Frequently Asked Questions - Revision history

ANK at 13:45, 8 September 2026

2026-09-08T13:45:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:45, 8 September 2026
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	Please find FAQ on our'''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ OCAD website]'''.		Please find FAQ on our '''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ OCAD website]'''.

ANK: Replaced content with "Please find FAQ on our'''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ OCAD website]'''."

2026-09-08T13:45:13Z

Replaced content with "Please find FAQ on our'''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ OCAD website]'''."

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	~~We regularly receive support requests from our users, which we not only try to answer, but also take as an opportunity to update our OCAD Wiki or publish blog posts.~~		Please find FAQ on our'''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ OCAD website]'''.

	~~[[File:Hint.jpg]]~~ Please find ~~more~~ FAQ on our'''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ OCAD website]'''.


	~~'''Q: What is a good way to print orienteering maps?'''<br>~~
	A: Visit the OCAD Wiki page [[Course_Setting_Printing\|Course Setting Printing]] which provides an overview of how orienteering courses can be printed. See also the sildes from [https://www.swiss-orienteering.ch/files/03-KK-Tagung_2024_Kartendruck.pdf Swiss Mapping Coference] on the subject of printing quality (German only).


	~~'''Q: I have inserted a logo as a background image, but now my map appears pixelated in the PDF export. Why is that?'''<br>~~
	A: You have loaded the logo as a background map, which will rasterize the entire map when exporting a PDF file. Instead, you should link or embed the logo in the Layout menu. See this [[Create_a_Layout#Add_logos\|OCAD Wiki page]] for more information.


	~~'''Q: Can I activate OCAD also on my Windows tablet?'''<br>~~
	A: [https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/#subscription-model Single User licenses] can be activated automatically on 1 device. To allow the use on several own devices at the same time (desktop, notebook, field tablet) further activations for own devices can be granted by OCAD on request. Please contact support@ocad.com in this case.

	~~OCAD Team licenses can only be activated on one device at the same time.~~


	~~'''Q: When I have two controls that interfere (#3 & #4), how can I cut the circles in a way that it only affects one course and not all courses?'''<br>~~
	~~A: You cannot cut a control circle only for a specific course. You would need to export [[Course_Setting_Export#Export_Course_Maps\|Course Maps]] and cut the circles there.~~


	~~'''Q: Is there any feature to export a list of unspecified symbols (layer names) in an OCAD file? The layers are an input from a DXF file.'''<br>~~
	~~A: When you import DXF files, all objects are initially converted to [[Unsymbolized_Objects\|Unsymbolized Objects]].~~

	~~First option:<br>~~
	~~- Go to Convert Imported Layers to Symbols in the Map menu<br>~~
	~~- Click on Add All and then save the CRT file<br>~~

	~~Second option:<br>~~
	~~- Go to menu Map Information in the Map menu<br>~~
	~~- Choose the tab Imported Layers<br>~~
	~~- Click on Report~~

	~~See also our blog post [https://ocad.com/blog/2024/09/assign-unsymbolized-objects-to-ocad-symbols/ how to assign unsymbolized objects to OCAD symbols].~~


	~~'''Q: I'm course setter for a competition and got the map as PDF document. When I try to load it as background, I get an error message. Why?'''<br>~~
	A: OCAD can not [[Background_Map#Open_pdf_as_Background_Map\|open a vector PDF as background map]] in a Course Setting file directly. You first need to install Ghostscript, which converts the PDF to a raster image (JPG) and then loads the raster image as background map. In such a case, it would be better if the map maker or map publisher directly sends the map as PNG file, which gives better results than the JPG file.

	~~However, it' still best to work with the OCAD file. To protect an .ocd file, map makers or map publishers can also send it as [[Encrypted_OCAD_File\|encrypted file]] (.eocd) to the course setter.~~


	~~'''Q: Our course setting file has become larger with each revision, although the information content has not changed significantly. In the end we were at an unwieldy 25 MB'''<br>~~
	~~A: Choose the command [[Map#Optimize_and_Repair\|Optimize and Repair]] to optimize (reduce) the size of the map file or course setting file. This function reduces the size of your file down to 0.5 MB.~~


	~~'''Q: I have a map with Lidar. When I removed the Lidar curves to send the file to the club, the curves change to thin red lines.'''<br>~~
	A: As you only deleted the symbols for the Lidar curves and not the objects itself, they had become so-called [[Unsymbolized_Objects\|objects without symbol]]. Go to menu Select > Selects Object by Symbol >Select Objects with unknown symbol to delete these objects.
	~~To delete all objects of a symbol, right-click the symbol in the symbol box and choose Select Objects by Symbol and delete the selected objects.~~

	~~Run the Optimize and Repair command at the end to reduce the file size~~.

