Monthly Archives: February 2023

64bit vs 32bit OCAD version

The latest OCAD update no longer creates a 32-bit version for most users.

What version of OCAD is installed?

For OCAD Orienteering, OCAD Starter, OCAD Course Setting and OCAD Viewer, OCAD Setup will only install the 64-bit version.

Note: In the past, certain features were only available in the 32-bit version (e.g. real-time GPS). These features now also work in the 64-bit version.

For OCAD Mapping Solution, OCAD Setup still installs both the 64-bit and 32-bit versions.
The reason for this is that some database features are not available in both versions:
– Microsoft Access database files depend on the installed version of the Access Database Engine.
– dbf database file cannot be used in OCAD 64-bit version

What does this mean for you?

You may have to recreate some OCAD shortcuts.
Go to C:\Program Files\OCAD\OCAD 2018 Orienteering. There you will find the ‘OCAD 2018 Orienteering.exe’. Right-click on it and Create Shortcut.

Otherwise you will not notice any effect.

What’s the difference between the 64-bit and 32-bit versions of OCAD?

The 64-bit version of OCAD isn’t faster than the 32-bit version, but it can allocate more RAM. This is important when loading large raster background maps or DEM files.

Other things to note

Almost all computers today run a 64-bit version of Windows. However, if the installed Windows version is 32-bit, OCAD will only install a 32-bit version of OCAD.


Did you know? Free licenses for OCAD training courses!

We regularly receive requests from orienteering clubs who are planning a course setting or mapping course for their members and need OCAD licenses.

We are happy to provide a free OCAD training license for this purpose. The license can be installed and used by the members on their own devices for the duration of the training course.

Example:
– Training license for a 2 week course setting course with 5 participants.
– Training license for a 5 week map making course with 20 participants.

Advantages:
Unlike the OCAD Trial version, the training license does not contain any restrictions and can also be used by users who have already installed an OCAD Trial version.

How do I get a license?
Send an email to info@ocad.com with the following information:
– Club name
– Which edition you want (OCAD Course Setting, OCAD Starter, OCAD Orienteering)
– Course start date
– Course end date
– Number of expected participants

We look forward to hearing from you!