BricsCAD DWG Compare vs AutoCAD — How Reliable Is It?

[Aniruddha]

Hello everyone,

Has anyone here used the DWG Compare feature in BricsCAD?

I’m curious how it compares to AutoCAD’s DWG Compare, especially when working with larger or more complex drawings.

Does it detect changes in properties like color, line types, etc. as well?

Also, are there any plugins or add-ons for BricsCAD that offer similar or improved functionality?

Any insights or real-world experiences would be really helpful.

 

[Aniruddha]

On 17/04/2026 at 10:03, Aniruddha said:

Hello everyone,

Has anyone here used the DWG Compare feature in BricsCAD?

I’m curious how it compares to AutoCAD’s DWG Compare, especially when working with larger or more complex drawings.

Does it detect changes in properties like color, line types, etc. as well?

Also, are there any plugins or add-ons for BricsCAD that offer similar or improved functionality?

Any insights or real-world experiences would be really helpful.

 

Just following up on this — I did a quick test in BricsCAD and it seems to highlight geometry changes, but I’m not sure how well it handles property changes like color or linetype.

If anyone has used it on larger or real-world drawings, would be great to hear your experience.

Edited April 20 by Aniruddha

[DavidP]

I has most the the features AutoCAD has (including most of the express tools)... we have use both AutoCAD MAP and BricsCAD for a couple of years now and we had majorissues so far.

User find  it works very similar to to AutoCAD the biggest difference is on the setup UI's. 

Personally while using it don't really see any major differences going between the two. 

 

Lisp/fas/VLX:

From my experience most lisp will run out the box but some will need workarounds... so don't so don't expect to download something from the net and expect to work without making any changes (some lisps that use  vla, vlax functions may needed tweaks).  AutoCAD  fas and VLX tools will NOT run so you will need have access to the source code for these lisp.    

 

Dynamic blocks are NOT fully supported, while you are able to use them you may not be able to redefine them (Meaning you may not be able to open them in block editor and make changes).

Best bet for Dynamic blocks is  replace them win BricsCAD parametric blocks (their own take on these).

 

The major issue that kept us form converting all users  to BricsCAD us was the lack of mapping tools... and although BricsCAD has tools that look similar they are not as advance and in some cases lacking on functionality.  Under the surface BricsCAD is very limited here in terms of mapping tools.

 

But I'm still impressed how good it its for the $$. If you don't need Mapping tools I think BricsCAD is a great choice considering it's more affordable.

 

"I’m not sure how well it handles property changes like color or linetype."  I don't see any major differences here.

[Aniruddha]

14 hours ago, DavidP said:

I has most the the features AutoCAD has (including most of the express tools)... we have use both AutoCAD MAP and BricsCAD for a couple of years now and we had majorissues so far.

User find  it works very similar to to AutoCAD the biggest difference is on the setup UI's. 

Personally while using it don't really see any major differences going between the two. 

 

Lisp/fas/VLX:

From my experience most lisp will run out the box but some will need workarounds... so don't so don't expect to download something from the net and expect to work without making any changes (some lisps that use  vla, vlax functions may needed tweaks).  AutoCAD  fas and VLX tools will NOT run so you will need have access to the source code for these lisp.    

 

Dynamic blocks are NOT fully supported, while you are able to use them you may not be able to redefine them (Meaning you may not be able to open them in block editor and make changes).

Best bet for Dynamic blocks is  replace them win BricsCAD parametric blocks (their own take on these).

 

The major issue that kept us form converting all users  to BricsCAD us was the lack of mapping tools... and although BricsCAD has tools that look similar they are not as advance and in some cases lacking on functionality.  Under the surface BricsCAD is very limited here in terms of mapping tools.

 

But I'm still impressed how good it its for the $$. If you don't need Mapping tools I think BricsCAD is a great choice considering it's more affordable.

 

"I’m not sure how well it handles property changes like color or linetype."  I don't see any major differences here.

 

Thanks for the detailed insight — that’s really helpful.

 

Good to know that DWG Compare behaves quite similarly, especially regarding property changes like color and linetype.

Regarding the comparison workflow, did you notice any difference in how changes are highlighted or organized compared to AutoCAD (for example, clarity when reviewing larger drawings)?

 

Also interesting point about LISP and dynamic blocks — have you seen any impact of that when comparing drawings that rely heavily on those?

 

Appreciate you sharing your experience.

[DavidP]

10 hours ago, Aniruddha said:

 

Thanks for the detailed insight — that’s really helpful.

 

Good to know that DWG Compare behaves quite similarly, especially regarding property changes like color and linetype.

Regarding the comparison workflow, did you notice any difference in how changes are highlighted or organized compared to AutoCAD (for example, clarity when reviewing larger drawings)?

 

Also interesting point about LISP and dynamic blocks — have you seen any impact of that when comparing drawings that rely heavily on those?

 

Appreciate you sharing your experience.

I find working in BricsCAD very similar to AutoCAD.  For the dynamic blocks would just  replaced them with the BricsCAD version or just stick to standard blocks.  In terms of clarity I don't see any differences..  The AutoCAD UI is a bit nicer, it AutoCAD Map offers some features BricsCAD doesn't if you don't user them it wont make a difference for you. 

 It feels 100% natural… very similar to using AutoCAD.