ANK at 14:16, 28 July 2025

2025-07-28T14:16:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:16, 28 July 2025
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	[[File:~~Achtung~~.~~PNG~~]] ~~This~~ page is ~~not supported anymore~~. ~~Please visit~~ the '''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ ~~FAQ~~ our ~~homepage~~]'''.		We regularly receive support requests from our users, which we not only try to answer, but also take as an opportunity to update our OCAD Wiki or publish blog posts.

			[[File:Hint.jpg]] Please find more FAQ on our'''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ OCAD website]'''.


			'''Q: What is a good way to print orienteering maps?'''<br>
			A: Visit the OCAD Wiki page [[Course_Setting_Printing\|Course Setting Printing]] which provides an overview of how orienteering courses can be printed. See also the sildes from [https://www.swiss-orienteering.ch/files/03-KK-Tagung_2024_Kartendruck.pdf Swiss Mapping Coference] on the subject of printing quality (German only).


			'''Q: I have inserted a logo as a background image, but now my map appears pixelated in the PDF export. Why is that?'''<br>
			A: You have loaded the logo as a background map, which will rasterize the entire map when exporting a PDF file. Instead, you should link or embed the logo in the Layout menu. See this [[Create_a_Layout#Add_logos\|OCAD Wiki page]] for more information.


			'''Q: Can I activate OCAD also on my Windows tablet?'''<br>
			A: [https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/#subscription-model Single User licenses] can be activated automatically on 1 device. To allow the use on several own devices at the same time (desktop, notebook, field tablet) further activations for own devices can be granted by OCAD on request. Please contact support@ocad.com in this case.

			OCAD Team licenses can only be activated on one device at the same time.


			'''Q: When I have two controls that interfere (#3 & #4), how can I cut the circles in a way that it only affects one course and not all courses?'''<br>
			A: You cannot cut a control circle only for a specific course. You would need to export [[Course_Setting_Export#Export_Course_Maps\|Course Maps]] and cut the circles there.


			'''Q: Is there any feature to export a list of unspecified symbols (layer names) in an OCAD file? The layers are an input from a DXF file.'''<br>
			A: When you import DXF files, all objects are initially converted to [[Unsymbolized_Objects\|Unsymbolized Objects]].

			First option:<br>
			- Go to Convert Imported Layers to Symbols in the Map menu<br>
			- Click on Add All and then save the CRT file<br>

			Second option:<br>
			- Go to menu Map Information in the Map menu<br>
			- Choose the tab Imported Layers<br>
			- Click on Report

			See also our blog post [https://ocad.com/blog/2024/09/assign-unsymbolized-objects-to-ocad-symbols/ how to assign unsymbolized objects to OCAD symbols].


			'''Q: I'm course setter for a competition and got the map as PDF document. When I try to load it as background, I get an error message. Why?'''<br>
			A: OCAD can not [[Background_Map#Open_pdf_as_Background_Map\|open a vector PDF as background map]] in a Course Setting file directly. You first need to install Ghostscript, which converts the PDF to a raster image (JPG) and then loads the raster image as background map. In such a case, it would be better if the map maker or map publisher directly sends the map as PNG file, which gives better results than the JPG file.

			However, it' still best to work with the OCAD file. To protect an .ocd file, map makers or map publishers can also send it as [[Encrypted_OCAD_File\|encrypted file]] (.eocd) to the course setter.


			'''Q: Our course setting file has become larger with each revision, although the information content has not changed significantly. In the end we were at an unwieldy 25 MB'''<br>
			A: Choose the command [[Map#Optimize_and_Repair\|Optimize and Repair]] to optimize (reduce) the size of the map file or course setting file. This function reduces the size of your file down to 0.5 MB.


			'''Q: I have a map with Lidar. When I removed the Lidar curves to send the file to the club, the curves change to thin red lines.'''<br>
			A: As you only deleted the symbols for the Lidar curves and not the objects itself, they had become so-called [[Unsymbolized_Objects\|objects without symbol]]. Go to menu Select > Selects Object by Symbol >Select Objects with unknown symbol to delete these objects.
			To delete all objects of a symbol, right-click the symbol in the symbol box and choose Select Objects by Symbol and delete the selected objects.

			Run the Optimize and Repair command at the end to reduce the file size.

ANK: Replaced content with "File:Achtung.PNG This page is not supported anymore. Please visit the '''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ FAQ our homepage]'''."

2018-08-24T09:51:18Z

Replaced content with "File:Achtung.PNG This page is not supported anymore. Please visit the '''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ FAQ our homepage]'''."

Show changes

ANK at 08:00, 24 August 2018

2018-08-24T08:00:50Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:00, 24 August 2018
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			[[File:Achtung.PNG]] This page is not up-to-date. Please visit the '''[https://www.ocad.com/en/faq/ FAQ our homepage]'''.


	=English=		=English=

ANK: /* Was bedeutet das Abo-Modell für mich? */

2018-05-15T07:56:47Z

Was bedeutet das Abo-Modell für mich?

