Initial design is streamlined and made easier through a set of fully interactive drawing tools that accurately reflect the end product.
Whether starting from scratch or importing existing work, results can be achieved with speed and guaranteed for accuracy. It’s even possible to get instant feedback on rule length, area, and weight and waste calculations to make sure you stay on track.
You’ll have access to a vast library of existing packaging designs that’ll give you a flying start to any project.
The designs are simple to customise, bespoke to the materials you use and cover every industry standard. Your time is freed up so you can use your skills to create something unique.
Our Impact CAD software helps you get buy-in for your packaging designs through easy soft-proofing that allows you to create virtual 3D samples and animated prototypes that can be shared with the customer, enabling them to see exactly how everything fits together.
The software is fully compatible with your plotters and sample makers, providing straight-forward production of physical samples and mock-ups.
Impact enables you to share your packaging designs with your team, storing all the work in one, easily accessible place. If you have a multi-site operation then our supporting suite of software can extend this team-working function to a national and global level.
Different languages? Different units? No problem. Teams can work together from around the world in any way they want.
> Interactive drawing toolset offering dynamic constraints for quick and highly reusable design
> AI Assistant capable of locating existing design matches
> Extensive library of reusable parametric design styles including corrugated (FEFCO), folding carton (ECMA), point of sale displays, rigid paper composite and CD/DVD wallets
> Drag and drop design components to quickly insert common design features
> Layout and nesting capabilities for efficient design arrangement and accurate estimating
> Powerful graphics handling tools to proof or design around artwork
> Advanced 3D modelling and animation tools for fast prototyping of your packaging designs and enhanced innovation in presentation
> Unparalleled revision control from the fully customisable design database to help manage and locate anything you create or edit
> Able to generate design reports to allow you to effortlessly share branded technical drawings with your customers through a single click
> Extensive file exchange with tools to help import, pre-flight and clean a wide range of other CAD and non-CAD drawings, ready for production and export
> A fully customisable interface and user-programmable tools
> Highly extensible through use of automation via a powerful script engine and rich plug-in architecture
> Open and flexible machine drivers that can communicate with anything from desktop plotters to lasers and engraving machines
> Supports all industry standard databases including SQL, Oracle and MySQL
Impact 2026 introduces the first AI-powered capability within Arden Software’s Impact CAD/CAM software, alongside a wide range of new features and enhancements designed to improve productivity, streamline packaging design workflows and simplify everyday design tasks.
Developed for packaging designers, die-makers and converters, the latest release combines artificial intelligence, powerful new design tools and customer-driven enhancements to make everyday design tasks faster, simpler and more intuitive.
Whether you’re designing corrugated packaging, folding cartons or POP/POS displays, Impact 2026 introduces practical new capabilities that help you find existing designs faster, reduce repetitive work and optimise your design and manufacturing processes.
The headline feature in Impact 2026 is Design Similarity, the first AI-powered capability within Impact.
Design Similarity takes the original design that was loaded and compares it across the entire database providing matches by percentage of how close they are to the original.
Using machine learning, Design Similarity searches your existing Impact database to find and rank similar designs and manufacturing layouts in seconds, making it easier to draw on information and experience from previous jobs.
For die-makers, Design Similarity can identify tooling previously created for the same or a closely related design, allowing some or all of the tooling design to be reused and potentially saving hours of work. Even where tooling can’t be reused directly, similar jobs can provide valuable information for workload planning, routing, estimating and costing.
For packaging converters, Design Similarity can identify previous designs where suitable tooling may already exist, helping avoid unnecessary tooling costs and providing valuable information from previous jobs to support estimating, pricing and other commercial decisions.
Design Similarity can also provide a valuable knowledge resource for less experienced die-makers, enabling them to see how similar jobs have been designed and manufactured in the past and learn from the expertise already captured within the Impact database.
Ultimately, Design Similarity does much more than simply find similar designs. By making previous work easier to find and reuse, Design Similarity turns years of accumulated design, tooling and production knowledge into a practical, searchable business asset.
Tool Builder allows users to create customised versions of existing Impact tools, simplifying common workflows without the need for scripting or automation expertise.
For example, users can create an Offset tool preset, configured specifically for adding glue flaps, assign it a custom icon for one-click access, and share it instantly with colleagues.
Impact 2026 includes a significant expansion of the V120 Standards Library, adding 629 new standards and creating more than 1,000 additional design combinations.
This makes Impact’s V120 Standards Library the largest in the industry, giving designers even greater flexibility while helping ensure designs continue to meet recognised industry standards.
Building on the Dynamic Constraints technology introduced in the previous release, Impact 2026 delivers further enhancements to intelligent, rule-based editing that automatically maintains design intent when modifications are made.
The latest release introduces the new Wobble Tool together with enhanced editing functionality, giving users greater flexibility and control when creating and modifying packaging designs.
Impact 2026 includes updates to the 3DX (extended 3D) import library, providing richer and more up-to-date support for 3D file formats. The enhanced library improves compatibility with the latest file standards, helping users work more efficiently with 3D packaging models and data from a wider range of sources.
Impact 2026 introduces native Python scripting support, helping future-proof customer workflows by replacing legacy VBScript with the modern, widely supported Python scripting language.
The addition of Python provides a flexible platform for automation and workflow development, ensuring customers can continue to extend and integrate Impact using a modern scripting environment.
Impact continues to be supported by a growing suite of productivity-enhancing plug-ins, designed to automate routine tasks and streamline everyday workflows. From grouped output and file export to specialist design tools and utilities, plug-ins help users get even more from Impact.