Common commands they are nearly identical … you also have the ability to define the alias just like in AutoCAD(pgp file).  Load custom  menus /toolbars (mns). Load Custom Lintypes(lin)..

I would research more about what tools you  depend on?

What Commands?

importing, exporting tools?

Cleanup tools?

And cross check to ensure BricsCAD covers that adequately.

[Aniruddha]

18 hours ago, DavidP said:

I find working in BricsCAD very similar to AutoCAD.  For the dynamic blocks would just  replaced them with the BricsCAD version or just stick to standard blocks.  In terms of clarity I don't see any differences..  The AutoCAD UI is a bit nicer, it AutoCAD Map offers some features BricsCAD doesn't if you don't user them it wont make a difference for you. 

 It feels 100% natural… very similar to using AutoCAD.

Common commands they are nearly identical … you also have the ability to define the alias just like in AutoCAD(pgp file).  Load custom  menus /toolbars (mns). Load Custom Lintypes(lin)..

I would research more about what tools you  depend on?

What Commands?

importing, exporting tools?

Cleanup tools?

And cross check to ensure BricsCAD covers that adequately.

Thanks for the detailed explanation — that gives a much clearer picture.

Good point about focusing on the workflow and tools rather than just feature comparison.

In your experience, when working with drawings that go through multiple revisions, does DWG Compare in BricsCAD stay as reliable as in AutoCAD?

Also, have you noticed any limitations when comparing drawings that contain a lot of blocks or more complex structures?
In my case, I mostly rely on standard drafting commands along with some cleanup tools (like OVERKILL, boundary creation, etc.), and occasional import/export depending on the project.
I’m trying to understand how well BricsCAD handles these in real-world use, especially when drawings get more complex or require frequent revisions.

Appreciate you sharing your insights.

[DavidP]

From my experience it's 100% compatible with the DWG format.

 

It has both the Overkill and  bpoly commands. (I don't have extensive experience using these in it BricsCAD but from what I see it appears to work very similar).

For the average CAD user I would say AutoCAD and  BricsCAD  are fairly equal. 

 

I use AutoCADMAP which has tools that the Base AutoCAD doesn't... and in my case MAP is slightly superior to both AutoCAD and BricsCAD for what I need.

 

I'm not sure what Import/Export features the Base AutoCAD has. I'm guessing it basic compared to AutoCADMAP. 

Example for  shape files BricsCAD import/exporting is very basic... however you can purchase plugins that can fill that gap.

BC imports(dxf,dwg,skp,wmf,emf,...,dae,dgn,obj,3md), Exports(fbx,stl,dwg,dxf,3dm,svg,dgn....) and a few others

GC GISImport(shp), GISExport(shp)

Attach: (dwg,pdf,image,point cloud)

 

AutoCAD Reliability :  AutoCAD has DWG ,BAK, $ac (files). Including auto save scheduling, file Audit, file recovery. This  should tell you something how reliable AutoCAD is.  Very often the only thing that saves us is daily backups. I been using AutoCAD since version 11 and reliability of files is not something AutoCAD has going for it... but you learn to backup, backup and backup. 

 

They have a 30day trial... install and give a shot: 

Most commands are the same, some tools may have a different name so you may need to search the web, check help or check in the BC forum to  figure it out.

https://www.bricsys.com/bricscad-download

 

[Aniruddha]

On 22/04/2026 at 21:24, DavidP said:

From my experience it's 100% compatible with the DWG format.

 

It has both the Overkill and  bpoly commands. (I don't have extensive experience using these in it BricsCAD but from what I see it appears to work very similar).

For the average CAD user I would say AutoCAD and  BricsCAD  are fairly equal. 

 

I use AutoCADMAP which has tools that the Base AutoCAD doesn't... and in my case MAP is slightly superior to both AutoCAD and BricsCAD for what I need.

 

I'm not sure what Import/Export features the Base AutoCAD has. I'm guessing it basic compared to AutoCADMAP. 

Example for  shape files BricsCAD import/exporting is very basic... however you can purchase plugins that can fill that gap.

BC imports(dxf,dwg,skp,wmf,emf,...,dae,dgn,obj,3md), Exports(fbx,stl,dwg,dxf,3dm,svg,dgn....) and a few others

GC GISImport(shp), GISExport(shp)

Attach: (dwg,pdf,image,point cloud)

 

AutoCAD Reliability :  AutoCAD has DWG ,BAK, $ac (files). Including auto save scheduling, file Audit, file recovery. This  should tell you something how reliable AutoCAD is.  Very often the only thing that saves us is daily backups. I been using AutoCAD since version 11 and reliability of files is not something AutoCAD has going for it... but you learn to backup, backup and backup. 

 

They have a 30day trial... install and give a shot: 

Most commands are the same, some tools may have a different name so you may need to search the web, check help or check in the BC forum to  figure it out.

https://www.bricsys.com/bricscad-download

 

Thanks for taking the time to share such a detailed explanation — that really helped clarify things.

It seems like for general drafting and typical workflows, BricsCAD is quite comparable, but the differences really come down to specific tools and use cases (especially things like MAP features and GIS workflows).

I’ll explore it a bit more based on my requirements and give the trial a try as well.

Appreciate all the insights — this was very helpful.

Thank You