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"CAD Worth Owning" -- ZWCAD 2018 is Now Available

9/7/2017

 
Friends,

ZWDirect is pleased to announce the immediate availability of ZWCAD 2018, the latest version of the high-performance, affordably-priced CAD solution trusted by over 550,000 users worldwide.


Please find improvements, additions, and team quotes below. Click for ZWCAD 2018 Release Notes, Sneak Peek Videos, the Product Page, and Download Page.

We are very excited about ZWCAD 2018 -- it's our highest-performance and most familiar, innovative, and customizable version ever. Most importantly, we hope to help boost your productivity and quality with ZWCAD 2018 very soon!

The ZWDIrect Team

ZWCAD 2018 Improvements and Additions

  • A superior CAD engine to ensure the improved .dwg compatibility and code-level API ability
  • Major speed improvements of up to 146% and improved stability
  • New user-friendly Dark Theme and 4K resolution UI
  • Customization for entire UI including for tabs/panels/toolbars/menus and support of acad.cuix files
  • Numerous new features and innovations, including Integrated Calculator for mathematic/scientific/geometric/engineering calculations with sheet measurements and variables
  • An expanded and enriched API now supporting LISP, VBA, ZRX and .NET interfaces.

Overall, ZWCAD 2018 Now Boasts
​​
  • A familiar UI so no relearning required
  • Full read/write of DWG/DGN for seamless integration with AutoCAD/MicroStation projects
  • State-of-the-art 2D/3D features, important innovations, and top performance so users are more productive than ever
  • A rich API to support your applications and fit your environment
  • Ownership prices starting at $799 ($999 networked) for superior ROI and long-term control of your business.

On New Dark Theme UI

Daniel Huang, the ZWCAD product manager stated, “Users deserve a fluid and better design experience, so that’s why we provide a brand-new dark theme UI in ZWCAD 2018. The lower brightness and higher contrast of such design can greatly reduce the visual fatigue from long time drafting. We also did lots of modification in the details, for example, the buttons and icons styles and the text height and width, so the whole appearance will present the best visual effect for users.” 
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​On Speed and Improved Stability Improvements

Charles Zhao, the director of R&D stated, “ZWCAD 2018 use many technologies to improve the efficiency, users will find that frequently used commands and layout switch speed are much faster than before, because we optimize the reactors and memory to trigger under certain situations instead unconditionally.”
On the Integrated Calculator 

​All ZWCAD 2018 Sneak Peek Videos

PTC Windchill and ZWCAD Integration by AMC Bridge

5/24/2017

 
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Hello,
​

We are very proud to announce...
 
Based on increasing demand for ZWCAD in manufacturing, AMC Bridge has developed, in collaboration with PTC, a Windchill Workgroup Manager (WWGM) Adapter for ZWCAD to enable interoperability between PTC Windchill and ZWCAD products. The WWGM Adapter is now fully functional, tested, and available so that manufacturers standardized on Windchill can freely choose ZWCAD 2017 as a high-powered, lower-cost 2D/3D CAD solution available via perpetual license.

AMC Bridge is a global vendor of choice for software development services in CAD, CAE, CAM, PDM, PLM, and other technologies used by manufacturers, engineering firms, automated manufacturing integrators, and construction companies. With over 300 developers and over 16 years, AMC improved engineering process overhead by the development of 3D/2D modeling software products; data, document and community management technologies; CAD data interoperability; 3D printing software; and many other aspects of software development for manufacturing and construction businesses.

ZWSoft, from its headquarters in the Pearl River Tower in downtown Guangzhou, now serves over 550,000 users around the world with high-powered, affordable, open 2D/3D CAD/CAM across the design, manufacturing, and infrastructure industries.
 
For more on the WWGM
 Adapter for ZWCAD, visit www.amcbridge.com.
 
Best, 
 
Yatin Suri
yatin.suri@zwdirect.com

ZWSOFT CEO Chats

4/27/2017

 
Hello,
 
As his talks are always quite compelling, many US/Canadian customers and prospects have asked to hear from Truman Du, the CEO of ZWSOFT.
 
