This is essential reading if you are planning to upgrade your Impact workstations (and database) to Impact 2024 (v14.x). Please ensure you have read and understood all the aspects described before you proceed. If you are unsure of anything covered here, please contact your support representatives.
WARNING: This document covers the Impact CAD 2024 release (14.0.1.0). However, if you are upgrading across several Impact releases, please review each of their release notes in turn.
Licensing
Before proceeding with an upgrade, please ensure that all of your licences allow the use of Impact 2024 (v14.x). You can check your licences maximum support version via Help > About Impact... > General > Maximum Major Version.
If you are using software-based (Nalpeiron) licences, then the licence on each workstation may need to be activated once again. Similarly, if you are using Arden Licence Server, you will likely need to install updated licence (.LIC) files.
Licensing in Impact 2024
Impact CAD 2024 utilises the same licensing mechanism as Impact 2016 R4 (10.3.1.0) and later. Consequently, if you are upgrading from an earlier version, you will need new licence codes in order to run Impact, so please be sure that you have obtained these before you upgrade.
Note. For security purposes, there has been a change to the Offline / Manual activation process in Impact 2023 and later. Please refer to this updated article Activating and Deactivating Your Nalpeiron Licence Manually (Offline).
Designer Professional Licences
Now includes the new Waste Planner tool.
The Stripping Knives tool is now included in all Designer Professional licences to complement the new functionality in the Waste Planner tool in this new version of Impact.
Diemaker Standard Licences
Now includes the new Waste Planner tool.
Diemaker Professional Licences
Now includes the new Waste Planner tool.
Operating Systems Compatibility
Impact 2024 is compatible with Windows 8.1 and later, though we recommend Windows 10 or Windows 11, which still receive mainstream support from Microsoft.
For further details, refer to the complete Impact 2024 System Requirements documentation.
Database Servers Compatibility
For details on supported database servers, please refer to Impact 2024 System Requirements.
Database Drivers
Impact supports the following ADO drivers for SQL Server, listed in order of preference/best performing:
- Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server (MSOLEDBSQL) - Recommended
- Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB)
- SQL Server Native Client (SNAC or SQLNCLI)*
* SQL Server Native Client (SNAC or SQLNCLI) is now considered a legacy driver, while Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server (MSOLEDBSQL) is considered to offer superior performance as well as active development and ongoing OS support.
We also recommend using ODBC or ODBCDIRECT connections for Impact nServer because in general they are faster and require less memory when used at scale.
Database Structure
When upgrading the database to Impact 2024 status, the following database structure changes will be required. Please be sure that you have an up-to-date backup of your database before you proceed with the upgrade.
- ANNOTATE - New system table to store design annotation data.
- CHECKITS - Changes for new revision functionality
- C_REVNOTES - appended
- PALETTE - Changes for Palette Database feature
- P_ENTNAME - Length change
- P_PATTERN - type changed from integer to character
- P_MRDEPTH - appended
- P_Z_BOTH - appended
- P_WAVESTRT - appended
- P_WAVEGAP - appended
- P_WAVESIDE - appended
- P_ZIGRAD - appended
- P_Z_ODEPTH - appended
- P_PPATTERN - appended
- P_PCOLOUR - appended
- P_PLINEWGT - appended
- P_SBUSE_TW - appended
- P_CSSTEPOF - appended
- P_CSLENGTH - appended
- P_CSWIDTH - appended
- P_CSANGLE - appended
- P_CSUSEWID - appended
- P_CSSIDE - appended
- P_CSSIDEOF - appended
- REVISION - Changes for new revision functionality
- R_COMMENT - type changed from character to memo
- R_GUID - appended
- REVLAYER - Changes for new revision functionality
- RL_GUID - appended
- RL_COMMENT - appended
- SIM_DATA - New system table for future functionality. Recommended to apply changes directly to database.
- SIM_FING - New system table for future functionality. Recommended to apply changes directly to database.
A full database backup should still be taken ahead of any Impact upgrade, to provide a convenient restore point, should anything go wrong.
Post-Upgrade Considerations
Where possible, each release of Impact is intended to limit any breaking changes or drastic change in behaviour. In some cases, it may be unavoidable, or we may have corrected a previous issue that a workaround may have been put in place for.
Here, we detail potential breaking changes and improvements you may wish to implement. Please also review the supporting What's New In Impact 2024 documentation to be able to review and take advantage of new features that may require further configuration.
