Carlson Software released the 2025 version of their desktop products on July 11, 2024.

With the 2025 release, Carlson has upgraded the IntelliCAD “experience” and now defaults to IntelliCAD 12 which is a major upgrade! Click here to review all the updates in the new 2025 software.

Carlson 2025 products can be installed with (included) IntelliCAD 11.1 and 12.1 or on top of your separately purchased license of AutoCAD 2019-2025.
Carlson’s 2025 products with embedded AutoCAD (OEM) are expected to be released within the next few weeks.

If you are currently running Carlson and have an active maintenance contract, you are eligible for a free upgrade to Carlson Software 2025. You will need your 2024 serial number and can use this Lookup screen to find your new 2025 serial number.

If you’re a past customer of That CAD Girl or Carlson CAD Solutions, you may be able to find your Carlson Customer ID, serial numbers and maintenance reports on your  Customer Portal.

FAQ: What are the improvements to Carlson over previous versions? (a running thread)

FAQ: What you should know about purchasing Carlson Software

Carlson Software released the 2024 version of their desktop products on October 16, 2023.

With the 2024 release, Carlson has upgraded the IntelliCAD “experience” and now defaults to IntelliCAD 11 which is a major upgrade! Click here to review all the updates in the new 2024 software.

Carlson 2024 products can be installed with (included) IntelliCAD 10.1a or 11.1 or on top of your separately purchased license of AutoCAD 2018-2024.

Carlson Survey and Takeoff 2024 with embedded AutoCAD (OEM) are expected to be released within the next few weeks.

Any user who has purchases a new Survey or Takeoff with embedded AutoCAD (OEM) within 30 days of the new release will receive an automatic upgrade. If this applies to you, please Email us and we’ll make sure you get your free upgrade.

If you are currently running Carlson and have an active maintenance contract, you are eligible for a free upgrade to Carlson Software 2024. You will need your 2023 serial number and can use this Lookup screen to find your 2024 serial number.

If you’re a past customer of That CAD Girl, you may be able to find your Carlson Customer ID, serial numbers and maintenance reports on your That CAD Girl Customer Portal.

Request Pricing for upgrade

FAQ: What are the improvements to Carlson over previous versions? (a running thread)

FAQ: What you should know about purchasing Carlson Software

We have some news to share! And it’s guaranteed to be…

A WIN for YOU – our current or future customers!

A WIN for Carlson Software!

A WIN for That CAD Girl and Carlson CAD Solutions!

I can’t believe it’s been 22 years since I launched That CAD Girl… wow! That’s so long ago you can be forgiven for not remembering that That CAD Girl started out by providing support and training for Land Desktop and Civil 3D 😊

By 2007, That CAD Girl had already changed directions by providing support and training for Carlson Software’s desktop products. When Carlson approached me about becoming an Authorized Reseller, I agreed, and the race was on!

Thanks to you, and the trust you’ve shown by sticking with me, That CAD Girl has been the top reseller of Carlson Software’s desktop products since 2010.

I truly believe the reason we’ve had such success as a Carlson Authorized Reseller is because we offer support and training – before and after the sale. Like our motto says – That CAD Girl helps you buy what you need – and use what you buy!

The down-side of all that success with selling software is that it left me with hardly any time for training – and I’m not complaining… it’s been a good problem to have!

Claire DiBlasi officially came on-board as “That CAD Girl’s Right-Hand” back in 2021. Our goal was for her to, eventually, handle all the software sales so I could get back to training. Claire is such a rock-star – she learned to fill my shoes in less than two years! She’s been handling most of the sales and maintenance renewal orders for a while now and I feel so blessed to have found someone who takes care of our customers the way I would. There have been so many times that I’ve read her emailed response to someone and had to double-check to make sure I hadn’t written it myself. You are in good hands with Claire!

Now for that News I mentioned up top… we have decided to let Claire launch a new division of That CAD Girl called Carlson CAD Solutions that will focus exclusively on sales of Carlson Software!

This will allow me to focus all future efforts of That CAD Girl on training and support of CAD and Carlson Software for the benefit of end-users, other software dealers and Carlson Software (the Company) – WIN! – WIN! – WIN!

What, exactly, will be changing?
We have a new website at CarlsonCADSolutions.com that will become the Online Store for software. If you need to purchase new licenses of Carlson Software or request custom pricing for upgrades and maintenance renewals, please visit CarlsonCADSolutions.com.

The current site at ThatCADGirl.com will soon transition into one that is dedicated ONLY to support and training of CAD and Carlson Software. We will no longer sell software on this website.

Sales of Carlson from CarlsonCADSolutions.com will offer the best discounts in addition to all the same FREE training from That CAD Girl that you’ve received in the past.

What isn’t changing? That CAD Girl WILL CONTINUE to help you buy what you need – and use what you buy!

