ZWCAD 2023 a Big Improvement Over Previous Versions

After reviewing ZWSOFT applications through the years, we have come to expect a number of enhancements with each major release. ZWCAD 2023 is no exception.

The company’s announcement promotes the 2023 version as having improvements based on three main characteristics: efficiency, user-friendliness and connectedness.

Multiple Drawings

Figure 1. New Sheet Set Manager for multi-drawing access and management.

ZWCAD is mainly intended for 2D, although we will see later good 3D features. At the project level, we see that it can handle a considerable number of drawings. This can impose quite a burden on any CAD application and is also where mistakes can occur.

The creators of ZWCAD were careful, though, and developed a new tool that can handle multiple drawings efficiently. This will serve users who are partially or totally outside the product data management/product lifecycle management (PDM/PLM) environment.

ZWCAD 2023 manages multiple drawings with its own Sheet Set Manager. It is shown on the screen as a single side control panel that allows you to see the structural tree with the layouts of drawings organized according to a user’s criteria. Then by simply clicking, you can see and edit the drawings and, when ready you’re ready, send them to the plotter.

Don’t be confused by this feature’s simple appearance. I would like to emphasize that Sheet Set Manager is a very powerful administrative and time-saving tool that’s essential for any project.

To run Sheet Set Manager, we need at least one layout with a drawing and then we can import an existing layout as well as rename and reorganize the components of this structured tree with the aim of making it clear and quickly understandable for any user (see Figure 1).

A very interesting feature allows you to open the location folder where the drawing is located: this can be extremely productive for complex projects in which the drawings are in many different places.

Once inside the Sheet Set Manager panel, it is easy and fast to view or edit different drawings with a few clicks (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. New Sheet Set Manager to quickly view or edit different drawings.

Printing different single drawings is very easy and fast, but when it comes to printing multiple drawings, the increase in productivity of the process is spectacular, since it can be accomplished by simply selecting them (this can be done with the Shift key also) and sending them to the printer. Nevertheless, if this multiple selection is still cumbersome, there is an added feature to make this task more bearable: Print Lists.

The Sheet Set Manager option used is “Publish.” The same path is executed for both plotting and exporting to various formats such as PDF, DWF and DWFX (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. New Sheet Set Manager will publish to a plotter or export to PDF, DWF and DWFX formats.

The information contained in the Title blocks is very important and can be defined through properties such as the part number, project number, drawing name, drafter name, the designer, the checker, as well as all its corresponding completion dates.

In general, the change and/or verification of these properties in multiple drawings can be a tedious task fraught with mistakes. Luckily, this changes for the better with the Sheet Set Manager in ZWCAD 2023. Prior to this release, the modifications of these properties could only be made by opening each drawing, saving it and closing it.

Sheet Set Manager lets you modify all this data directly from your panel without having to open each drawing, letting you update the properties automatically and allowing the same drafter, checker, and others to be in multiple drawings.

Just when you’re thinking that Sheet Set Manager is more than enough ... it reveals one more gift. You can compress all selected drawings into a folder using “eTransmit.” This is particularly useful when you need to send drawing packages to different customers (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. New Sheet Set Manager, eTransmit.

Increased Effectiveness with the New Tables Improvements

One of the goals that ZWSOFT’s creators set for themselves was to increase its effectiveness through tools that reduce the time spent in repetitive tasks and features that increase productivity.

One example of this is the improvements in table creation and editing introduced in ZWCAD 2023.

Many of our drawings can include tables, depending on the type of project and industry, such as BOM (bill of materials), position points, characteristics, and so on.

Most users are familiar with Microsoft Excel. They can now create tables in Excel and paste them into a CAD drawing.

With the new and improved table tools, you can also create tables similar to those in Excel within ZWCAD.

At first glance, the big change is the Contextual Menu of the ribbon, which improves efficiency and interaction with tables—everything to do with tables is in that menu (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. New Table Cell contextual menu.

Until now, tables could only hold text and certain types of fields and formulas. ZWCAD 2023 lets you add blocks, which can be symbols or standard parts like screws, nuts, and so on.

This is accomplished by selecting the cell, then clicking on the Block icon and selecting the block(s) from the new dialog. The blocks will adapt their scale automatically according to the selected cell (see Figure 6).

Figure 6. New table functions allow blocks to be inserted in cells.

We can make combinations of various blocks and texts within the same cell (see Figures 7 and 8), as well as change its organization through the new dialog “Manage Cell Content.”

Figure 7. Table with combinations of blocks and texts within same cells.

Figure 8. New table functions for managing block insertion, alignment and autofit.

Regarding Cell Style, the management and style is very similar to that of Excel. Users can copy the style between cells through the “Match Cell” function (see Figure 9), as well as save the style for use later by simply selecting “Save As New Cell Style.”

Figure 9. New table function: Match Cell.

You can now create one table from another, saving tables as templates.

Another Bet on Efficiency

In any CAD system, it is the graphic operations that are executed all the time that, if not optimal, can add up to a lot of dead time throughout a workday. Therefore, anything that reduces that unwanted time by optimizing hardware and software is most welcome by users.

ZWCAD took graphics processing very seriously with version 2023, increasing the efficiency in several common graphical operations, including zoom and pan.

ZWCAD in 3D

Although it is true that ZWCAD can work in 3D, the type of 3D entities included can be best described as conceptual rather than detailed. However, their presence does indicate a path of progress toward a robust 3D capability.

Figure 10. 3D grips.

If we open an existing solid model or create a new one, selecting it will show a very practical editing tool: rectangular or triangular grips on the points at the edges and corners of the solid. Selecting and dragging the grip will move or change the shape dynamically (see Figures 11 and 12).

Figure 11. A solid’s size modification using 3D grips.

Figure 12. A solid’s shape modification using 3D grips.

In ZWCAD 2023, solids can be rendered.

Tooltips

How often do you see a command icon and not know what it does? With ZWCAD 2023, a ribbon tooltip, an image with a quick explanation, will pop up when the mouse passes over the icon.

Conclusions

In ZWCAD, the progress between versions is quite significant. ZWCAD 2023 introduces new tools that increase productivity in drawings (its forte) as well and with the addition of Sheet Set Manager and primitive 3D capability, help it capture lost ground to market leader, AutoCAD.

ZWCAD 2023's Sheet Set Manager for managing multiple drawings and the new tables features will be the most exciting addition for users of previous versions of ZWCAD.

ZWCAD is a forward-looking product that is applicable to users who work primarily in 2D.