
  • Raster images were displaced on all 4 pages in a PLT file.
  • Adding markup to PDF and saving to new PDF caused markup to be displaced.
  • Fixed a problem with precision in pen table files.
  • The INSUNIT header variable is now correctly set to 4 for metric output.
  • Status bar "extra tools" will now be visible on smaller monitors (e.g.: 1280x1024).

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.10 (Jul 1, 2019)

  • News:
  • Added "select text for copy" function. Drag a rectangle to mark all text that will be copied to clipboard.
  • CTRL+left mouse button now creates a copy of a selected markup element.
  • Solved issues:
  • A PLT file wit 32-bit PNG image was converted to black only due to loss of transparency channel (PLT to PLT).
  • Text search couldn't find any text in PDF file from customer.
  • Added support for markup picture loaded from URL (XML).

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.01 (May 17, 2019)

  • Printing or converting from command line could on some systems give an error message A DWF file with filled areas that should have been outlined.
  • A DWF file was displayed with a white margin at top of drawing that should not have been there.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 12.00 (May 3, 2019)

  • News:
  • New flat styled GUI with additional application themes, including Microsoft ® Office White, Colorful and Black. You can find pictures of all the available themes here.
  • Added PDF Optimize tool.
  • Added deskew by selecting a two-point line in the image file.
  • You can now save reports in Excel Workbook format (XLSX) from markup list, measurement summary and measurement result dialogs.
  • Added support for viewing and converting Intergraph Raster files (CIT, COT, RGB and TG4).
  • Added 4 new status bar buttons with the following functions:
  • Displaying certificate information for digitally signed PDF files.
  • Toggle visibility of PDF annotations on or off.
  • Option to use mouse wheel for zoom and pan operations.
  • Option to use mouse wheel for scroll operations.
  • The last two buttons will toggle the state of the other button when it's activated.
  • General Changes:
  • Added JBIG and JPEG2000 to the list of supported PDF compression methods.
  • PDF file is now always loaded as monochrome image during compare independent of other settings.
  • Added Close All Except This option to the tab context menu.
  • Now always use version 1.6 for converted PDF files.
  • Added support for UTF8 and UTF16 Unicode text files.
  • Dimensions for the active page is now displayed in the status bar.
  • Removed many obsolete options from the different setting dialogs.
  • Added new option for default mouse action. The option is initially set to none.
  • Markup Changes:
  • Added a new separate multi line arrow tool. Two-point arrow type is no longer an option, but a separate tool.
  • Element type name can now be turned off in markup list.
  • Added lock all markup elements option (Markup tools->drop down).
  • Added editing for counter elements. You can now move or delete an existing counter node.
  • Added insert node for counter elements.
  • Vector layer states are now stored in the markup file, if save currently displayed portion is enabled.
  • Measurement Path text is now by default placed above line.
  • You may now delete any markup layer, if there more than one layer defined and if the layer currently has no elements.
  • Added new options to Markup XML Barcode definition: imagerotation, barcodeincludetext and barcodelabel.
  • Added additional counter types: checkmark, outlined circle and cross.
  • Added area height, negative measurement, ID and include volume text options to measurement area element. There is now a new markup property panel where you can set these values, in addition to category and name, while drawing.
  • Added a new predefined shape element type. Currently two predefined shapes are available: Accepted and Rejected. You can configure the size of the inserted shape. You can also add these shapes using Markup XML.
  • Revision cloud is now always be outlined by default, independent of current fill style.
  • Solved issues:
  • IssueDescription
  • PDF to CAD (DWF): A raster image was placed outside drawing area and flipped.
  • Converted CGM files had too low resolution, the resolution has been increased to 1000 DPI.
  • Added support for hidden text in DWF files.
  • CGM file with Group4 tiled raster image caused exception error during conversion.
  • Converted DXF files now correctly sets MEASUREMENT value to metric if saved as metric.
  • Splitting a PDF file using config file into two separate TIFF files with PAGESIZE set, generated wrong images.
  • Changed layer states for a viewed PDF will be now be applied to saved PDF file.
  • A Solidworks SLDASM file was incorrectly detected as PDF format.
  • If you have a PDF file with invalid extents (larger than 14400 units) that cannot be opened correctly by Acrobat, you can now fix this file by just using save as to PDF.
  • PDF to CAD (DWF): 24-bit images with soft mask transparency is now converted to 32-bit (RGBA) images.
  • A PDF file caused exception error.
  • CGM with text elements at wrong location.
  • Adding markup to a file PDF from customer caused all markup elements to be displaced due to a transformation matrix error.
  • A DWF file opened with wrong extents.
  • A DWF file with Hebrew text converted to PDF as ??? due to a codepage error.
  • A DWF file caused exception error in 32-bit due to excessive memory usage.
  • DWF file caused exception error during loading.
  • PDF to CAD - some of the text elements where not clipped correctly.
  • PDF to CAD: Extent of exported file were too large due to clipping error.
  • Print fit to page didn't work if displayed area or region was selected.
  • PDF to DWF: 24-bit images with soft mask transparency is now converted to 32-bit (RGBA) images.
  • CGM file caused exception error during loading.
  • PDF to CAD: Extent of exported file were too large due to clipping error.
  • Several DWF files from customer failed to open.
  • A PDF file caused crash during loading.
  • Element lock will now correctly disable all functions that change element properties.
  • Maximum arc size for revision cloud could not be changed (markup advanced option).
  • Inserting or Removing points from measurement element will now always update markup list.
  • Save As Dialogs: If you enter only a file name without extension, an extension will now be added.
  • Save compare result of multipage pdf files always used page 0 instead of the current page.
  • Compare save result will now include any markup added to background file.
  • Counters did sometimes become invisible at certain scale factors.
  • Fill color was not used for hatch lines if the shape was filled using a hatch pattern.
  • Saving an open Office file (for example Word) to PDF, generated an empty PDF file.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 11.21 (Oct 19, 2018)