We'll be sharing 3 short/weekly "CEO Chats" with Truman, taken from his talks at the recent GPC conference to over 200 attendees:
  1. Company 2017 Update: Making ZWCAD Great Again!
  2. ZWCAD 2017 Product Update: Welcoming the 3rd Generation
  3. A Compelling Future: ZWSoft Strategic Focus and Goals
The chats begin below!
 
Thanks much, we hope you enjoy, and let us know if you'd like to be included in a personal briefing with Truman over the summer.
 
Best, 
 
Yatin Suri

yatin.suri@zwdirect.com

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1. Company 2017 Update: Making ZWCAD Great Again!
The past two years have been very challenging and exciting for our company.
 
We not only globally settled our legal dispute with Autodesk but also made major progress in our business and product lines.
 
From our Global Partnership Conference (GPC) last month, with 107 Partners, 90 Major Accounts, and over 200 attendees from 32 countries in the audience, we were very happy to report: 


  • A 20% growth and an all-time high in revenue
  • Growth as well to over 550,000 users including 11,000 schools
  • Strong reception to our 3rd generation ZWCAD product (now 93% of sales)
  • Our 2D/3D product line expanded to ZWCAD, CAD Pockets (mobile), and CAD Chat
  • Our 3D line expanded to ZW3D, CAD Bro, and 3D One
  • We have moved our headquarter office into the beautiful Pearl River Tower in downtown Guangzhou -- please consider a visit! 
 
For all this progress, we thank our customers, partners, and employees -- it was a total team effort and we appreciate your support! And, given this team, our management, and our strategy, we look forward to even greater progress in 2017 and 2018.
 
Looking forward to our next chat on our strategy going forward -- our company is very focused and very enthused to increase the success of our growing customer base around the world!

 
Truman Du
CEO, ZWSOFT
​
2. ZWCAD 2017 Product Update: Welcoming the 3rd Generation
We're happy to welcome the successful and inspiring arrival of our 3rd generation CAD platform, available as ZWCAD 2017.

In order the make a great product, we started with a great development process:
  • Our software strategy had 3 pillars: structural design, fast iteration, and optimal use of automation
  • Our product goals had 5 rings: rich features, outstanding performance, powerful API, cross-platform capability, and elastic structure
  • Our manpower was world-class: 40 engineers working 1.5 years producing 4 million lines of code
  • Most importantly, the results were outstanding: completed in 40% less time and delivering 15% more functionality than originally planned!
Those results are scaling in point releases: the 3rd generation platform is now vastly superior to the 2nd generation in stability, performance, features, and API coverage. 

 Specifically, ZWCAD 2017 SP3 now offers: 
  • Support for 64bit technology that boosts speeds by 40% or more
  • An ultra-modern, ribbon-based user interface
  • Dozens of rich new productivity features and innovations
  • Support for the DWG and DGN (MicroStation) formats
  • Inherent, new 3D viewing capabilities
  • Soon, support for Linux and Mac
  • As always, affordable and available as a perpetual, non-expiring license.
We believe ZWCAD 2017 sets a new milestone for the industry and look forward to making our expanding base of 550,000 existing and new customers extremely successful and satisfied with our 3rd generation CAD platform.

​Truman Du
CEO, ZWSOFT
3. A Compelling Future: ZWSoft Strategic Focus and Goals

​ZWSoft has certainly recovered strongly from a challenging past two years -- we've grown by 20%, now serve over 550,000 global users, and have fully modernized our 2D and 3D platforms to propel us and our customers confidently into an exciting future.

Speaking of the future, I'm honored to share our 8 Principles for continuing to grow our company and expand our customer success:
 
  1. Remain highly-specialized and 100% focused on CAD.
  2. Continue to invest in our people and R&D to offer unique and compelling advantages to our customers.
  3. Be the market leader in product affordability, performance, quality, and openness.
  4. Deliver market-leading functionality in the areas judged most important to users, specifically 2D/3D drafting, 3D modeling, and CAM.
  5. Offer a state-of-the-art API set and integration for other customer priorities, including PDM, Simulation, and PLM.
  6. Seek and execute on smart industry acquisitions to increase our value to customers.
  7. Continue to share our business opportunity and success with global partners.
  8. Always offer perpetual licensing, never force subscriptions on customers.
 
