AViCAD, one of the many DWG-compatible alternatives to AutoCAD, recently released the latest version, AViCAD 2019. The major selling point—as with most AutoCAD clones—is the affordability, with AViCAD coming in at about 20 percent the cost of a yearly subscription to the top dog. And unlike AutoCAD, AViCAD is available as both a subscription and a perpetual license. You could buy a perpetual license of AViCAD every year for three years before you caught up to the annual price of AutoCAD.
But enough about the price—of course it’s going to be lower than AutoCAD. The bigger question is “does it match the capabilities?” AViCAD certainly thinks so. The software offers both 2D and 3D editing capabilities along with an engineering package the company calls Mech-Q. This package includes piping, mechanical, HVAC and structural tools, and comes free with AViCAD.
The AViCAD 2019 release has added several features and improvements to the package, including:
- Optimized startup times
- Faster entity snapping
- A new custom user interface (CUI) editor that mimics AutoCAD’s
- Optimization for 4K displays
- Support for new file types
- Advanced copy and paste into other applications
- Mech-Q improvements
- Improved autocomplete
- Improved multiline text editor
- Improvements to file types including IGES, RGT, OBJ, 3DS, LWO, IFC (Underlays), KMZ, LAS, XYZ, STL, VRML and more
- New interface for external references
- New commands including GETSEL, BSCALE, GATTE, QLATTACH, DIMDISASSOCIATE and PREFIXSUFFIX
- New Slope tool for Civil 3D
“We remain committed to offering a very reliable CAD application at a fraction of the price found elsewhere,” said AViCAD’s Victor Abela. “When you combine our complimentary Mech-Q engineering software with AViCAD, you’ll find it’s the best choice for CAD software no matter how big or small your business may be. Whether you are an AutoCAD expert or just getting into CAD, you’ll be surprised at what AViCAD can do. Most all AutoCAD commands as AutoCAD and our tools make it real easy for those just starting out.”
You can learn more about AViCAD and download a free trial at AViCAD.com.