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More than Meets the Eye (Cadalyst Labs Review)
1 Feb, 2008 By: Ron LaFonCadalyst compares and contrasts eight of today's CAD viewer solutions.
Viewing design files created with a CAD application is something that everyone who works with CAD must do at one time or another. It could be to show a model to a client or to keep coworkers informed about design changes, but having a viewer that can quickly go through design files without having to fire up the originating CAD software is a widespread need for efficient operations. This review article looks at the latest versions of currently available 2D and 3D viewers.
You might only need to look at a simple set of design files to determine the one you need, or you might be deluged with a huge number of files in various formats that you must communicate with your team. In either case, you won't want to start the originating applications and open each file to see exactly what it is.
 DWGSee DWG Viewer Pro supports DWG-to-image (JPG, TIFF, GIF), DWG-to-PDF conversion, and advanced mark up with the ability to publish mark ups in PDF or image format. |
Whatever your specific needs, a drawing viewer of some sort is almost essential. But what your specific needs are in these software programs can vary widely. For example, a small CAD firm that only uses AutoCAD won't have the same viewer needs as a large design house that might also use SolidWorks, Inventor, CATIA, and AutoCAD. To this mix, add visualization files, high-resolution graphics, word processing documents, and spreadsheets, and the situation can become daunting. No one viewer fits all needs or budgets, so it's necessary to find one that is appropriate for you.
Among the first questions you should ask when choosing a viewer is whether it supports the file types you most commonly use. Is your work entirely 2D or is some of it 3D? Then there's the question of what you need to do with the drawing files. Do you need just a simple viewer or do you need to control layers, view attributes, or view cross sections? Do you need to do mark up and redlining? Are you working alone or do you need an enterprisewide viewer? Will the viewer allow for easy navigation among both files and directory structure? Is the cost of the software compared with the feature set within your budgetary restraints? Obviously, a lot of questions need to be answered, but fortunately you can choose from a wide array of capable applications, making it much easier to find a good fit for your needs.
 With InnoCielo View, you can view, zoom, compare, and print more than 200 file formats without needing the native application on your workstation. |
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AutoCAD Tips!
Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst! |
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