exocad on Mac: what works and what exocad supports
Can you run exocad on a Mac? What exocad supports: Windows only, Boot Camp on Intel Macs, no virtual machines or Parallels, and no Apple Silicon support.
Many technicians and dentists use a Mac for everything else and would like to design on it too. The answer to running exocad on Mac comes from exocad itself: DentalCAD is developed for Windows only, and the options on a Mac are narrow. This post explains what exocad supports, what the different Mac setups mean in practice and what I recommend to someone who works on a Mac.
What exocad officially supports
The exocad hardware requirements say three things that settle most questions. The software is developed only for Windows. The processor must be Intel or AMD with x64 architecture, and other architectures and x64 emulation, Apple M-series chips included, are not supported. All virtual machine environments, Parallels included, are not supported.
The only Mac route exocad describes is installing Windows through Boot Camp, which requires an Intel Mac. Even then, exocad notes that the user takes care of that setup and that its support does not cover it.
Apple Silicon Macs
Every Mac sold with an M-series chip falls outside the requirements. Boot Camp does not exist on these Macs, and running Windows for ARM in a virtual machine adds two unsupported layers at once: the ARM architecture and the virtual machine. Some users report that exocad starts in such setups, but a production lab cannot rely on software running outside its requirements, especially for graphics-heavy work and license checks.
Intel Macs with Boot Camp
An Intel Mac with Windows installed through Boot Camp runs Windows natively, so this is the one setup that can work. The limits are the hardware: many Intel Macs have integrated or modest graphics, and exocad asks for a dedicated graphics card with enough memory, as explained in exocad system requirements. The Mac also has to meet the current Windows requirements, which older models may not. Check the graphics card first, because that is where most Intel Macs fall short.
The setup I recommend
For someone who works on a Mac, the practical answer is a Windows workstation dedicated to design, built to the exocad requirements, next to the Mac. Office work, email and communication stay on the Mac, and design runs on hardware exocad supports. A remote desktop connection lets you check a case on the workstation from the Mac.
A workstation also fixes the license side: the USB dongle stays in one computer that is set up for exocad, instead of moving between systems. If the dongle or license gives trouble, see exocad license and dongle errors.
Sources
- exocad wiki, Hardware requirements: exocad and Mac
Frequently asked questions
Does exocad run on an M1, M2 or later Mac?
No. The exocad hardware requirements state that the processor must be Intel or AMD with x64 architecture and that Apple M-series chips are not supported. Apple Silicon Macs also cannot install Windows through Boot Camp.
Can I use Parallels to run exocad on a Mac?
exocad states that all virtual machine environments, including Parallels, are not supported. It may start in some setups, but problems that occur there are outside exocad support.
What is the best option for a technician who works on a Mac?
Keep the Mac for office work and use a Windows workstation that meets the exocad requirements for design. Remote desktop software lets you reach that workstation from the Mac when needed.