Tag Archives: Professional Map Making

OCAD App – Public Release

We have officially released the OCAD App!
We are pleased to introduce the new app to you in this short video.

The OCAD App was developed to make mapping directly in the field as efficient and ergonomic as possible on mobile devices.

Let us introduce you to a few smart features of the new app that you will love.

Single Color Erasing
The eraser tool (1) can be used to delete all sketches when the user taps and drags the eraser across the map.
The single-color eraser allows the user to erase sketches of a specific sketch color. In this example the black sketch color is selected, and the “erase single color” behavior (2) is activated to only erase the black ‘T’ and preserve the other sketches.

Configurable Zoom Buttons
The App has three configurable buttons which can be set to different zoom scales. They are not set to any specific numeric scale.
When tapping one of these zoom buttons the app will go to the specified scale, auto-rotate and auto-center the map (if the device has a compass and GPS).

The Re-Shape Selection Behavior
The geometry of an existing object can be changed by using the re-shape behavior. Select an object and tap the re-shape behavior button. Starting on the edge of the object, draw the new geometry.

Re-using Geometry – Following
When using the curve behavior, it is possible to follow the geometry of one or more other existing line or area objects by using the follow option.
In the following example the green area is drawn following the track.

You can find more information about the app at www.ocad.com/app.

Have fun exploring the OCAD App and its new features!

OCAD App – Update Available

Review of OCAD Development 2025

Leave a reply

We hope you all had a good start to the new year and wish you all the best for 2026.

In this blog post, we look back at the most important OCAD innovations of the past year.

Improved PDF Export for Course Setting

You can now define a reverse side for PDF exports. This option allows you to export a PDF with two pages for double-sided printing. See this blog post for more information and application examples.

The reverse side option adds to a long list of useful features to make it easier to export orienteering courses. These include the Define Paper Size feature for displaying a print area and the Canvas feature for exporting orienteering maps in different scales or layouts.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is FeatureMapComparisonStone.png

License Management Improvements

OCAD licenses can be transferred if, for example, another person is to work with OCAD or OCAD is to be used on another device.

To transfer an OCAD license, you should use the License Transfer Utility in the OCAD Help menu. This function deactivates the OCAD license on your computer and allows you to activate this license on another device.

OCAD Single User licenses can now be activated independently on a new device, even if the old device is no longer accessible!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is DefinePaperSize.png

Base Colors: Color Management Made Easy

We added an option to the Colors dialog to define Base Colors, to makes color management easier for people who print maps.

This way, only a few base colors need to be defined, and each color in the color table can be assigned to one of those base colors, which determines its color value. When changing the CMYK values of the base colors, the derived colors change too.

See this blog post for more information.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is OpenGeoviewer_DragDirection-1.png

OCAD App – Beta Release

At the end of 2025, we were able to announce another milestone in the history of OCAD AG. We released a beta version of the OCAD App, which replaces the OCAD Sketch App.

With the new app, we are taking mapping on mobile devices to a whole new level. While the previous OCAD Sketch App only allowed you to sketch, the new OCAD App enables you to edit the entire map. There are also many improvements to make mapping in the field even more ergonomic and efficient.

Discover the OCAD App at www.ocad.com/app.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is SketchAppUpdate1p4.png

OCAD App – Beta Release

2 Replies

We are delighted to announce another milestone in the development of OCAD.

The OCAD App is now available as a beta version!

With the OCAD App, we are taking map making on mobile devices to a new level. While the previous OCAD Sketch App only allowed you to sketch, the new OCAD App enables you to edit the entire map. There are also many improvements to make mapping in the field even more ergonomic and efficient.

Discover the OCAD App at www.ocad.com/app.

Review of OCAD Development 2024

4 Replies

We hope you all had a good start to the new year and wish you all the best for 2025.

In this blog post, we give you an update on the most important OCAD innovations from last year.

Feature Map – Get more out of your LiDAR Data
The Feature Map can be used to recognize objects close to the ground such as stones, walls, tree trunks, fences, or cars which were previously not or only poorly recognizable on background maps that can be created with the DEM Wizard in OCAD.

Define Paper Size
OCAD has been enhanced with the Define Paper Size function to make it easier to display a print area or create a map layout. The paper size is visible in the drawing area and the area outside is grayed out.

Apple Look Around Viewer added to OCAD
The Apple Look Around Viewer now offers itself as a real alternative to Google Street View, as it can be more up-to-date and more comprehensive depending on the area. It has therefore been added to our list of Geoviewer.

OCAD Sketch App Improvements
We have added some new features to the OCAD Sketch App: Sketch colors can now be filtered and sorted, zoom buttons can be hidden, the eraser can be resized, the sketch layer can be hidden or just dimmed and background layers can be shown or hidden all at once.

OCAD Blog

OCAD the Smart Software for Cartography