Architectural practice
without the compromise.
At a glance
Strong fit
BricsCAD gives you familiar DWG-native CAD at a lower cost, but the project is still a folder of drawings with sheet numbers in a spreadsheet. Synaps keeps DWG round-trip and adds project memory, linked views, and sheet sets, without per-file layout administration.
Side by side
Feature-by-feature comparison of Synaps and BricsCAD Pro.
| Feature | Synaps | BricsCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Primary unit | Project with linked views | DWG file per drawing |
| Sheet sets | Built-in, auto-numbered | Layouts + viewports per file |
| Linked plan / section / detail | Live across edits | Xref + layout discipline |
| Office libraries | Publish / edit / view roles | Tool palettes + block libraries |
| DWG round-trip | Yes | Native |
| BIM (BricsCAD BIM) | Not the goal | Available in BIM edition |
| PDF issue | Sheet-set-aware | Plot layout per DWG |
| Pricing model | Per editor, monthly | Perpetual or subscription |
Honest tradeoffs
Migration path
A two-week pilot on a live job. If documentation does not get faster, stop, even if the comparison reads in our favour.
Import one DWG library slice. Pick one live sheet set to own in Synaps.
Run internal review in Synaps. BricsCAD stays open for legacy exports.
Issue one PDF set from Synaps. Compare hours against the BricsCAD workflow.
Yes, Synaps reads and writes DWG for round-trip with BricsCAD and other CAD tools.
BricsCAD BIM stays your coordination surface if you use it. Synaps targets documentation, not federated clash detection.
Per editor, often yes, and without perpetual upgrade cycles. Compare total cost on a two-week pilot, not list price alone.
Yes. Synaps exports DWG and PDF. Many studios keep BricsCAD as a compatibility export path during transition.
More comparisons