Screenshot of the Dynamic Block feature in the ZWCAD 2019 beta. (Image courtesy of ZWSOFT.)
Chinese CAD software provider ZWSOFT has released a beta version of ZWCAD 2019, its DWG-based CAD platform. Available to all users, the ZWCAD 2019 beta introduces several enhancements aimed at a better user experience.
Here’s what’s new in ZWCAD 2019:
Annotative Objects
The annotative object feature keeps annotations readable even when you scale down your drawings. (Image courtesy of ZWSOFT.)
In previous versions of ZWCAD, users may have been frustrated when scaling down a drawing with annotations if those annotations became too small to read. In ZWCAD 2019, users can change annotations to Annotative Objects, which will adjust automatically as the drawing is scaled down. In the above image, the drawing is shown at different scales, but the Annotative Objects remain a consistently readable size.
Batch Plot
Screenshot of Batch Plot in ZWCAD 2019. (Image courtesy of ZWSOFT.)
The new Batch Plot feature in ZWCAD 2019 allows users to plot multiple drawings from the model viewport at the same time, a more efficient and elegant solution than the previous one-at-a-time strategy. Batch Plot is used by defining the drawing borders, selecting them and entering the ZWPLOT command.
Create and Modify Dynamic Block Definitions
Dynamic Blocks in the ZWCAD 2019 beta. (Image courtesy of ZWSOFT.)
In ZWCAD 2019, users can define Dynamic Blocks by adding parameters and actions. For example, in the above image, the Dynamic Block is a door, the action is a stretch and the parameter is the line. The line can be stretched either by clicking the grip or modifying the Parameters and Actions of the door. This makes Dynamic Blocks easier to edit and aids designers of complicated tasks such as complex interior design.
PDF and DWFx Underlay
Adding underlay layers in ZWCAD 2019. (Image courtesy of ZWSOFT.)
Users of ZWCAD 2019 can attach and display both PDFs and DWFx files as an underlay to their drawings. In PDF underlays, users can snap objects, manage layers, adjust display effects and more.
Additional features found in the ZWCAD 2019 beta include a new light color scheme, Z-tracking to automatically track the z-axis and the Layer Properties Manager Palette to allow users to operate in the drawing area with the layer manager on.
You can learn more about ZWCAD 2019 or download the beta here.