A Complete Guide to ZWCAD 2021 for Beginners

Above all, a simplified design process

In the old days, designers needed to finish the design on blank papers manually with a pen. And then they would transfer the design on tracing papers, semi-transparent papers for exposure later, manually with a pen as well. Only after these two steps could they produce the blueprints and final drawings for construction and documentation. Nowadays, designers can get rid of Designers and drafters have widely accepted CAD as the benefits CAD software bring to them, encouraging a mounting number of beginners. It turns out that more and more outstanding 2D and 3D CAD software have been springing up and growing in the past several decades. ZWCAD is one of them, aiming to bring out stable and affordable CAD solutions. In this article, a complete guide to ZWCAD 2021 will be brought out to all CAD beginners with the related topics including:

• What is CAD software?
• How has CAD software developed?
• How does ZWCAD 2021 change the design workflow for the better?
• What criteria does ZWCAD 2021 meet?
• What is expected of ZWCAD?

After reading these topics, you will have a deep understanding of CAD software and how to finish the design work efficiently with ZWCAD 2021.

Figure 1. ZWCAD can facilitate automotive design

What is CAD software?

CAD is short for Computer-Aided Design. As its name suggests, the creation, modification, analysis, and optimization of a design can be aided by computers. Therefore, far fewer manual efforts are needed for massive and complicated design tasks within a limited time. The quality of design and communication is also improved greatly.

How has CAD software developed?

The history of CAD software can date back to the early 1960s. In 1961, Ivan Sutherland developed SKETCHPAD, universally known as the first interactive graphic system for engineering design and drafting. After that, at the Lincoln Lab, Sutherland’s work was expanded upon by Tim Johnson who introduced three-dimensional data models and graphic images to SKETCHPAD. Even though their work didn’t end up with a commercial product, other CAD players were committed to this design revolution. In the early 1960s, the Itek Corporation intended to develop the first commercial CAD product that enables users to create, display, and edit simple diagrams with a photoelectric light pen. This product was later named the Electronic Drafting Machine (EDM). “Big Five” CAD vendors in the 1970s and 1980s, Applicon, Auto-trol, Calma, Computervision, and Intergraph, also produced amazing CAD software in different fields, making the CAD industry more competitive than ever before. The CAD industry has been prosperous thanks to this healthy competition. From the early 1960s to 2021, several CAD companies have come on the scene. Some of them chose to team up with others while the rest, like ZWCAD, survive and keep being dynamic and prosperous.

How does ZWCAD 2021 change the design

workflow for the better?

We can learn from the history of CAD software that CAD can be a comprehensive topic. To make it simpler for you to understand, CAD beginners, we better start with the 2D drafting features oens and simply work with ZWCAD software. All they need are a keyboard and mouse. Design can be done digitally with help of the Design Center and Tool Palettes. Plotting can also be done with one click as long as the printer is connected.

Modify drawings more easily

2D CAD software like ZWCAD 2021 has plenty of modification tools, including BlockBreak. In the past, to modify a drawing, designers had to scrape the incorrectly designed part on the tracing paper carefully in case of any unexpected damages on the paper. Or, they needed start everything all over again. Now, 2D CAD software can greatly lighten the modification workload. Take ZWCAD 2021 as an example, it can help designers insert a door into a specific wall effortlessly. They can apply the BLOCKBREAK command, and then directly insert the door into a wall without breaking it beforehand.

CAD software ensures intelligent and sustainable design

Given the past circumstances, I regard designers in the old days as talents in mathematics and architecture/engineering because they had to take both the design and scales into consideration. If only they could apply CAD software in their daily work, for example using CAD for civil engineering, they would be able to focus on design and draw according to the actual units and dimensions while leaving the scale converting part to the CAD software. In ZWCAD 2021, Annotative Scale, Annotative Dimension, and Scale List could help you a lot in scaling a viewport properly. Moreover, blocks and styles can be reused in ZWCAD software. Saving your customized templates and block library is also a wise choice so that you don’t need to start your design from scratch every time. The benefits that CAD software can bring are more than what I’ve introduced. The only way to make good use of them is to try it yourself.

Figure 2. ZWCAD is popular with architectural designers

What criteria does ZWCAD 2021 meet?

If you are wondering how to choose a suitable 2D CAD solution, here are the 4 points that most of your peer CADers focus on.

1. Stable and smooth operation

When it comes to software, whether it runs stably and smoothly is always the priority. The stable and smooth operation means not only better user experience, but also few crashes, little lagging, and swift movements. With ZWCAD 2021, a smooth design flow is guaranteed, the time needed for software response is reduced, and you will surely enjoy working.

2. Seamless data and API compatibilities

As we all know, engineering is complex and needs joint efforts. Hence, more often than not, designs cannot be completed in a single software. ZWCAD 2021 is an outstanding 2D function-oriented software with good data and full DWG compatibilities. You can use it to open DWG files without hassle. It supports multiple import and export formats, allowing you to accomplish your design without data loss during data exchange between software. Besides, thanks to its strong API compatibilities, you can utilize many industry-specific applications on ZWCAD. In other words, various vertical solutions are available to users from all walks of life, including architecture, mechanics, electronics, piping, civil design, etc.

3. Budget-friendly licensing and renewal plans

Nowadays, there are mainly two types of software licensing models: subscription and perpetual. The costs of a subscription licensing plan are relatively low at the beginning, but later on, compulsory updates are constantly required. On the contrary, a perpetual licensing plan initially costs you more but usually comes with a flexible renewal plan, which means that you can choose whether to update or not whenever you want. As for ZWCAD 2021, its perpetual licensing plan is available in 3 versions: Standard, Professional, and Mechanical. For beginners, the Professional version is a long-term investment of a lower price/performance ratio. It has the additional functions of 3D modeling and a full range of APIs (LISP, ZRX, .NET, and VBA), costing only $400 over the Standard version.

4. Pre-sales and after-sales support

Apart from the software itself, timely and professional pre-sales and after-sales technical support are essential to CAD users. According to Mr. Makowski (an assistant designer at KKB who uses CAD software on a daily basis, the most valuable service for them is the reliable and instant tech support from ZWSOFT. You can rest assured that working with ZWCAD 2021 within a team is smooth.

Figure 3. ZWCAD can streamline the workflow of ship design

What is expected of ZWCAD software?

2D CAD software brought an unprecedented revolution to design several decades ago. In the next several decades, it is expected to be a renovation to itself, to be more practical.

Conclusion

ZWSOFT has been committed to providing a complete and seamless user experience to worldwide users with its all-in-one CAx solutions, for example, its flagship product, ZWCAD, in the last two decades. We are striving to provide better solutions that satisfy the diverse needs of customers from various industries, such as AEC and MFG. Why not download ZWCAD 2021 now for a free 30-day trial?