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:56, 15 May 2018
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	===Was bedeutet das Abo-Modell für mich?===		===Was bedeutet das Abo-Modell für mich?===
	Durch die Einführung des Abo-Modells erwirb man die Nutzung von OCAD neu für ~~ein Jahr~~. Danach musst das Abo verlängert werden, um nach wie vor von der Nutzung, Weiterentwicklung und Supportleistungen von OCAD profitieren zu können. Etwa 2 Monate vor dem Ablauf des Abos wird auf den Kündigungstermin aufmerksam gemacht. Mit dem kostenfreien und mitinstallierten OCAD-Viewer können OCAD-Dateien auch nach Ablauf der Abos jederzeit geöffnet und ausgedruckt werden.		Durch die Einführung des Abo-Modells erwirb man die Nutzung von OCAD neu für 1 oder 3 Jahre. Danach musst das Abo verlängert werden, um nach wie vor von der Nutzung, Weiterentwicklung und Supportleistungen von OCAD profitieren zu können. Etwa 2 Monate vor dem Ablauf des Abos wird auf den Kündigungstermin aufmerksam gemacht. Mit dem kostenfreien und mitinstallierten OCAD-Viewer können OCAD-Dateien auch nach Ablauf der Abos jederzeit geöffnet und ausgedruckt werden.

	===Warum bietet OCAD keine Lifetime-Lizenzen mehr an?===		===Warum bietet OCAD keine Lifetime-Lizenzen mehr an?===

ANK: /* What does the subscription model mean to me? */

2018-05-15T07:56:30Z

What does the subscription model mean to me?

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:56, 15 May 2018
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	===What does the subscription model mean to me?===		===What does the subscription model mean to me?===
	By introducing the subscription model, you can purchase OCAD for ~~one year~~. After that, you have to renew your subscription to continue to use OCAD and benefit from the further development and support services. You will be informed of the cancellation date about 2 months before the expiry of the subscription. With the free and co-installed OCAD Viewer, you can open and print your map files at any time, even after the subscription period has expired.		By introducing the subscription model, you can purchase OCAD for 1 or 3years. After that, you have to renew your subscription to continue to use OCAD and benefit from the further development and support services. You will be informed of the cancellation date about 2 months before the expiry of the subscription. With the free and co-installed OCAD Viewer, you can open and print your map files at any time, even after the subscription period has expired.

	===Why does OCAD no longer offer lifetime licenses?===		===Why does OCAD no longer offer lifetime licenses?===

ANK: /* Does OCAD 2018 require an internet connection when using it? */

2018-05-15T07:05:08Z

Does OCAD 2018 require an internet connection when using it?

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:05, 15 May 2018
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	* for license activation		* for license activation
	* to transfer your license from one user to another		* to transfer your license from one user to another
	* ~~to activate your license after~~ a ~~license transfer~~		* once within 90 days for a periodic subscrition verification

	There is no internet connection required for daily work.		There is no internet connection required for daily work.

ANK: /* Muss ich online sein um OCAD 2018 zu nutzen? */

2018-05-15T07:04:10Z

Muss ich online sein um OCAD 2018 zu nutzen?

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:04, 15 May 2018
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	===Muss ich online sein um OCAD 2018 zu nutzen?===		===Muss ich online sein um OCAD 2018 zu nutzen?===

	~~Sie müssen online sein…~~		OCAD 2018 benötigt eine Internetverbindung...

	*um OCAD 2018 nach der Installation zu aktivieren		*um Ihre Lizenz zu aktivieren.
	*um Ihre Lizenz zu ~~transferieren~~		*um Ihre Lizenz von einem Nutzer zum anderen zu transferieren.
	*um Ihre Lizenz ~~nach~~ einem ~~Lizenztransfer~~ zu ~~wieder zu aktivieren~~		*alle 90 Tage mindestens einmal um die Gültigkeit Ihres Abos zu prüfen.
	*alle 90 Tage mindestens einmal
			Für den täglichen Gebrauch von OCAD 2018 brauchen Sie keine Internetverbindung.

	==Abo Optionen==		==Abo Optionen==

ANK: /* Do I need to be online? */

2018-05-15T07:01:14Z

Do I need to be online?

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:01, 15 May 2018
Line 36:		Line 36:
	Yes, after the subscription expired the OCAD files can be opened/viewed and printed with the installed OCAD Viewer.		Yes, after the subscription expired the OCAD files can be opened/viewed and printed with the installed OCAD Viewer.

	===~~Do I need to be online~~?===		===Does OCAD 2018 require an internet connection when using it?===

	~~You need to be online…~~		OCAD 2018 requires an internet connection…

	* ~~to activate OCAD 2018 after the installation~~		* for license activation
	* to transfer your license		* to transfer your license from one user to another
	* to activate your license after a license transfer		* to activate your license after a license transfer
	* at least once every 90 days
			There is no internet connection required for daily work.

	==Subscription Options==		==Subscription Options==