Following these principles, we believe we can reach or exceed our top 2 Goals:
 
  • Continue to make our customers extremely happy and successful.
  • Double the revenue of ZWSoft in the next two years.
 
Thanks much for your time, we appreciate your consideration of our products, and I hope we have a chance to meet soon!


​Truman Du
CEO, ZWSOFT
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ZWSoft HQ at Pearl River Tower

New CAM Automation for CNC -- Take Full Advantage of 3D Modeling

8/3/2016

 
No doubt, 3D has brought immenseproductivity, quality, and time benefits to CNC manufacturing.  In this blog, I'll share that new CAM Automation technology inside ZW3D is the logical next step, can build on those benefits, and can be just as impactful to your business - in fact, I've seen it streamline steps to manufacturing from 36 down to 6.

​Overall, CAM Automation takes advantage of the fact that, with similar parts, the geometry changes slightly but the tools choice and motions don't.

​The CAM Automation technology is based on re-usable CNC manufacturing templates.  You start by building a library of part types, generally 6-10 for a shop ranging from a mold/die design to an aluminum cover to a simple quote.  You program the templates based on your equipment (cutting speeds/feeds/depth) and experience/success (tool choice, sequencing).

DEMO: CAM Automation for SOLIDWORKS (4 min.)

DEMO: Creating/Using a Template (4 min.)

Then, when it comes time to program a part, rather than creating all the logic from start, you simply choose the template type and it generates the CNC code automatically!  And this happens again and again and again -- it's now a optimized, repeatable operation in your business.

REUSEABLE CNC CODING TEMPLATES
​

Aerospace   Auto   Building   Consumer   Electric   Food   Furniture
Jewelry   Machinery   Marine   Medical   Packaging   Plastics

The real beauty is in the benefits:
  • You save CNC programming time (program once and generate many times)
  • You speed time to manufacturing (no waiting for programming/testing)
  • You increase quality (best practices are built into each template)
  • You raise up-time (template can be optimized for available equipment)
  • You reduce your need and cost for full-time programming expertise.

​The bottom-line is more money in your pocket thanks for CAM Automation.

In the above videos, I show CAM Automation in action for Solidworks and a template being created and then used to CNC code for an electrode -- I hope it helps to communicate the value of CAM Automation and my enthusiasm for it!

Interested in more?
  • Feel free to contact me directly to discuss the template types that apply to your business or to demonstrate a set of templates for you.
  • ​More on the innovative CAM Automation inside ZW3D below.
    ​
Thanks much!

CONTACT RANDY FOR CAM AUTOMATION DEMO

POWERED BY
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Easy/Affordable Transition from 2D-CAD to Full 3D-CAD

7/12/2016

 
Many 2D-CAD users in mechanical design would like to transition to full 3D-CAD but are concerned about over-complexity and affordability.

Well, ZW3D LITE is built especially for you!  Specifically, it:
  • Has all the 3D functionality that you need (ZW3D feature chart)
  • Is easy to use for 2D users
  • Provides a strong growth curve to high-end 3D if needed
  • Is eminently affordable ($1300 list)

In fact, I was reading another blog about how there are many users of 2D software that are contemplating the switch to 3D CAD solid modeling so I thought I should show how ZW3D handles this task.  

Specifically, I put together a 3-minute video where I import a 2D drawing into 3D space then create the 3D model and verify with an assembly -- we conclude with a design for a computer mouse with its circuit board.

One of the neat features that I show in ZW3D is the "move" command. Every time I show people simple moving with vectors they allows say "Wow, that was easy!"  When moving the 3 views together you want to stand up the group in that view, so what was pointing in the Y+ you really want pointing in Z+ --  it's easy to do with vectors.

The other feature I use when modeling is "insert component" so in the example I wanted to see if the 3D shape I was making would allow the circuit board assembly to be inserted and fit correctly. 

If you are considering moving from 2D to 3D, check out the below video and let us know if we can help -- email me here for a hands-on demo.