  • Changes:
  • Added support for WPG (WordPerfect Graphics) files if LibreOffice is installed on the system.
  • Fixes:
  • Added support for WPG (WordPerfect Graphics) files if LibreOffice is installed on the system.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 11.20 (Oct 8, 2018)

  • Changes:
  • Added load rotation options for CALS format.
  • Added circle support and higher resolution to SVG exporter.
  • You may now use an optional ini file to disable save, print, updates and other options.
  • Copied and pasted markup elements are now moved by a small offset to make the new element distinctly different from the original.
  • Fixed issues:
  • A DWF file from customer was loaded with wrong extents.
  • Two DWF files from customer caused application crash.
  • Some filled areas in a DWF from customer were drawn outlined.
  • Transparent GIF files lost transparency after being added as a markup element.
  • PDFtoCAD : Images was incorrectly placed after conversion to DWF.
  • PLT to DWF conversion: Some images lost transparency and did cover other drawing details.
  • A CGM file from customer caused application crash.
  • A DWF file from customer was loaded with wrong extents.
  • A PDF file from customer caused application crash.
  • A Step file was incorrectly identified as HPGL/2.
  • Missing filled areas in a DWF file due to a clipping error.
  • Some of the text in a PLT file had wrong placement and size.
  • Some of the text in a DWF file had wrong placement and size.
  • Several text elements in a DWF file should not be displayed.
  • A rectangle had wrong color after conversion from PLT to PDF.
  • DWF to PDF: Layers that are turned off will now be turned off in the exported PDF file too.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 11.11 (Jul 5, 2018)

  • Bugs fixed:
  • Some of the text in a DWF file should not be displayed (clip error).
  • Missing a white text background after converting PLT file to PDF.
  • A few serial numbers that were purchased online, were incorrectly reported as expired.
  • Entering print preview a second time could sometimes display a blank page only.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 11.10 (Jun 4, 2018)

  • Added Barcode definition to the Markup XML format.
  • Configurable maximum radius for each arc in a revision cloud.
  • You may now insert and remove points in polyline and polygon type elements.
  • If the scale, or unit, is changed, you will now be asked if all existing markup measurement texts should be updated to reflect the new settings.
  • Printing a multipage with different page sizes always used the scaling for the first page if scale to fit was enabled. Each page will now be scaled individually to fit the paper size.
  • Added option for enabling taskbar interaction. If taskbar interaction is enabled a separate thumbnail will be displayed for each open document.
  • Added a setting to open PDF files saved using "Save As" in the default PDF viewer.
  • New PDF/A conformance tools. Both batch and single file conformation is available. This tool allows you to conform, or convert, an existing PDF file to PDF/A standard.
  • With the new batch PDF to CAD tool you can convert a list of PDF files to a selected output CAD format, for example Autodesk DXF. If the source PDF file contains multiple pages, you can either convert to a multipage file, or create one file per page. Please note that not all output formats support multipage output.
  • Rotate page now works for PDF files (rotate 90,180,270). This tool allows you to rotate each page in a PDF individually.
  • Added dpi and bits per pixel settings for the PDF Load as Raster option.
  • New setting: Apply current transparency setting to new text elements. Transparent text is displayed with poorer quality and performance. By default new text elements will now be opaque.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 11.02 (Mar 2, 2018)

  • The next and previous file buttons are again available next to the file open button on the ribbon.
  • The PDF exporter from version 10.00 can now be used instead of the new PDF exporter. You can enable the use of the older exporter in the Tools->Options->Conversion->Advanced dialog. The option is named "Use PDF Legacy Exporter".
  • The legacy exporter may be faster for some files, but it doesn't support full transparency, so markup may appear different in the converted PDF compared to how it look on the screen. If you for example just want to convert TIFF files with huge extents (width or height more than 2 meters) to PDF, the legacy exporter will be faster.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 11.01 (Feb 19, 2018)

  • Converting a PLT file to PDF with searchable text enabled, caused line styles to be incorrect.
  • Conversion configuration file ROTATION setting had no effect if a PDF file was converted to TIFF.
  • Transparent markup text did become opaque after conversion to PDF.
  • Pressing a hyperlink in PDF file from customer caused an exception error.
  • A plot file with more than 3000 pages caused an exception error.
  • Markup stamp, symbol and arrowed text was sometimes not included during conversion.
  • Removed zoom in limit for 32-bit.
  • Conversion from PDF to TIFF used clockwise rotation instead of the correct anti-clockwise rotation.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 11.00 (Jan 30, 2018)

  • New features and changes:
  • A rewritten core engine that gives much better accuracy for both conversion and measurement.
  • Modified GUI that allows all panels to be visible at the same time (panels includes layers, pages, bookmarks and project).
  • New PDF print engine which should work faster on most systems.
  • Added rounded rectangle markup element.
  • Markup arrow type is now drawn by selecting two points.
  • You may now change the size of the page thumbnails and force them all to be displayed.
  • Added command to toggle between stay in draw markup mode, or go directly to edit after a markup is completed.
  • Added command to toggle between line edit mode or move element mode.
  • Added Deflate and JPEG compression options to TIFF conversion.
  • Inserted symbols may now be rotated.
  • The GUI should now be completely hidden during command line conversions.
  • Several other minor changes and improvements.
  • Bugs fixed:
  • 1036 Missing lines in DWF files from customer due to a clipping error.
  • 1035 Missing raster images in CGM files from customer.
  • 1034 A color image lost transparency after conversion to DWF (from PLT).
  • 1033 A PDF file from customer was not displayed correctly.
  • 1030 Chinese text in a CGM file was displayed as squares.
  • 1022 A PDF file from customer lost some of the content when zoomed in.
  • 1021 Running cleanup on an 8-bit image sometime created black only image.
  • 1016 Some text files were incorrectly identified as a Gerber file.
  • 1013 A PDF file from customer failed to open.
  • 1009 If you're printing a file with different paper sizes, and have fit to page enabled, ViewCompanion may now rotate each page to match the page layout.
  • 1006 A PDF file from customer had clipping errors.
  • 1004 Missing image in CGM file.
  • 997 A white raster in a PDF file was loaded as black only.
  • 990 Missing user defined hatch fill type in a CGM file from customer.
  • 989 A DWF file was displayed with an inverted raster image.
  • 986 Two DWF files failed to open.
  • 907 Bad accuracy for a CGM file that was converted to PDF.
  • 890 Converting a CGM file to PDF gave low accuracy when doing measurements in Acrobat.
  • Both export and display are now honoring Monochrome and Grayscale flags for raster image output.
  • The DWF exporter now supports true type output.
  • The DXF exporter should now always write polyline with correct line width.
  • Eraser type element was not saved if XML format was used.
  • Markup element line point editing can now be undone.
  • A markup freehand element may now contain more than 1024 points.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.63 (Aug 1, 2017)