Waste Planner
The new Waste Planner feature introduces a new Master Tool Setting and will require settings to be created or imported for this features to be used.
Stripping Knives
As the Stripping Knife tool is now available in Designer Professional Licences, customers may need to create or import suitable Master Tool Settings. Training on these features may also be required.
Project Update and Revisions
As well as a significant change to the Project Update dialog, there are a variety of new Project and Layer revision options available in this version of Impact. For guidance on these options and how they can best work together to provide the change management process desired, please refer to the What's New in Impact 2024 and the article on Configuring Revisions.
3D PDF Export Changes
Exported 3D PDF files are now set with the layout option set to 'Single Page'. This has no effect on the model itself and simply means that the document, on initial view, is fully in view so that users don't have to set this manually in Acrobat.
Nudge and Grid Settings
Previously in the Snap Master Tool Settings, the Nudge and Grid settings have now been moved to the Environment Options. Values corresponding to the current Snap Settings will be applied to the new options. Users may wish to review these defaults on upgrade.
New Tools
This version introduces several new tools, so users may wish to update their appearance settings to include these. Each user will be prompted to do this when they first log on.
The following 'New Impact Tools' are introduced in Impact 2024.
| Tool Name | Tool Group | Default Menu |
|---|---|---|
| Waste Planner | Utility Tools | Utilities > Waste Planner |
New & Changed User Privileges
The following changes have been made to User Privileges in this version, and should be considered prior to upgrade.
New Privileges
- Database > Projects > Revisions > Replace last revision - This option is enabled by default on upgrade to maintain previous revision behaviour. To prevent users from overwriting previous revisions, deselect this option from the relevant user privilege settings.
Changed Privileges
No existing privileges have had their behaviour changed.
New & Changed Database Installation Options
The following changes have been made to the Database Installation configuration, and should be considered prior to upgrade.
Value Mappings
A new option has been added to Value Mappings "Allow mapping to be performed on unchanged layers". This will determine whether the value mapping will trigger on both changed and unchanged layers or only on changed layers. Running this on unchanged layers may cause it marked as needing saving offering to create a needless revision. It is on by default to maintain previous functionality. It is recommended that this option is turned off to make use of the new layer revision functionality.
New & Changed Database Operation Options
The following changes have been made to the Database Operation configuration, and should be considered prior to upgrade.
New Options
- Revisions > Require revision comment - If enabled, will force users to submit some comment detailing changes before being able to update the design.
- Revisions > Create layer revisions - Adds support for the updated layer revision functionality
- Revisions > Layers containing modified inserted layers should be flagged as revised - This is optional but recommended on upgrade. If a layer that is inserted into a layout is modified, the layout will be flagged as being changed as well as the one-up layer.
- Revisions > Require layer revision comments - If enabled, will force users to submit some comment detailing changes before being able to update the design.
Changed Options
- The 'Project Revisions' menu item has been renamed to 'Revisions' as it now contains layer revision specific options.
Compatible Products
Impact 2024 (v14.x) should be used only in conjunction with the following Arden products:
- Impact Viewer 2024 (v14.x)
- Arden Licence Server 2024 (v14.x)
- nServer 2024 (v14.x)
- Impact 3DX compatible with any version up to and including v1.10 or later
- Enterprise compatible with v11.1.x or later, recommended: v12.0.10.0 or later
- WEBcnx - compatible with any version, recommended v24.2 or later
- Lens – compatible with v1.0.0.12 or later
- Impact Plugin for Adobe Illustrator – v2.1.3.0
- TOPS – v6.8
- Manufacturing Toolbox – v3.0.1.8 or later
- Bobst PowerPack – v3.0.1.8 or later
If you use any Impact scripts or plug-ins, you should ensure that they are compatible with this Impact release prior to upgrading.
In you have WEBcnx or nService installed, it is advisable to consult your distributor to confirm compatibility before proceeding to upgrade nServer.
Third-party Library Updates
The following libraries have been updated:
3DX Module (Optional Expanded 3D Import/Export)
No upgrade in this release.
Assimp (3D Import/export)
No upgrade in this release.
Datalogics (PDF)
Upgraded to version 18.0.4
Drawings (formerly Teigha Drawings from Open Design Alliance) – DXF/DWG/Collada
Lead Tools (Graphics)
No upgrade in this release.
Nalpeiron (Licensing)
No upgrade in this release.
Siemens (Dynamic Constraints)
Upgraded to Version 76