Latest CAD Articles

My First Contact with ZWCAD - Convenient In-place MTEXT Editor

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:29:44 -0600

Nowadays, touch screen technology is widely applied to all kinds of devices, such as handheld Internet tablets, mobile phones, and car navigation systems. But have you ever drafted on computer using your fingertips? Recently, I discovered a video on YouTube showing how the ZWCAD (TM) CAD system responded to touch controls; in response to someone's fingers, it zoomed in and out, panned across the screen, made copies, and so on. You can see the video for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9kIOtJum0.

The video shows that ZWCAD responds quickly to finger touches and drags. It was so amazing that I decided to download ZWCAD 2010 and gave it a try.

To my delight, I found on the ZWCAD website a no-charge demo version of ZWCAD 2010 in the Portuguese (Brazil) language. To a Portuguese-speaking CAD user like me, Portuguese menus, toolbar tooltips, and command prompts provide a more comfortable drawing environment.

The ZWCAD website indicates that the in-place MTEXT editor is the biggest enhancement in ZWCAD 2010. I decided to try it out, and in doing so I found the in-place editor to be very user-friendly, because it has the same functions as does AutoCAD®. Let me summarize the benefits one by one:

1. The text in the MTEXT dialog box looks identical to the resulting text in the drawing.

You are not supposed to experience abrupt situations such as this one: after you finish text editing and click the OK button, you find that the text in the drawing turns out to be too small or too big. ZWCAD displays text in the editor at the same size as it will appear in the drawing.

If you find the text in the dialog box too small or not in the right position, just use ZWCAD's real-time zoom and pan controls to get the right view (roll the mouse's wheel to zoom in or out; drag the mouse to pan). ZWCAD's new in-place MTEXT editor fits the text to the drawing easily.

Furthermore, the special symbol displays its shape in the text editor's dialog box. For example when you enter ‘%%d', the degrees symbol displays immediately.

2. Edit the text just like in the Microsoft Word application.

The new editor has additional features for adjusting text and paragraphs, such as multiple justification modes, various line spacing settings, adjustable tracking, and unlimited width factors. When you paste text copied from Microsoft Word, ZWCAD's MTEXT editor keeps the original formatting.

3. Convenient.

You may find it inconvenient to edit text in 3D views, such as SW isometric view, because the text editor and its text also maintain the SW angle. ZWCAD takes this into consideration by setting the Mtextfixed variable to 2. This forces the text to display horizontally, with a readable size, so that you can read and edit it more easily.

Another point of consideration is that ZWCAD asks whether to save your text changes when you press ESC while editing text in the text box. Careless users may appreciate this!

So far in my testing of ZWCAD, I have found that it is convenient and easy to use. In the future, I will have more experiences to relate to you.

About ZWCAD

As the flagship product of ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd., ZWCAD is powerful CAD software, which is highly compatible with DWG® format. ZWCAD meets the needs of broad-based target groups of 2D/3D design industry, including architecture, engineering, construction, mechanics, manufacturing and electronics. So far, it has become the leading brand in China's CAD industry and now competes successfully in over 80 other countries, with more than 180,000 users throughout the world.

Tips on Editing Spline Curves with ZWCAD

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:20:19 -0700

At the beginning of 2010, an article in a newsletter caught my eye. It was about the ZWCAD Design Contest 2010, and the topic for the contest was on designing the future. Winners would receive an iPod Touch or iPod Nano music player, and a license of the new ZWCAD 2010 software. The way I saw it, any unrestrained creativity is a futuristic style - all I needed to do was to exert my imagination to the greatest extent possible.

I drew a high-heeled shoes car, and to do this, the spline is the best tool for creating smooth curves. In addition, spline editing with the SplinEdit command makes the smooth curves even more perfect. As I created drawings for the contest with ZWCAD, I found some techniques that I would like to pass along to you as tips.

ZWCAD 2010 enhances spline editing with more options. Let me share with you a couple of tips and tricks in using SplinEdit.

Tip 1: Adding Points to Broken Splines

The shape of spline is defined by fit points and control points. When you select a spline, grips are displayed at the fit points; after certain operations, however, fit points are discarded and grips are instead displayed on control points. Moving the grip changes the shape of spline, of course, and more points means smoother splines.

