2015 has been quite the year for ZWSOFT. It celebrated the 15th anniversary of its flagship product ZWCAD by releasing a new product called ZWCAD Classic to reward all the customers and users for their support in the past years. It also recently released an updated mobile app and just announced that the third-generation of ZWCAD, ZWCAD 2017, is coming out soon.
On the downside, Truman Du, CEO of ZWSOFT, had to issue a public apology for copying AutoCAD. As a result, it will “stop selling ZWCAD+ in all markets,” said Du.
That doesn’t seem to have stalled the Chinese CAD company’s progress—or changed its belief that AutoCAD is the software to emulate, if not copy. I received an email notification earlier this month from ZWSOFT, which touts a brand-new program with more innovations, advanced technology and more efficient features. The email included a “Learn More” YouTube video link and touched on some of the new features. The video described the new release as being familiar, innovative and productive.
The user interface will definitely be familiar to those users who are used to AutoCAD. It utilizes a similar command line, ribbon, tool pallets and general commands, which should allow most users to begin using the software efficiently right away.
New features of ZWCAD 2017. (Image courtesy of ZWSOFT website.)
- Advanced Grips
- Rendering
- 64-Bit and Multiplatform
Advanced Grips allows users to reshape, move or manipulate objects quickly and easily. The use of grips in other CAD software I have used has greatly increased my productivity, so it’s great to see ZWCAD adopting them. As for rendering, ZWSOFT introduced Diview into ZWCAD 2017, allowing users to view their 3D models in different perspectives. The new features also have the ability to add different materials and lighting to get a more realistic depiction of your project. The added ability to take advantage of 64-bit systems is a great addition along with the ability to run on three different platforms—Windows, Linux and Mac OS.
Although I was not able to find an exact release date or cost for ZWCAD 2017 at the time I wrote this article, I did run across the following statement on the ZWSOFT website: “Developing a good product takes time. We are currently collecting needs and feedback from users, and some of them will be turned into real ideas.”
It’s always great to hear of software companies actually listening to their clients’ feedback. Knowing how competitively priced previous releases of ZWCAD have been, I’m excited for the actual release.
ZWSOFT is a provider of CAD/CAM solutions for the AEC and MCAD industries and is headquartered in Guangzhou, China. It was founded in 1998 under the name Guangzhou Chinaweal Longteng Technology Co., Ltd. and in 2007, the name was changed to ZWCAD Software Co., Ltd. It states that more than 20 percent of the corporation’s revenue goes into research and development. The company’s Web page indicates that it will keep increasing that amount to meet the ZWSOFT development strategy and that ZWSOFT products have been proven successful the last 20 years by more than 320,000 clients in over 80 countries. The main product for ZWSOFT is ZW3D.
About the Author
Jeffrey Heimgartner has more than 20 years of experience in the computer-aided drafting and design field. He manages the Lincoln, Nebraska-based drafting and design firm, Advanced Technical Services. His main responsibilities include managing the CAD team, sales, scheduling and coordinating projects, drafting and design, as well as marketing and all IT functions.
Jeffrey earned his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology with an emphasis in Computer Aided Drafting and Design from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. He has a background in farming and construction and has authored many published industry-related articles.