Basic Features

1-1           Compatibilityl  DWG SupportZWCAD™ native file format is DWG, so it can open, edit, and save any existing DWG file generated by AutoCAD® from version 2.5 to 2010 without conversion or data loss. This makes ZWCAD™ compatible with a wide range of AutoCAD®-generated contents. •   Commands and Aliases The commands and aliases of ZWCAD™ are also compatible with AutoCAD®. •   Friendly User Interface ZWCAD™ menus, toolbars, command line, drawing area, properties palette, and dialog boxes are arranged in a friendly style, which conforms to users’ operation habits. This lets AutoCAD® – trained users begin to work with ZWCAD™ immediately. •   Resource Files All the resource files from mainstream CAD platforms can be used with ZWCAD™, such as Windows TTF and AutoCAD® SHX fonts, linetype (.lin), hatch pattern (.pat), slide (.sld) and unit (.unt) files. •   Creating and Modifying 3D Models ZWCAD™ can create simple 3D models using solid modeling. You can modify 3D models with commands like Union, Subtract, and Intersect. •   Programming with ZWCAD™ You can customize and extend ZWCAD™ through LISP, VBA and SDS programming languages and interfaces. LISP is an AutoLISP-compatible programming language designed to extend and customize functions performed by ZWCAD™. Microsoft VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is an object-oriented programming environment designed to provide rich development capabilities similar to those of Visual Basic 6 (VB). The primary difference between VBA and VB is that VBA runs in the same process space as ZWCAD™, providing a faster programming environment. SDS (Solutions Development System) is a C/C++ programming interface compatible with the ADS® (AutoCAD® Development System) interface. 1-2 Features •   Export With the Export command, drawings can be exported in raster and vector formats, including bmp, wmf, emf, svg, dwf, eps, pdf, and sat. •   Layer Properties Manager Layer management applies properties to groups of objects, such as Color, Linetype, and Lineweight. In addition, layers can be frozen (invisible) or thawed (visible), locked (visible but not editable) or unlocked (editable). The current state of all layers can be archived through the States Manager for reuse in other drawing projects. •   Linetype Manager The Linetype Manager adds new linetypes to drawings from existing linetype (.lin) files. You can change the names and descriptions of linetypes, and specify global and current object scale factors to achieve the proper size. Linetype Filter, which contains a comprehensive list of linetypes, makes it easy to separate linetypes by type. •   Text For annotation of drawings, ZWCAD™ provides multi-line text and single-line text capabilities, with options for setting text styles. ZWCAD™ is able to fit text along arcs with Arctext command. •   Drawing The majority of ZWCAD™ drawing commands are compatible with those in AutoCAD®. Users already familiar with AutoCAD® commands and features can begin to draw and edit in ZWCAD™ immediately. There is little re-learning required. •   Editing ZWCAD™ contains a full set of editing tools for modifying drawings. Standard functions include Copy, Move, Array, Mirror, Offset, and Trim. •   Dimensioning You can dimension objects one at a time, or you can place series of dimensions. With ZWCAD, you can easily manage different dimension styles within your project. •   Gradient Hatches With the powerful gradient hatch feature, it is easier to fill areas of your drawings with varying colors. •   Blocks and Attributes Create blocks, and then save them in your current drawing or as external files. You can also create blocks with attributes (text-based data) which can then be extracted to external files for use with spreadsheets, databases, and word processors. •   Raster Image Manager The Raster Image Manager allows you to attach image files to drawings, and then detach, locate, reload, or unload attached images. ZWCAD™ lists all image files associated with drawings, along with details, such as pixel width, color depth, resolution, and the file path. •   Real-Time Zoom and Pan Instantly switch among different views of drawings, between zoomed-in detailed views and zoomed-out overviews. •   Unlimited Undo/Redo When changes are made frequently to drawings, it can be more convenient to backstep, instead of deleting and redrawing. The history list allows you to undo and redo actions without limit. •   Plotting You can print your drawings easily by selecting settings in the plot dialog box. Page setup allows you to set the default plotter type, paper size, plot area, plot scale, and so on.