The CamDRAW Trial Version: What Is Included

CamDRAW activates as a trial the first time it starts. There is no separate download and no feature-limited demo build: the trial is the full application, running on a time limit.

How it activates

Install the plugin, open CorelDRAW, and click CamDRAW at the bottom of the Tools menu. The trial activates by itself when the plugin starts for the first time.

This first activation needs an internet connection. After it has happened, CamDRAW runs without one.

What is included

The complete range of functions, with no restrictions during the trial period. That means all machining operations, the tool library, postprocessors, the 3D view and full G-code output.

Two points that matter in practice:

Projects you create are saved normally. Toolpaths, tools, zero points and cutting data are stored inside the CorelDRAW document, exactly as they are with a full licence. Files made during the trial open and work afterwards.

Your settings carry over. Tool lists, profiles, postprocessors and application settings live in your user profile at C:\Users<your user name>\AppData\Roaming\CamDRAW 4, separate from the program files. Activating a licence does not touch them.

One capability is worth naming because it differs: virtual environments are supported in the full version but not in the trial.

What happens when the trial ends

G-code generation stops. The plugin still opens, your documents still contain their operations and settings, and nothing is deleted. What you lose is the ability to produce new machine programs until a licence is activated.

Saved projects and settings remain intact, so activating later picks up exactly where you left off.

Checking how much time is left

Click the gear icon at the very top of the CamDRAW docker, next to the logo, and open the Info tab. Then click License information. The window shows the product, your licence key if one is entered, the licence status, the remaining days of the trial, and the licensee.

Moving to a full licence

You do not need to reinstall. Purchase a licence and you receive an activation key by email, usually within a few minutes.

In CamDRAW, open the settings with the gear icon, go to the Info tab, and click Activate license. Paste the key into the field and click the arrow icon. The status appears at the bottom of the window, and after successful activation you can close it.

A licence can be activated at any time, including during the trial period, so there is no need to wait for it to expire first.

Getting the most out of the trial

Run a file you already know the outcome of. A part you have cut before tells you more in ten minutes than an unfamiliar test drawing does in an hour, because you can compare the result against something real.

Set up your machine properly first, using a preset from the list rather than a generic one where possible, and enter your actual tools in the tool library. Most disappointing trials come from testing with default cutting data rather than the numbers you really use.

Start the trial if you have not already, and see the supported machines if you want to check your controller first.