Explore the full range of available plug-ins, including Valet, PDF Vault, Pack Logic and more on our Impact Plug-ins page
Want to learn more about the new features in Impact 2026?
Access the resources below:
To arrange an upgrade, request a demo or find out more about Impact 2026, please contact your Arden reseller or get in touch with the Arden Software team.
To ensure you get the most from Impact 2026, make sure you’ve also upgraded to WEBcnx 25.1.
The latest version of WEBcnx – Arden’s web-based production workflow and project management platform – introduces new functionality, performance improvements, enhanced Python scripting support and full compatibility with Impact 2026, helping create an even more connected workflow from structural packaging design through to production.
Why you’ll love Impact – the leading packaging design software…> Designed by people who truly understand your business
> Compatible with your machines and ways of working
> Optimal drawing and sample turnaround
> Time saving through features such as drag and drop
> Scalable and bespoke: you choose the features you need and the software can evolve with your business
> Maximise your output to save time, money and reduce waste
Managing multiple tasks – such as delivering spec sheets to customers, sending files to the graphics department and die-maker, and running samples for the same job – can be a time-intensive and complex process. File management often becomes a juggling act, prone to inefficiencies and errors.
The Impact Valet Plug-in offers a solution by streamlining your workflow with just one click. This powerful tool enables you to create custom profiles that automate the distribution of files to designated network drives or printers. Simply define the file types you need, save the profile, and the plug-in can be applied to any job at any time.
By automating file generation and distribution, the Impact Valet Plug-in eliminates the stress of manual file management, saving valuable time and significantly reducing the risk of errors. It ensures that all necessary files reach their intended destinations efficiently and accurately, enhancing productivity and workflow precision.
The Impact BOM (Bill of Materials) Plug-In sets a new standard for generating comprehensive and customisable BOM reports. Designed for multi-part designs, such as displays, this plug-in audits your project to identify all individual ‘One Up’ layers, 3D layers, and associated documentation. Once the available layers and documentation are identified, users can easily select which items to include in the report.
The plug-in also features an extensive library of more than 800 parts, including clips, hooks, and other components from various suppliers. It provides recommendations for commonly used part combinations, streamlining the selection process. Designers can specify quantities for each design and part, then generate a professional, company-branded report with just one click.
Ideal for POP display shops, the Impact BOM Plug-In is an essential tool that enhances efficiency and accuracy in the design process. As one of the most powerful plug-ins for Impact, it is available now to take your workflow to the next level.
Have you ever wanted additional tools to elevate your Impact experience?
Introducing the Impact Utility Toolbox Plug-In, the ultimate enhancement for Impact CAD users. This first release delivers a suite of time-saving tools specifically designed to simplify and optimise your workflow.
Whether it’s quickly generating labels for pre-print or effortlessly mirroring and stitching geometry with a single click, or the versatile Quick Bleed tool for adding bleed paths to packaging designs, the Impact Utility Toolbox makes routine tasks more efficient.
With 30 powerful tools at your fingertips, this plug-in empowers you to boost productivity and enhance your day-to-day design work. Experience a new level of efficiency with the Impact Utility Toolbox.
Arranging shapes within a panel can be a time-consuming task, requiring careful attention to positioning, consistent gutters, and precise margins – time that busy designers often can’t afford to spare. The Impact Shape Repeater Plug-In eliminates this hassle by automating the process.
With this powerful tool, simply define the dimensions of your rectangular or circular shapes, specify the number of rows and columns, and select the desired placement style. The plug-in takes care of the rest, ensuring perfect alignment and consistency. You can even incorporate custom vent hole shapes for specialised placements.
Whether you’re designing produce packaging or creating custom die cuts for display backings, the Shape Repeater Plug-In simplifies the layout process, enhances accuracy, and saves valuable time.
Impact is a project-based system that organises individual design one-ups, layouts, and 3D elements using layers. However, navigating these layers can sometimes be challenging when layer tabs lack sufficient detail about their contents.
The Tile Projects Layers Plug-In addresses this by providing a thumbnail image of each layer’s geometry, offering a clear visual overview of your project.
With this plug-in, hover a layer to get additional information or simply double-click on the thumbnail of the desired drawing to jump directly to the corresponding layer and continue working seamlessly.
It’s an innovative way to enhance navigation and improve workflow efficiency.
Try Tile Projects Layers Plug-In and discover a faster, more intuitive way to manage your project layers.
Determining the outside dimensions of a design can often be a challenging task. The Impact OD Calculator Plug-In simplifies this process, making it quick and effortless.
By entering the inside length, width, and depth of your design, along with the number of thicknesses of each side and your caliper, the plug-in accurately calculates the outside dimensions. It also provides both inside and outside volumes, giving you precise measurements in seconds. This information is then written to the database for use in reports.
Fast, efficient, and user-friendly, this tool is an essential addition for any shop. Experience the ease of the Impact OD Calculator Plug-In, and you’ll wonder how you managed without it.
Have you ever needed to import an ACM file from your front-end device, perhaps because you cannot locate the original drawing?
Now, you can do so effortlessly with the ACM File Importer Plug-In. This essential tool simplifies the process, allowing you to seamlessly import ACM files directly into Impact.
View the What’s New in Impact 2026 document and the Impact 2026 Release Notes.
Download our Impact Plug-ins brochure or visit our Plug-ins page for the latest Impact Plug-ins.
Impact user
