nanoCAD_EX

nanoCAD_EX

Live data bridge between nanoCAD and Excel — select, insert, update, highlight and delete block references with attribute data directly from the Excel ribbon

New release
Free · Premium
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Step 1 — with an attributed block in your drawing, click Select Blocks; nanoCAD switches to selection mode. Step 2 — pick the blocks and right-click to finish: the link is created and the attributes, plus one chosen parameter, flow into the sheet.
The block’s attribute values land in the Excel sheet.
To generate blocks, enter the block name in its column, select the rows and click Insert Selected; nanoCAD switches to insertion mode, where you pick each insertion point.
Updating attributes — change the values in the sheet and click Update; the block attributes update to match.
Automatic block-placement mode — point it at the columns holding the offset values (relative coordinates).
Just for fun: I asked Claude Code to turn the Mona Lisa into relative coordinates — here is what came out )))

General usage instructions

nanoCAD_EX is a live data bridge between nanoCAD and Excel. Select, insert, update, highlight and delete block references — with all of their attribute data — directly from a dedicated tab in the Excel ribbon.

How it works: a named-pipe server starts automatically when nanoCAD loads the plugin, and a “nanoCAD_EX” tab appears in the Excel ribbon — no macros, no scripting, no manual export/import. All operations are triggered from Excel; the plugin handles the nanoCAD side transparently.

It is built for engineers and designers who work with nanoCAD block libraries — HVAC equipment, electrical components, structural elements — and need to manage attribute data in bulk without manual re-entry.

All core features (Select, Insert, Update, Highlight, Delete) are free. Get Parameters and Update Parameters — reading and writing dynamic block parameter values — require a paid Premium license, activated online per machine. Purchasing supports the Vixeldorf project, most of whose tools are free.

Key features

  • Select Blocks — select block references in nanoCAD; attribute data (tags + values) appears in the active Excel sheet instantly.
  • Insert Selected — prepare rows in Excel (block name + attribute values), click Insert Selected, then click insertion points in nanoCAD; blocks are placed with all attributes pre-filled.
  • Update Blocks — edit attribute values in Excel and push them back to nanoCAD block references in one click, no re-insertion needed.
  • Highlight — select a row in Excel; nanoCAD pans, zooms to the corresponding block and highlights it in the viewport.
  • Delete Blocks — remove block references from the drawing and clear the corresponding Excel rows in a single operation.
  • Get Parameters (Premium) — retrieve dynamic block parameter values (visibility states, size, etc.) for selected blocks into a dedicated Parameters sheet.
  • Update Parameters (Premium) — push edited parameter values from the Parameters sheet back to nanoCAD dynamic blocks.

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