  • New Feature:
  • It is now possible to select a markup file in the batch conversion dialog. This markup file will be applied to all converted documents. This may be useful for adding text, watermark, stamps or any other information during the conversion process.
  • Fixed issues:
  • CGM file issue: Some dashed lines were displayed as solid lines.
  • After conversion from PDF to PDF with markup data, the markup could sometimes be displayed in wrong position and rotation, if the original PDF file used page rotation.
  • DWF file issue: Some elements were not filled correctly.
  • CGM file issue: Some elliptical arcs were not displayed correctly.
  • Markup text sizes become wrong after converting to PDF if markup data loaded was loaded from a customer made XML file.
  • CGM file issue: Several lines that should not be displayed.
  • CGM file issue: Text was misplaced and had wrong scaling.
  • CGM file issue: Some shapes were missing solid black fill.
  • PDF to DXF conversion is now using color 255 for white areas instead of color 7 (items with color 7 will be displayed using black on white background in AutoCAD).

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.62 (Jun 14, 2017)

  • New Features:
  • Markup picture elements may now be rotated.
  • Fixed Bugs:
  • Some characters appeared too bold after conversion to PDF.
  • Missing color for some images during conversion to PDF.
  • PLT file caused an exception error during loading.
  • DWFX file caused an exception error during loading.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.61 (May 14, 2017)

  • Bug Description:
  • Two DWF files failed to open.
  • Converting a PLT file from customer to TIFF gave distorted images.
  • A CGM file was loaded with incorrect extents.
  • Some entities in DWF file was displayed outlined, but should have been filled.
  • A DWF file caused exception error.
  • Some images in a DWF file was displayed with transparency, but should have been opaque.
  • Logfile was sometimes not created if a file failed during command line conversion.
  • Exported PDF/A files was sometimes missing color indent and failed preflight check.
  • PDF merge page labels now use the correct case, previously all labels was lowercase.
  • For EAN13 barcodes the last digit is now automatically changed to the checksum of the 12 first digits.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.60 (Apr 5, 2017)

  • New Features:
  • Converting from PDF to PDF with markup and using 100% scale will now retain all the original PDF content like text, layers and more.
  • Markup notes will now be converted to Acrobat text comment during conversion to PDF.
  • Added a new command line option named ComparePDF. This command will load two files, compare them and then save the comparison result to a PDF file.
  • ViewCompanion can use the file name as page label instead of a page number when you merge PDF files to a single PDF. An option to select either label names or page numbers has been added.
  • The markup list will now only show markups that are visible. Markup elements that are placed on layers that are "off" will no longer be listed.
  • Added an option to create legacy RS-274D Gerber files instead of RS-274X (extended) files.
  • Elements with hyperlinks will be converted to web or file links in the exported PDF file.
  • Calibration now has an option to recalculate all existing markup measurements if scaling is changed.
  • If you have Microsoft Office installed you may now open Word, PowerPoint and Excel files directly in ViewCompanion.
  • Web, file and page links in PDF files are now supported.
  • You may now see the content of a text comment in PDF files as a tooltip.
  • Fixed issues:
  • PLT: ViewCompanion could hang forever if a corrupt PLT files was using during command line conversion. We've added extra checks to avoid this.
  • PLT: After conversion to PDF most characters got a black box around them.
  • PLT: Converting a file from customer caused transparency to be lost for most images.
  • Converting a file with margins didn't give expected result. The converted image was always centered even if different left/right and bottom/top margins were defined.
  • DWF file from customer caused an exception error during load.
  • DWF: Some of the text had wrong rotation and alignment.
  • PLT: After conversion to DWF some images lost transparency.
  • DWF: Only 12 pages of a 50 page file was loaded.
  • DWF: Some of the drawing was outside paper and the markup was displaced.
  • DWF: Some of the text was missing due to a clipping error.
  • PDF reader had a memory leak that could cause the displayed file to become white only, after several redraws.
  • The SVG compression option was not stored between sessions.
  • Solid filled markup circles were exported to PDF as outlined circles.
  • Added line style support to Gerber exporter.
  • Export of measurement area element didn't always fill the text background.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.51 (Feb 19, 2017)

  • New Features:
  • You may now press the ALT key while editing a line, polyline or polygon element, to move the whole element.
  • Added an option to control if anti-aliasing should be used when a PDF file is printed. Anti-aliasing can cause thin lines to become almost invisible when printed. This new option can be found under Tools->Options->Application->Advanced. Anti-aliasing is now disabled by default.
  • Fixed issues:
  • Some circles in PDF file was not complete after conversion to DXF.
  • Text in PLT file from customer had wrong orientation.
  • After conversion of PDF file to PLT some of the images was flipped and in wrong place.
  • Almost invisible lines when printing a PDF file with thin lines. Solved by disabling anti-aliasing.
  • A PLT file from customer caused an exception error in 64-bit.
  • Some 32-bit images in a DWFX file become black when converted to TIFF.
  • Some images lost transparency when converted to PDF.
  • PDF file from customer failed to open.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.50 (Jan 5, 2017)