Adding fit points is easy: just enter the SplinEdit command, and then enter F to choose the Fit Data option. However, after other editing operations, such as break and trim, the Fit Data option disappears; the spline no longer includes fit data. So how can you add points to a broken spline? Here is a tip that uses the Refine option. Follow these steps:

Command: splinedit
Prompt: Fit Data/Close spline/Move Vertex/Refine/rEverse/Undo/: (Type R, and then press Enter.)
Prompt: Enter a refine option [Add control point/Elevate order/Weight/eXit]/: (Type A, and then press Enter.)
Prompt: Specify a point on the spline : (With the mouse, pick a point on the spline.)

In this way, a control point is added to the spline.

Tip 2: How to Convert Splines to Polylines

Splines create nice smooth shapes, but CAM (computer-aided machining) programs cannot read splines - what a pity! A solution is to convert the splines to polylines using Flatten command. (Flatten is not the only solution; alternatively, you could save the file in R12 DXF format. Since the R12 format does not support splines, ZWCAD converts them to polylines automatically. The drawback is that such old file format can erase certain types of newer entities. For this reason, it is best to use the Flatten command.)

Here is my drawing made with the Spline and SplinEdit commands:
http://cadcontest.zwcad.org/VoteDesign.aspx?id=62

About ZWCAD

As the flagship product of ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd., ZWCAD is a powerful CAD solution, which is highly compatible with DWG format. ZWCAD meets the needs of broad-based target groups of 2D/3D design industry, including architecture, engineering, construction, mechanics, manufacturing and electronics. So far, it has become the leading brand in China's CAD industry and now competes successfully in over 75 other countries, with more than 150,000 users throughout the world.

For more information, please visit www.zwcad.org or contact ZWCAD team at sales@zwcad.com.

(C) Copyright 2009 ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

My Experiences With the New ZWCAD 2010, Part I

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:20:54 -0700

A friend recently entrusted me to test ZWCADTM 2010 for his company. His firm is looking to buy CAD software, and so is considering ZWCAD. From his partners and from other people in the know, he had heard about ZWCAD, and so had acquainted himself with the software through Google and from www.zwcad.org. It is one thing to read positive comments; it is, however, another to subject the software to a series of technical tests by a professional - something that is necessary prior to making wise purchasing decisions.

And so I did. Here, I'd like to share with you my experiences in testing objectively the newly released ZWCAD 2010, a CAD software solution. (By the way, I tested the software on a computer running Windows 7 with 2GB RAM and a 2.8GHz CPU.)

At first glance, I was really surprised to see that it looked just like another AutoCAD®! Its high compatibility with AutoCAD includes DWG and support for other resource files, commands and aliases, and the user interface. Although I have never used ZWCAD before, I found it very easy to master.

When I evaluate the functionality of a new CAD software package, I do so to determine how well it operates in terms of four aspects: (a) drawing and drafting features, (b) management and efficiency, (c) collaboration and communication, and (d) customization and APIs (application programming interfaces).

As CAD software, ZWCAD 2010 basically satisfies my need for sketching design ideas, because tools are provided for creating basic entities, such as circles, rectangles, and text. So that I can quickly visualize new designs, ZWCAD encourages me to reuse existing designs through externally referenced-drawings, inserted blocks, and placed OLE objects. Drawings become vividly colorful with raster images and hatch patterns.

In particular, I am very interested in the new in-place text editor, which includes a Text Formatting toolbar, a dialog box for formatting paragraphs, and a Display Options menu. When I tried it out, I found it to be very powerful.

There is so much I have to say about this software about the many features of ZWCAD 2010 that I'd like to describe them next time. In the meantime, you can download the software from the company's Web site at www.zwcad.org and then try out the features I mentioned above.

About ZWCAD

As the flagship product of ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd., ZWCAD is a powerful CAD solution, which is highly compatible with DWG format. ZWCAD meets the needs of broad-based target groups of 2D/3D design industry, including architecture, engineering, construction, mechanics, manufacturing and electronics. So far, it has become the leading brand in China's CAD industry and now competes successfully in over 75 other countries, with more than 150,000 users throughout the world.