What other changes are coming?

• There will be a lot of cross-pollination… CarlsonCADSolutions.com will provide links to ThatCADGirl.com for training and support AND CarlsonCADSolutions.com will link to CarlsonCADSolutions.com and/or other trusted partners
• Claire has a new phone number and email address!
  She’ll start using [email protected] and will gradually let her old @ThatCADGirl.com email forward to my [email protected] address before it is eventually deactivated. The new phone number for Claire and Carlson CAD Solutions is (804) CARLSON – or (804) 227-5766
• For now, That CAD Girl and Carlson CAD Solutions will have a shared Customer Portal. However, there will eventually be two separate portals – one for managing software licenses and the other for accessing links, recordings and certificates for training.

Please have patience with us for the next few weeks as we work to sort out the logistics of covering sales, support and training going forward. We want to organize services between Claire and me, and the two websites in a logical fashion with a goal of making it easy for you to find what you’re looking for.

We are sincerely relying on your feedback about what you like, and what you don’t, so don’t be shy! Please reach out to Claire or me at any time – our contact information is at the bottom of this letter.

We will do everything in our power to follow through on our promise of a WIN! – WIN! – WIN! for everyone.

Jennifer DiBona, That CAD Girl
(254) 417-8351 or [email protected]

Claire DiBlasi, Carlson CAD Solutions (a division of That CAD Girl)
(804) 227-5766 or [email protected]

Carlson Software users starting a new drawing in the 2024 version of the software were met with a significant change in the drawing setup with regard to Projection and Zone. This has led to a lot of questions and confusion about what, if anything, needs to be done when opening older DWG files in Carlson 2024.

The Startup Drawing Wizard in 2023 is on the left and 2024 is on the right:

We have gotten some questions about this change so we reached out to Doug Aaberg, the Carlson Survey product manager, and asked him to give us a brief explainer about the change and to make himself available for a Q & A session. Luckily, we were able to find a date and time in March so we’re very happy to announce that Doug will be joining us on Thursday, March 21^st at 12:00 (ET) for this Webinar session.

Although it was originally planned to be offered only to subscribers of our Webinar Series, this topic is important enough that we know we need to offer it on a wider-scale. There are no pre-requisites, no commitments and no strings – just use the link below to register (to get a reminder) or to join the event in progress.

If you would like to review the recording after you attend or would like a certificate of attendance, please send us an email and let us know you will want those extras.

Click here to register!

This is a “slightly known” feature that’s built into Carlson Software‘s Field to Finish feature. The Field to Finish command is available in the Carlson Survey, Construction and Takeoff programs. Please see the video below to learn how to use the DEFAULT field code to quickly identify and find points with random, non-standard, descriptions that may need your attention.

When I first launched Carlson 2024 with IntelliCAD, my first reaction was, “What’s that cube-thingy doing in my drawing screen?? And how do I turn it off?”. The formal name for the “cube-thingy” is a VIEW CUBE and, as I learned, turning it off wasn’t as easy as I thought.

Here is what Carlson’s IntelliCAD manual explains about the VIEW CUBE:

The view cube is a navigation tool that indicates the current viewing direction and allows you to switch between preset views and custom viewing directions. You can also use the view cube to change the coordinate system and switch between ortho­graphic and perspective projections.

The view cube displays in the current viewport when working in 2D model space or a 3D visual style. It becomes active when you move the mouse over it, and it can dis­play with transparency or not at all when inactive.

I decided to upload a very short video that shows you how to turn it off – in case, like me, that’s your preference!

We’ve been working on the behind-the-scenes logistics of this for awhile and are finally ready to roll it out to everyone! We can now offer Company and Individual Subscriptions to our Webinar Series events.

Your company will still get a year’s access for up to 10 users with any purchase of a new license of Carlson Software through That CAD Girl or one of our trusted partners (more about this coming soon!).

Now, with our Company and Individual Subscriptions, we have more to offer those who don’t need more software.

Click here to see a list of our Upcoming Webinars

Click here for the details and all the fine-print

If you want to sit in on an upcoming webinar, please click here to request a Guest Registration.

We’re very excited – and appreciative! – to the Land Surveyors of Washington (LSAW) and to the Western Federation of Professional Surveyors for inviting us to present sessions at their 2024 conferences!

We will have some fun and exciting events at our booth that you won’t want to miss, so make sure to come by while you’re there!

In Tulalip at the 2024 LSAW Conference, That CAD Girl will be presenting Survey Project from Field to Plotted Sheet with Carlson Software – tentatively scheduled on Wednesday, Feb 28^th.

At the Western Regional Survey Conference in Las Vegas, we will also have fun ‘n’ games at our booth and will be presenting Survey Project from Field to Plotted Sheet with Carlson Software.