  • New Features:
  • Added setting for creating high resolution PDF files (enabling this will increase file size).
  • Added setting for using conversion DPI when loading GIF files.
  • Added rectangular perimeter measurement element.
  • Added an option to keep raster dpi from input file when converting from raster to raster.
  • Fixed issues:
  • DWF file from customer did not load at all.
  • Some text in DWF file used wrong font height.
  • CGM file from customer loaded with wrong dimensions.
  • Missing images in CGM file from customer.
  • Missing markup images in DWF file from customer.
  • Converting PDF to PLT or DWF : Some images was converted with wrong rotation .
  • Missing tolerance symbol in CGM file from customer.
  • PDF file from customer was displayed blank.
  • Gerber aperture format was not supported.
  • Converting 32-bit images to PDF was missing the alpha channel (transparency).
  • Named views were not loaded for some DWF files.
  • Poor resolution when converting Gerber files to PDF. Enable the new high resolution PDF files setting to avoid this problem.
  • Missing text in DWF file from customer (some text was replaced by empty squares).
  • Markup highlighter element was not filled when converting to PDF.
  • Markup circle element lost hatch style when converted to other formats.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.42 (Sep 30, 2016)

  • Missing text in DWF file from customer due to a clipping error.
  • Opening Calcomp plotter files from customer could randomly cause an application crash.
  • Opening PLT file from customer caused an application crash.
  • Using ViewCompanion with two monitors could sometimes cause the second screen to appear frozen when zooming in.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.41 (Sep 18, 2016)

  • New Features:
  • Batch conversion from PDF to DXF, SVG, CGM and Gerber formats are now available (batch mode PDF to CAD).
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Saving a GIF from customer to any raster format (including GIF) created distorted image.
  • Added font replacement table for PDF to DXF conversion as some PDF fonts are not available in AutoCAD. You may now configure how these PDF specific fonts are to be replaced with Windows/AutoCAD fonts.
  • DWFx file with an image displayed with black background while it should be white.
  • Displaying a DWF with fonts that were not available on the system could show strange characters.
  • Log files were sometimes not created during command line conversion if a configuration file was used.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.40 (Sep 5, 2016)

  • Now places markup on a separate layer in converted files (if layers are supported).
  • The DXF exporter now writes only used layers (previous version always wrote 256 layers).
  • Converting DWF to DXF will now convert any text from the DWF to MTEXT (text) entities.
  • Save As: Markup will now only be included if it's visible (and enabled in markup:General).
  • BUG FIXES:
  • DWF: Some of the drawing elements should be clipped and not visible.
  • Filled paths with sub path (holes) were not converted correctly from PLT to Postscript.
  • Annotation circle element did not use the correct color for hatch lines.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.30 (Aug 5, 2016)

  • New Features:
  • Added an option for enabling/disabling use of background color as defined in DWF file. You will find this option under Tools->Options->Formats->Other->DWF.
  • Added an option for enabling/disabling loading of Autodesk Design Review markups from DWF files. This option is enabled by default and can be found under Tools->Options->Formats->Other->DWF
  • When you save a project you may now choose to set the project as default. A default project will be loaded each time ViewCompanion starts.
  • All subfolders of folders added to a batch print and conversion will now be processed (recursive folder traversal). This behavior may be disabled with a new option under Tools->Options-Advanced.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Converting a PLT file to color GIF gave wrong colors.
  • CGM: Arcs and circles were exported as polylines when converted to DXF.
  • CGM: Polygon set was not displayed correctly.
  • PLT files generated by new KIP 7170 drivers could not be loaded.
  • DWF: File caused an exception error during loading.
  • DWF: Circles drawn with wrong radius.
  • CGM: Text should fit tightly in box.
  • CGM: A text element should have been rotated and oblique.
  • CGM: A text element was not centered correctly.
  • CGM: Spurious lines drawn between filled shapes.
  • CGM: Missing raster images (24 bit cell arrays).
  • Converting a CGM from customer to PDF gave poor accuracy when doing measurements on the resulting PDF.
  • DWF: Some of the text had wrong orientation.
  • CGM: Missing hatch pattern for a shape.
  • Changing text color for measurement area had no effect.
  • Markup dimension line edit dialog: The text position does no longer change unless font is changed after the dialog is closed.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.20 (Jul 11, 2016)

  • If you have Microsoft Office installed on your system, you may now add Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to the list of files to merge in the PDF Merge tool. Doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt and pptx files will be pre-converted to PDF using Microsoft Office, and then added to the merged PDF.
  • Added an option to place log files in a separate folder (Tools->Options->Conversion->Advanced).
  • The settings may also be set using a conversion configuration file.
  • Added support for loading EMZ files (compressed Windows Metafile).
  • Pan State will now stay active even if you zoom the drawing out (e.g.: zoom all).
  • Added an option to disable the information tooltip displayed when the cursor is over an element. (Tools->Options->Markup->Advanced).
  • While measuring a path you may now use control key (CTRL) to draw path segments that should not be included in the measured distance.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • BugDescription
  • Markup XML (vcm) file with many images caused an exception error.
  • A 32-bit PNG image lost transparency when added as markup element.
  • Converting a PLT file from customer to DWF was missing a few raster images.
  • A PDF file from customer took extremely wrong time to load.
  • Text quality for AutoDesk DWF files has been greatly improved. Truetype fonts are now used for display, instead of the previous vector font.
  • AutoDesk DWF files with 3D data are now rejected.
  • Text quality for markup measurement elements (dimension line, area and path) is greatly improved.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.10 (May 3, 2016)