For more information, please visit www.zwcad.org or contact ZWCAD team at sales@zwcad.com.

(C) Copyright 2009 ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Course In Mechanical Drafting

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:54:17 -0700

Taking a course in mechanical drafting is not one of the easiest endeavors. A student needs to develop a discipline over the way he or she looks at things. They also need to develop a constructive way of thinking so that the student can think in a mechanical way. Not only this but they need to be trained to be able to communicate graphically so that the intentions of an idea, process, or item are understood without question in a fabrication or machine shop.

Mathematics are a major part of the learning process. In this field of drafting, some of those math classes you took in high school will actually seem like a necessary skill to have once you start your studies. Calculations of material stresses and deflection, calculations of material density and volume, sheering, load tables, etc. are only a few of the things a student will have to learn.

The student has to get a working knowledge of the fundamental operations and conventions of mechanical drawings from lettering and calculations, to the lay out of the work and so on in order that the completed sheet or sheets of drawings reflect a well arranged and clearly executed finished drawing. In the making of working drawings, it is often very difficult for the novice because of its conventional character of the work.

In today’s engineering drafting offices, the student will need to be able to work on a CAD system. CAD is short for Computer Aided Drafting. In other words, it is a drafting board in a computer. And before a CAD system is learned it is always best to learn how to draw on a drafting board. Manual drafting may be a disappearing discipline but in my mind as a teacher it is indispensable.

As I said, it isn’t the easiest career to learn. But like anything you have to learn to do, once you get past the basics it can become second nature to you. It is a high paying however and good pay means a more comfortable life. With enough determination, you too can do it. I did…

Shade Plot in ZWCAD 2010 Beta

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:42:18 -0700

Absolutely, it's a great experience when you get the new version of a program, and then you come across an improvement for which you have been waiting for some time. In my case, it was a feature that I had asked the ZWCAD technical team to add: Shade Plot. I dare say that many of you might not know about this option in ZWCAD, because it's just a tiny item hidden in the context menu of viewport entities.

As designers, we are always needing to communicate our ideas with others. For instance, we need to show the model in perspective and in realistic display modes to production line workers. If you wanted to generate a plot of the model using different display modes in earlier releases of ZWCAD, you had no choice but to admit your inability with good grace. Not being able to assign plot properties to viewports meant you had to print each display mode on a separate sheet of paper. Now, however, you can plot multiple modes on one sheet of paper by using viewports.

To control the plotted appearance of your model, you can now assign hidden and wireframe properties to viewports. To set the Hidden Plot property, follow these steps:
1. Switch to paper space.
2. Left-click a viewport to select it.
3. Right-click, and then select Shade plot > Hidden from the context menu.
4. Select one of the two options, Hidden or Wireframe, to force the viewport to plot using a specific shade mode, regardless of the current display.
5. Repeat for the other viewports.

If you want to plot the model in rendered mode, you can redirect the output of the Render command to a file, such as BMP, TIF, JPG, or PNG, and then print the image using another application.

I suggest you try this plotshade mode yourself. As the famous advertisement says, just do it!

About ZWCAD

As the flagship product of ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd., ZWCAD is a powerful CAD solution, which is highly compatible with DWG format. ZWCAD meets the needs of broad-based target groups of 2D/3D design industry, including architecture, engineering, construction, mechanics, manufacturing and electronics. So far, it has become the leading brand in China's CAD industry and now competes successfully in over 75 other countries, with more than 150,000 users throughout the world.

For more information, please visit www.zwcad.org or contact ZWCAD team at sales@zwcad.com.

(C) Copyright 2009 ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

What is a CAD Program

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:34:43 -0600

The acronym CAD stands for Computer Aided Drafting or CADD which is Computer Aided Drafting and Design.

Simply put, a CAD program is a drafting board contained in a computer program. But it's even more than that! The accuracy obtained in these programs can be measured to 1/1000 of an inch, even though this can only be measured by the line thickness of the paper drawing that is eventually output by the program.

