ZWCAD 2011's Remarkable Improvements to Object Snap
I have been using ZWCAD for several years, and so was wondering what the new ZWCAD 2011 might bring us. Some days ago, I learned that ZWCAD 2011 had been released, and I checked it out. After experiencing some of the new features, I can't help sharing with you the amazing improvements to object snap.
The first improvement to object snap in ZWCAD 2011 is that it now highlights objects over which I hover the cursor. You can see the effect in the figure below. When I move the cursor over an object, the object highlights automatically with another line style. This really useful feature makes my work more efficient.
<img src="http://www.zwcadclub.com/uploadfile/images/SnapImprovements_1.jpg" border="0">
I found that I can change the value of system variable Highlight to turn this function on or off. I leave it turned on, because when the object <b>highlights</b>, I think that it is saying "Hi" to me, like a good friend welcoming me for a visit.
The second improvement I found in ZWCAD 2011 is the new magnet feature. Even though it seems minor, I found it to be very useful. Smartsnap with magnet helps me make better use of the object snap function. When I move my mouse towards a geometric feature, such as an end point, the screen reports information in these three ways:
* A marker appears. Each kind of object snap has its own shape of marker.
* The Smartsnap tooltip appears. It displays the name of the geometric feature being snapped to.
* The magnet acts. The cursor feels like it is being tugged towards the geometric feature.
The figure below shows the marker and Smartsnap tooltip for endpoint object snap.
<img src="http://www.zwcadclub.com/uploadfile/images/SnapImprovements_2.jpg" border="0">
To me, the new added magnet feature seems like a GPS that tells me the way to travel around an unfamiliar city. There is no doubt that it will help me a lot in my design work.
I have come to love it so much that I am going to share with you a video I found on FaceBook that shows these improvements: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=148843268501592
The following figure shows where the <b>Magnet</b> option has been added to the <b>Drafting</b> tab of the <b>options</b> command.
<img src="http://www.zwcadclub.com/uploadfile/images/SnapImprovements_3.jpg" border="0">
After a few days experiencing ZWCAD 2011, I have found that the object snap function is much more accurate, especially for large drawings. I really appreciate these improvements, because they really make my design work much more efficient and convenient.
Now I am eager to try other new features in ZWCAD 2011, and I will share them with you later. Hopefully, you can share with us your experiences with ZWCAD 2011, as well. Let's get ahead, together.
About the Author
An architect and ">CAD software user
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