  • Folders can now be added in both batch print and conversion dialogs. All files in the selected folder(s) will be converted or printed. By default *.* will be used as file search mask but this can be modified for each folder.
  • Added option for setting custom background color for markup text elements.
  • Added option for saving all open markup files in the "Markup Save" dialog that is displayed when a file with modified markup is saved.
  • Added new project commands: "Load All Files" and "Remove All Files from Project".
  • Markup elements can now be individually marked as hidden.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • 32-bit PNG images with alpha channel lost transparency when added as markup picture.
  • Markup created by AutoDesk Design Review was not displayed in ViewCompanion.
  • DWF file from customer failed to open in ViewCompanion.
  • Only a maximum of 10 files was added to project if more than 10 files were selected in the Add to Project dialog.
  • ViewCompanion project files (vpr) could not be loaded from command line or by opening in Explorer (when vpr extension was associated to ViewCompanion).
  • DWF file from customer was loaded with invalid extents.
  • Some elements in PLT file from customer had wrong color.
  • Reported resolution (DPI) and physical dimensions was wrong for some PCX files.
  • Sheet properties from DWF files were not loaded.
  • Transparent markup pictures were sometimes displayed with wrong rotation, if the file was rotated

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.05 (Apr 9, 2016)

  • Bug Fixes:
  • DWF files loaded with wrong extents.
  • Wrong height for some of the text elements in CGM file from customer.
  • CGM file not displayed correctly.
  • Text in HPGL/2 file from customer not displayed correctly.
  • Command line conversion from PDF to DXF failed.
  • Doing query on elements in DWF files could sometimes returned wrong results.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.02 (Dec 21, 2015)

  • Missing '(' and ')' characters when converting HPGL/2 file with text to PDF.
  • Missing text in CGM file from customer.
  • Gerber file from customer was not displayed correctly.
  • Gerber file from customer caused application failure.
  • Measurement report sometimes exported 4 columns instead of 5.
  • Drawing polygon: Shape was always filled even if activ mode was outlined.
  • Arrow text : sometimes the line the below text did disappear when text was edited.
  • Converting PDF to CALS could in some rare cases create an invalid CALS file.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 10.00 (Nov 9, 2015)

  • Several user interface changes related to markup. While editing a markup element an editing tab will be activated to make it easy to modify all available properties. Markup elements are now organized in separate categories, like shapes, lines, measurement and so on.
  • Added functions for deleting and adding pages to a multipage document (TIFF/PDF).
  • Added line point editing for markup elements like line, polyline, polygon, area and measurement path.
  • All rectangular elements, and line, can be now drawn using two different methods:
  • Press left mouse button, drag mouse to opposite corner and then release button.
  • Press left mouse button and release it, now move to the opposite corner using the mouse and press the left button again to finish.
  • Added new markup elements: Item counter, Circle and Higlighter.
  • Added new markup elements: Measurement Line and Path.
  • Measurement text color can now be set independent of current markup draw color.
  • Added Measurement Area Summary dialog. You may now quickly summarize all measurements, or a selection of these, and export to Excel (CSV).
  • Individual transparency can now be set for all elements.
  • Markup elements can now be locked to avoid further changes.
  • New markup file naming convention available, you may now use filename.ext.vcm instead of the default filename.vcm.
  • Added a new file format: WebP Image Format. Both reading and writing of this format are supported.
  • Current measurement units can now be selected from the Statusbar.
  • Added snap to drawing geometry when measuring PDF files
  • Added support for text search and extraction for PDF files.
  • PDF Layers are now supported.
  • Improved display quality when comparing TIFF or PDF files.
  • ViewCompanion now asks for a password if a protected PDF files is opened.
  • Several new settings have been added added, including:
  • Hide or show markup area measurement text.
  • Center text in measurement area elements.
  • Transparent measurement area text background.
  • Default transparency for markup elements.
  • Default stamp insertion size.
  • Display markup element delete confirmation dialog.
  • Other GUI changes includes:
  • The ability to merge several files into a single multipage file is now removed from the Batch conversion dialog and moved to a new Merge Files dialog.
  • DWF views are moved to Bookmark pane of the outlook bar.
  • DWF layers are moved to the new Layers pane of the outlook bar.
  • Pens are now displayed as layers in the Layers pane.
  • Added toolbar to markup list.
  • Markup list have new columns available. You may choose which colums to display using the Markup List Settings dialog.
  • This update is compatible with Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 (all editions).
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Bug Description
  • Unicode text in CGM file from customer was not correctly displayed.
  • Missing line styles in CGM file from customer.
  • Missing text in CGM files from customer.
  • Converting PLT with monochrome images could in some rare cases create PDF files that failed Adobe Preflight with an invalid colortable warning.
  • Raster elements in PLT file from customer displayed using wrong color.
  • Compressed CGM files was not supported.
  • CGM files from customer failed conversion to PDF.
  • CGM files from customer caused exception error.
  • Some CGM files loaded with wrong extents.
  • French characters in PLT file from customer not displayed correctly.
  • Display of PDF file from customer took very long time to complete.
  • Undo of deleted dimension line didn't work.
  • Undo of deleted measurement area didn't work .
  • All measurement values are now properly localized - correct use of '.' or ',' for decimal numbers.
  • Hatch pattern for markup elements are now correctly drawn using fill color.
  • Dimension line arrows are now drawn outside if not enough space between extension lines.
  • Doing print preview when using classic interface could cause an application crash.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.22 (Sep 14, 2015)

  • CGM file from customer failed to open.
  • Some PLT files caused application to hang if PGLSupport was enabled.
  • Compressed CGM files failed to open.
  • --- Doing print preview could sometimes cause a crash if classic toolbar/menu interface was used.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.21 (Aug 9, 2015)