Current CAD software packages vary from two dimensional, vector-based drafting programs to three dimensional solid and surface model systems. Modern CAD packages can show views rotated in all three dimensions, allowing you to view desired angle even from the inside of the object.

CAD is used in the following industries: Architectural (houses and buildings), Mechanical (machine and shop), Industrial (plant layout and parts manufacturing), Survey & Topographical (plats, site plans, and topography), and many other fields where accurate drawing are required.

Those that work specifically in this field are called CAD drafters.

Recycling Your CAD Drawings

Wed, 27 May 2009 07:56:01 -0600

I’ve been drawing residential homes for the better part of 20 years and the majority of those homes were drawn on CAD programs like General CADD, (Generic CADD) AutoCAD, or CADVance. And of all things that collect over the years are not only the sets of drawings but the special details and sections included in those drawings. Shoot, by my second year I had drawn so many different types of homes that my details and sections varied twenty fold in materials and method of construction.

So what is a smart drafter to do with this type of resource? Recycle! It was pretty simple when I was drawing homes specific to my area of the country. Why? Well because most every builder was using the same method of construction. So, a builder would order a set of plans, I’d draw the Floor Plan, Exterior Elevations, and the Foundation or Basement and then pop in one of my previously drawn sections from another similar type house.

Then, when the internet caught on and I started drawing houses all over the US, I had to start again from scratch. The methods used in other parts of the country weren’t always the same as the ones used in the southeastern US. But the plus side in all this is that all I had to do was alter the existing details that I had to fit the methods common to the region I was drawing the house in. If I hadn’t, I can only imagine the extra hours I would have had to spend drawing new details and sections.

So, if you want to save time in your efforts to draw houses, save those details. You’ll be glad you did. Catalog them if you can. But even if you can’t, by all means don’t discard them.

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Computer Aided Drafting & Design Technology – Successful Career Guaranteed

Tue, 26 May 2009 04:33:35 -0600

Each and every product manufactured today gets its start as a design. These products are designed using the modern technology of Computer-Aided Drafting and design. From a soap box to a luxurious car, everything you see is the result of an effective design. Because of the never-ending need, the career opportunities in the design field are never ending. Unlike other short term careers, a career in Computer Aided Drafting & Design Technology will be relevant today, tomorrow and many more years to come. Getting into a long term career in Computer-Aided Drafting requires lots of skills and creativity. Moreover, computer aided drafting is a computer based technology that keeps on changing so continuing education is also important. It is very much important to stay updated with the CAD technology for a successful career. A successful Drafting professional will have the excellent ability to combine creativity and logical thinking. Though computer aided drafting is done using many different platforms, “AutoCAD” is the most preferred one. AutoCAD is widely used in the automotive industry. Automotive Engineers use AutoCAD to draft automotive parts and make the initial design. Creativity is very essential for drafting and designing automotive parts using AutoCAD. People who have a passion for cars and automotive technologies can shine in the field of Computer Aided Drafting. Computer Aided Drafting is not limited to the automotive industry. Computer Aided Drafting & Design can be divided into two classes namely “Mechanical” and “Architectural”. As the name indicates, automotive parts designing falls under the category of automotive Computer Aided Drafting & design. On the other hand, architectural CAD deals with creating designs for the buildings of the future. Almost all the office spaces, huge skyscrapers and modern homes build today are designed using AutoCAD. Because there are always buildings to be built, the demand for Architectural computer aided drafting professionals is increasing as countless numbers of buildings are constructed each day. Unlike in the past, when Computer aided drafting was made available only to the Mechanical engineers and Architectural Engineers, today, anyone with a passion in designing and creativity in mind can get into the promising career of Computer Aided Drafting. Once you choose the category of computer aided drafting that best suits you, you can start your AutoCAD education in some reputed training colleges. There are many associate degree programs for learning AutoCAD. Bottom Line As mentioned above, Computer Aided Drafting & Design needs a combination of creativity and logical thinking. These two key factors needed for Computer Aided Drafting & Design along with the updated knowledge in the AutoCAD technology could be attained from the associate degree programs that are available today. Once you get trained in AutoCAD through the very best training schools like Triangle-Tech, getting a successful career is a guarantee.