And you won’t want to miss our other session! In Dueling Piano… err, Dueling CAD Stations: Civil 3D vs Carlson Software with John Dingwall of CAD Masters, we will go head-to-head to demonstrate how each program handles your day-to-day Survey work.

Early registration is still open for both Conference, so register today!

You won’t want to miss this year’s NCSS Conference coming up February 8-10 at the Sheraton Imperial Conference Center in Durham! As always, there will be a full agenda of great educational sessions and a chance to catch up, visit and share all the best surveyors stories of the past year!

That CAD Girl will be there and we’d love to have you stop by our booth to say “Hi!” since it’s been awhile since we’ve been able to attend.

Carlson Software is offering another great selection of Year End Specials!

Survey with embedded AutoCAD (OEM)

Select Suite Pick 2

Select Suite Pick 4

Civil Suite

Photo Capture and Point Cloud Advanced

A BIG discount to upgrade your Point Cloud Basic to Point Cloud Advanced!

And then, even MORE discounts through That CAD Girl!

We’re including FREE Maintenance with almost all Carlson Software modules and suites plus you’ll receive FREE training with every new purchase!

What else? All software purchases through That CAD Girl are eligible for 1 FREE registration to our Virtual Workshop, to one of our Virtual Classroom training events and a year’s access to our live, interactive webinar training sessions.

Purchases of Carlson Takeoff Suite and Takeoff OEM includes a FREE registration to our 2+ day Fast Track with Carlson Takeoff training in January 2024. We aren’t just interested in selling you the software – we want you to use it and love it!Carlson has recently announced their year-end pricing for desktop software and they will run from Wednesday 11/1 thru Friday 12/29/2023!

This year’s specials include Survey with embedded AutoCAD (OEM), Select Suite Pick 2, Select Suite Pick 4, Civil Suite and a steep discount to upgrade your Point Cloud Basic to Point Cloud Advanced!

Not sure what you need? Click here for our FAQ:P3D? or Point Cloud? then Point Cloud Basic? or Point Cloud Advanced? 

In addition to the specials being offered directly from Carlson, That CAD Girl has additional discounts and pricing for Carlson Takeoff Suite, Takeoff OEM and Point Cloud Advanced. You can find the end-of-year specials listed here and you can also check out our Active Coupon Codes for additional discounts.

What else? All software purchases through That CAD Girl are eligible for half-price registration to our Virtual Workshop and a year’s access to our live, interactive webinar training sessions.

Purchases of Carlson Takeoff Suite and Takeoff OEM will also give you a free registration to our 2-day Fast Track with Carlson Takeoff training in January 2023. We aren’t just interested in selling you the software – we want you to use it and love it!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can find our Picks and Clicks videos plus several “Product Overview” recordings that demonstrate features in different programs.

Carlson has recently announced their year-end pricing for desktop software and they will run from Wednesday 11/1 thru Friday 12/29/2023!

This year’s specials include Survey with embedded AutoCAD (OEM), Select Suite Pick 2, Select Suite Pick 4, Civil Suite and a steep discount to upgrade your Point Cloud Basic to Point Cloud Advanced!

Not sure what you need? Click here for our FAQ:P3D? or Point Cloud? then Point Cloud Basic? or Point Cloud Advanced? 

In addition to the specials being offered directly from Carlson, That CAD Girl has additional discounts and pricing for Carlson Takeoff Suite, Takeoff OEM and Point Cloud Advanced. You can find the end-of-year specials listed here and you can also check out our Active Coupon Codes for additional discounts.

What else? All software purchases through That CAD Girl are eligible for half-price registration to our Virtual Workshop and a year’s access to our live, interactive webinar training sessions.

Purchases of Carlson Takeoff Suite and Takeoff OEM will also give you a free registration to our 2-day Fast Track with Carlson Takeoff training in January 2023. We aren’t just interested in selling you the software – we want you to use it and love it!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can find our Picks and Clicks videos plus several “Product Overview” recordings that demonstrate features in different programs.

Don’t miss our upcoming Virtual Classroom training from That CAD Girl!

Our goal for 2024 is to double our offerings of long-form Virtual Classroom sessions and that starts in January with our Fast Track to Carlson Takeoff. This will be 2+ days of demonstration and presentation where users will learn to:

• Start your project from 2D images or paper
• Use Takeoff’s layer-basaed systsem to track features and report quantities
• Easily account for subgrades and topsoil in cut/fill calcs
• Import CAD files and data from other programs
• Build complex surface models with multi-floor buildings and retaining walls
• Generate reports and cut/fill color maps
• Export files for machine control

Click here to read the full announcement

You Could Attend for FREE!

Purchase a new license of Carlson Takeoff Suite or Takeoff OEM and receive 1 FREE registration to this training