  • CGM files from customer loaded with wrong extents.
  • Missing French and Portuguese characters in PLT file from customer.
  • Extremely slow rendering of some pages in PDF file from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.20 (Jul 27, 2015)

  • News features and improvements:
  • Added support for Clear Text encoded CGM files.
  • Added support for PGL plotter files, this is a variant of HPGL/2 that is compressed using GZIP.
  • Calibration now works better while zooming and panning.
  • Markup measurement text is now placed in center of area by default.
  • Drawing markup a measurement area or a dimension line while zooming and panning now works as expected.
  • Drawing a new dimension line now displays a dimension line using the current settings.
  • Current measured distance is now displayed while drawing a new dimension line.
  • Current measured area is now displayed while drawing a new measurement area.
  • Fixed Errors:
  • CGM clear text files failed to open.
  • Splitting a large DWF file to single page DWF files could crash.
  • Text in CGM file from customer had wrong height.
  • PGL files failed to open.
  • Missing French characters in HPGL/2 file from customer.
  • Markup line width will no longer affect dimension line text.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.11 (Jun 25, 2015)

  • News features and improvements:
  • PDF417 barcode format is now available in the add barcode dialog.
  • Added default line width setting for CGM files (used if no linewidth is set in the file).
  • Added default line cap style setting for CGM files.
  • Added setting for enabling/disabling the use of TrueType fonts in CGM files.
  • Fixed Errors:
  • Zero length lines in HPGL file from customer was converted to raster using two pixels instead of one.
  • Printing PDF files on paper sizes larger than A4/Letter could fail (only white page output).
  • Some CGM text was displayed with wrong height.
  • Missing line widths in CGM file from customer.
  • Some CGM files were created with wrong extents (the physical size measured in mm or inch).
  • Page two in PDF file from customer failed to open.
  • The CGM exporter could in some cases set wrong line width for drawing elements.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.10 (May 13, 2015)

  • News features and improvements:
  • PDF Bookmarks are now listed in the Outlook Bar (New bookmark section).
  • New PDF Merge tool added. This tool will merge several PDF files into a single multipage PDF file. All PDF data (markup, text and more) will be retained.
  • New command line parameter for merging several PDF files added, see cmpdf for more information.
  • MarkupXML: Rubber Stamp center and size parameters can now be defined using the percentage of the actual drawing page size. Stamp rotation can now be defined as well.
  • arkupXML: Text center and height parameters can now be defined using the percentage of the actual drawing page size.
  • Fixed Errors:
  • PDF files with wrong page size (caused by PDF user unit).
  • Calcomp plotter files from customer failed to open.
  • CALS file from customer failed to open.
  • A PDF file from customer was not detected as PDF format.
  • Some files TIFF from customer failed to convert to PDF (CCITTG4 compression error).
  • PDF split page tool failed for some PDF files.
  • CGM exporter could in some cases create corrupt CGM files.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.06 (Mar 2, 2015)

  • Error Fixes:
  • Converting HPGL/2 file from customer to PDF using rotation gave offset errors.
  • PDF file from customer was not detected as PDF format.
  • Command line conversion of PDF to TIFF created corrupted files.
  • Batch conversion of PDF files to TIFF or other formats created corrupted files.
  • Some text in HPGL file from customer was not displayed correct.
  • Conversion from DWF, PLT and other formats to SVG now includes raster images.
  • Markup text with several lines using RTL (Hebrew/Arabic) caused only one line to be displayed.
  • Markup undo sometimes gave strange results.
  • Updated PDF reader.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.05 (Jan 20, 2015)

  • Bug Fixes:
  • PDF file from customer caused a crash.
  • Layer dialog was only available for the first page of a multi-page DWF file.
  • On some systems ViewCompanion could create corrupt PDF files (very rare bug).
  • Updated PDF reader.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.02 (Nov 10, 2014)

  • Bug Fixes:
  • Measurement continued to show invalid results in tooltip after measurement was completed.
  • Wrong format was displayed as default when opening batch conversion dialog when last used format was not PDF.
  • Fixed a problem with polygon and rectangle eraser on some graphics cards when using high quality markup drawing (GDI+).
  • A filled area is now displayed while drawing measurement area, polygon and polygon eraser.
  • Updated PDF reader.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.01 (Oct 1, 2014)

  • News features and improvements:
  • Conversion to 1-bit PNG file now uses dithering.
  • Converting multipage PDF to TIFF is now faster and requires less memory.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Measurement snap was snapping to center of circles far away from current mouse position.
  • Batch converting files from customer caused ViewCompanion to crash.
  • In some situations ViewCompanion created distorted GIF files (dependent on dpi and scale combinations).
  • Missing solid fill for elements in CGM file from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 9.00 (Sep 15, 2014)