Randy Biebel
LinkedIN 
ZW3D Product Page

The Power of Unified Modeling Shown in a Side-View Mirror

4/13/2016

 
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I enjoy saving time with ZW3D's unified modeling approach to creating parts.

It's fun designing new parts without the worries of which tool do I choose to get the job done. With ZW3D's "Overdrive Kernel" and its best-in-class CAD tools I know I can get the job done quickly and accurately. 

While the list of related features is far too long to review here, I thought I'd share my favorite aspects in this design of a car side-mirror:
​
  • First of all, ZW3D has a powerful set of both surface and solid commands.  But what's even more powerful is that the solid tools can operate directly on surfaces and vice versa -- this makes for new possibilities in shapes and productivity.
  • Secondly, the commands themselves are unified -- that is, each works on solid or surfaces! Perhaps the most used is "Extrude", where I get most of my work done.   I can keep my mind on the task at hand and keep creating without getting bogged down by two interfaces or switching between solid and surface tool bars. I just draw!
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Click to Zoom
  • ZW3D also includes smart design tools on top of Overdrive.  For example, when it comes to the finish and making those "little tweaks" ZW3D has me covered with a command that just amazes me every time I use it. "Morph Curve to Curve" will move than geometry to a new place while maintaining the look I want. When I think about the design time it saves I can't help but smile. Now more creating complex sketches or 3D wireframes on multiple planes. I just morph it!
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Click to Zoom
  • (Although I didn't have time in this demo, I should also mention direct edit modeling and related tools -- they are invaluable, especially when re-engineering a part or healing for manufacturing.)

See all these at work in the below video. 

And ​I encourage you to try ZW3D CAD for your 3D design tool -- you will be pleased with its ease, power, and flexibility for high end work.

-- 
Randy Biebel, Manufacturing Advisor, ZWDirect

ZW3D 2016 CAD/CAM Selected as Editor's Pick of the Week by Desktop Engineering

4/11/2016

 
"Before it became widely recognized that holding designs in your hand attracted people to 3D printing like a moth to a flame, a lot of engineers were unaware of its benefits. While you can’t hold running code, today’s Pick of the Week gives you the pleasant surprise of showing what a full-featured CAD/CAM system can do for you."

Read full article.


​
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From Hours to Minutes - Fixing Faulty 3D Part Models Before Manufacturing

4/6/2016

 
​Manufacturing shops, do you often receive 3D part models from customers that need major fixing before you can build the mold or start machining?  And are you forced to spend countless man-hours tediously touching-up untrimmed surfaces, missing surfaces, and open edges? 

If so, I invite you to try ZW3D -- the Overdrive modeler and healing tools inside this CAD/CAM solution make quick work of fixing these faults and giving you a fully useable model.
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"Show Open Edges" Guides Users Through All Faults
Here are some top features and commands that I've featured in a recent video:
  • On importing, you have the options of "Autosew", "Break Trim Edges", and "Delete Duplicate Surfaces" -- a great start to healing and prepping the model.
  • Also useful tool is the "Move" command which lets you orient the model by vectors to make it as handy as possible to heal.
  • Then you have the centerpiece "Show Open Edges" command which highlights and guides you through all unresolved problems step-by-step -- it's an amazing confidence builder and time saver. 
  • I often use "Concatenate Edges" to join surface edges by an angle deviation and automatically correct many problems.
  • Then you have a powerful freeform editing toolset, highlighted by "Trim to All Curves" -- because you don't need to manually pick each curve, this tool alone saves hours.  Also remember, because Overdrive is a unified modeler, you can trim edges to either surfaces or shapes.
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Click for Bi-Rail Loft
  • Lastly, there's a rich semi automated healing toolset, including "Rule" for joining 2 edges, "N-Sided Patch" for 3 edges, and, for merging more complex geometries, "Bi-Rail Loft" (my favorite, for 4 pieces of geometry), "Fill Gap", and "FEM Patch" (for a four sided opening with an irregular shape).
But the best news is that all this healing is simple and fast -- what used to takes hours now takes minutes.

​​Feel free to have a deeper look at the video below.

-- Randy Biebel, Manufacturing Advisor, ZWDirect

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