  • New Features:
  • ViewCompanion Pro can now view, print and convert Adobe PDF files.
  • Added read support for more file formats: PCX, DCX, ECW, EDMICS, JPEG2000 and TGA.
  • The updated Shell Extension can now display a full preview inside Windows Explorer.
  • New Movie Maker tool makes it possible to convert multiple files into a single AVI movie file.
  • Each page in a converted file becomes one frame in the AVI file (configurable frame length).
  • Markup insert symbol dialog now has list of recently used symbols.
  • Added option to toggle "show on all pages" on/off for markup elements. This makes it easy to display e.g. a stamp or image on all pages.
  • Added support for adding Datamatrix 2D barcode as a markup element.
  • Markup text quality has been improved. Text should now look much better in most cases.
  • New feature for copying a part of the displayed drawing and then add this part to symbol library.
  • New feature for pasting an image from clipboard and adding it as a symbol to a library.
  • Markup stamps and symbols are now available from the Ribbon interface.
  • JPEG2000 added as new export format.
  • This update is compatible with Windows 8.1, Windows XP (SP3), Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2012, 7 and 8 (all editions).
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Pen table line end settings did only apply to the first page in an exported multipage file.
  • File was not displayed with correct initial rotation (even if use original rotate option was enabled).
  • DWF file from customer not displayed at all.
  • Wrong font used for HPGL/2 file from customer.
  • Symbol library manager: Delete symbol did in some rare cases delete the wrong symbol from a library.
  • Symbol library manager: Adding symbols smaller than 32x32 pixels caused them to be misaligned.
  • Orthogonal mode didn't work for markup dimension line.
  • HP-RTL exporter didn't support export of multi-page files.
  • Improved the DWF importer with support for many previously unsupported raster image types.
  • Added 32-bit image support to the PLT exporter.
  • Added 32-bit image support to the DWF exporter.
  • Resolution (dpi, or actually pixels per meter) was not written for exported BMP files.
  • Mirror and flip display settings sometimes didn't work for monochrome raster images.
  • Exporting a file with markup text to CGM could cause some of the text to be missing.
  • The file association dialog is moved to a separate application launched in admin mode.
  • The splash screen is now by default off.
  • Several memory leaks fixed (related to dwf loading, conversion to cgm, and raster undo operations).

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.23 (Jun 4, 2014)

  • Bug Fixes:
  • Circle element did loose line style when converted to TIFF or any other raster format.
  • Line styles missing in CGM files from customer.
  • JPEG raster data missing in CGM files from customer.
  • Curves in CGM file from customer had poor resolution.
  • CGM files from customer caused application to crash (exception error).
  • Missing characters in file from customer. This problem was introduced in 8.22 which are no longer available for download.
  • Some CGM files from customer failed to open at all.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.22 (May 20, 2014)

  • Maintenance update:
  • News:
  • Added ADJUSTCOLORS setting to the conversion init file.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Some CGM items in file from customer was converted with wrong color.
  • Missing elements in CGM file from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.21 (Apr 11, 2014)

  • Bug Fixes:
  • Missing and wrong text in plot file from customer.
  • Fixed a problem that could cause all files opened using double-click in Explorer to fail (error message was given).
  • TIFF file from customer was loaded as a blank image when opened from Explorer using double-click.
  • Log files will now include an error code if the conversion fails.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.20 (Mar 10, 2014)

  • New Features:
  • Added n-up printing mode (also known as multiple pages per paper sheet printing).
  • Added a new option to create smaller TIFF files. Previously ViewCompanion could only create multi-strip files, but it can now also create single-strip files, which are usually smaller (in terms of file size).
  • Added support for loading Gerber files. Both RS-274X and RS-274D variants are supported.
  • If log files are enabled, ViewCompanion will now create log files even if the conversion fails. The log file will now include an error code (0 for success).
  • ViewCompanion will now by default create editable PDF files (and not PDF/A which was the default earlier). PDF/A files can still be created, but this format needs to be selected in the Tools->Option dialog.
  • A new stamp option was added. This new stamp contains the user name and a timestamp.
  • Several minor changes and improvements.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Pen table was not used during batch conversion.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.11 (Feb 25, 2014)

  • Converting a file from customer to TIFF with the "Monochrome" option enabled, caused some unwanted black areas to appear.
  • A few PDF/A files created by ViewCompanion may cause warnings and in some rare occurrences error messages, when verified using Adobe Preflight.
  • Fixed a problem related to DDE for Windows XP. Double-clicking a filename in the Explorer Window sometimes gave an error message.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.10 (Jan 21, 2014)

  • New Features:
  • Added support for DWF named views. A new dialog was added where you can see all available views and select one to look at. You can now open a specific view from command line or by using DDE.
  • You can now lock measurement axis by holding the shift key while measuring.
  • You can now zoom in using a higher scale factor on raster images. For the 64-bit version there is now no zoom limit.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Missing an image and a logo in DWFx file from customer.
  • Two pictures at wrong location in PLT file from customer.
  • DWF file from customer loaded with wrong extents.
  • Missing picture in DWF file from customer.
  • Missing text in CGM file from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.03 (Dec 9, 2013)

  • New Features:
  • The /lxml command line parameter can now be used together with /pi. Note that /lxml needs to be first parameter.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Text in PDF file converted from a plot file was displayed in Actobat with bad quality.
  • Adding a new page from external file could cause previous pages to get wrong extents.
  • Markup eraser function sometimes became unavailable.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.02 (Nov 8, 2013)

  • New Features:
  • Added new parameter DXFR12 to the conversion init file.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • TIF files from a customer caused exception error in ViewCompanion.
  • DWF files from a customer was displayed only as a single vertical line.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.01 (Nov 8, 2013)

  • New Features:
  • ViewCompanion can now create PDF files with a maximium extent of 60x60 meters..
  • A new option was added to toggle use of defined paper size in DWF files (Options->Formats->Other).
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Selecting several hundred files in Explorer, and then pressing right-click may cause a crash.
  • This crash was caused by the ViewCompanion Shell Extension and is now fixed.
  • Command line parameter /ro didn't work when converting files using command line.
  • DWF files from customer were not displayed.
  • 32-bit images become black when rotated.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 8.00 (Nov 8, 2013)

  • New Features:
  • Added support for viewing, printing and converting AutoDesk DWF and DWFx file format.
  • Added support for viewing, printing and converting JEDMICS (CG4) file format.
  • Added support exporting to GIF files.
  • A new Shell Extension is available for easy access to conversion and other functions from inside Windows Explorer.
  • A new vector layer dialog has been added to control DWF layer visibility.
  • The file association dialog has been improved.
  • The active printer can now be changed inside print preview.
  • Printer page options (scaling, fit to page and more) can now be changed inside print preview.
  • A new option for disabling the splash screen during startup is available (tools->options->advanced).
  • A new copy active view to clipboard command was added.
  • ViewCompanion can now create layered PDF files.
  • This update is fully compatible with Windows 8.1, in addition to Windows XP (SP3), Vista, 7 and 8, both 32- and 64-bit editions.
  • New Markup Features:
  • A new option for storing/restoring active view to/from markup file was added.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Raster information in file from customer turned black after rotation.
  • HPGL/2 file from customer failed to open.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.45 (Aug 7, 2013)

  • Wipeouts in file from customer did disappear when converted to PDF.
  • Transparent image was not correctly converted to PDF format (transparency lost).
  • Print preview sometimes caused an exception error if classic interface enabled.
  • Markup was sometimes displaced in converted PDF files if margins was used.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.44 (Jun 6, 2013)

  • Bug Fixes:
  • File from customer did not load correctly.
  • Files created by Canon plotter driver was displayed wrong.
  • Some CGM files was displayed using wrong line widths.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.43 (Apr 10, 2013)

  • Added support for CALS type 2 raster format.
  • Fixed:
  • Couldn't export to dwf format if path contained Hebrew named folders.
  • Some images in plot file from customer had wrong colors.
  • Failed to open some Cals files from customer.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.40 (Feb 11, 2013)

  • New Features:
  • Added TRANSPARENTBLT to convert init file.
  • Added a file merge function for combining two files into one.
  • Added Page Setup button for Print Preview Ribbon: It is now possible to modify watermark and footer/header without closing and reentring Print Preview mode.
  • Measurement area text can now be rotated.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • CGM file from customer with missing elements.
  • CGM file from customer had wrong extents.
  • WMF files was not correctly imported into MS Office Word/Powerpoint.
  • Tools->Option OK button was missing on Hebrew version of Windows.
  • Print preview now display watermark below drawing (if selected).

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.33 (Dec 4, 2012)

  • Added ADDMARGINS, MARGINLEFT, MARGINTOP, MARGINBOTTOM, MARGINRIGHT, KEEPPAPERANDCENTER and USEFILEPAPERSIZE to convert init file.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Round line end style (pen table) was not applied to converted file in batch or command line mode.
  • Roman style font was not supported.
  • Missing linestyle for ellipse in file from customer.
  • Registering extensions from the file association dialog did create wrong entries in registry.
  • It was not possible to re-associate a file type to ViewCompanion if it was already assigned to another application.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.30 (Nov 13, 2012)

  • New Features:
  • Measurement calibration function has been added.
  • Added ARCRES to the conversion init file.
  • Undo now works for newly created markup elements.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Danish characters was not supported.
  • Rotation was not applied when creating single multipage files in Batch conversion.
  • First selected file always appeared last in Batch dialogs.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.21 (Sep 21, 2012)

  • Some Postscript files was incorrectly detected as HPGL/2.
  • Converting multipage tiff files to a single multipage pdf file could cause a crash.
  • Memory leaks when loading HPGL files that contains PCL raster text.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.20 (Aug 30, 2012)

  • You can now add margins to exported files.
  • A new option to enable margins has been added to the Tools->Options->Conversion page.
  • If you select a predefined, or a custom, paper size you can now force the exported file to have the exact paper dimensions.
  • A new option to control this behaviour has been added to the Tools->Options->Conversion page.
  • A new tool named Batch Report has been added. This tool can create a report of all your plot files.
  • A DWF Publisher has been added.
  • The PDF Publisher has been modified and now contains more settings/options.
  • If the original file contains text you can now create searchable PDF files.
  • JBIG2 compression is now available when converting to PDF.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.10 (Jun 25, 2012)

  • New Features:
  • Added PDFSTANDARD and PDFTRANSPARENCY options to conversion init file.
  • Added new option to Pen Table : Line End Style.
  • Added support for loading of Calcomp Plotter files.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Entities drawn using pen 0 was ignored. Added new option (HPGL Settings Page) to allow information to be loaded anyway. This option is enabled by default.
  • File from customer caused ViewCompanion to crash.
  • PDF Publisher didnt use current rotation.
  • Fixed problem with connected lines i polylines.

New in ViewCompanion Pro 7.00 (May 7, 2012)

  • New Features:
  • New modern ribbon based GUI. The classic menu based GUI can still be used.
  • ViewCompanion is now available as both 32- and 64-bit application.
  • Save comparison result to file feature added.
  • New Page Extractor feature which makes it easy to split a multi-page document into several single page files.
  • New feature for appending a page from an external file.
  • Added color override to overlays.
  • Added option to set offset for file comparison.
  • Cropping now works for raster files.
  • File compare now works for monochrome raster files.
  • Added support for loading of CGM (computer graphics metafile) format.
  • JPEG Exif information is now listed on a separate page under file information.
  • TIFF Tags is not listed on a separate page under file information.
  • New Markup Features:
  • Stamps can now be rotated.
  • Separate draw and fill color can now be selected from the ribbon.
  • Updated XML markup format to support all markup elements.
  • ViewCompanion can now save XML markup files.
  • ViewCompanion can export markup to many different formats (previously only DXF was available).
  • An additional symbol library has been added (DIN4844-2 Standard Symbols).
  • ViewCompanion 7 has a new binary markup format which is not compatible with earlier versions. If you are working with users that are still using older versions, you can change default format to version 6 compatible from the Markup Options dialog.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • File from customer had connecting lines between polygon areas.
  • Files from customer caused ViewCompanion to crash.
  • Raster image in plotter file displayed with wrong rotation.
  • Loading monochrome PNG files sometimes caused application to crash.
  • Exported PDF files now pass PDF/A validator without errors and warnings.
  • Fixed problem with slow redraw speed in print preview.
  • Fixed many issues related to HP RTL compression method 10 images.
  • Linestyles does now apply for line elements if high quality is enabled.
  • Adding imagefiles with more than 31 characters in filename to a symbol library failed.
  • File Save As now only shows valid export formats (e.g. dxf not listed for raster files).