Corel CorelCAD Reviewer’s Guide

Reviewer’s Guide

Contents

1 | Introducing CorelCAD .................................................... 1

2 | Customer profiles ............................................................2

3 | Key features .....................................................................4

4 | Integrating CorelCAD into other graphics workflows .........9

5 | Comparing CorelCAD for Windows and Mac OS .........10

Introducing CorelCAD

™

For those who want high-level CAD performance

™

without the high cost, CorelCAD

is the smart
solution for day-to-day design work that requires
precision and detail.

Enterprises that rely on CAD design have always
had tough choices to make about CAD software.
They could work with an application that fit
within their company’s budget, but lacked critical
tools or used formats that impeded collaboration
and sharing. Or, they could get a CAD tool that
natively uses the industry-standard file type, but
at a steep price. CorelCAD simplifies things by
offering an inexpensive, full-featured 2D CAD
application with 3D solid modeling tools.

Working with CAD files is becoming more
commonplace for a wide range of graphics
professionals, from technical illustrators to
designers in marketing departments. Not every
day, certainly, but enough that being able to
open and repurpose CAD content is no longer just
a bonus, it’s becoming a must. The ability to edit

™

files and share that content with

DWG
colleagues and clients saves an organization both

time and money, but the cost of the initial
investment in a CAD tool has been prohibitive —
until now.

The native file format in CorelCAD is DWG,
ensuring total fidelity with the industry-standard
file format. CorelCAD can handle the file

®

attributes of non-supported AutoCAD

features
and preserves functionality in DWG files,
eliminating conversion and sharing issues.

If you’re familiar with other popular CAD tools,
making the transition to CorelCAD is
straightforward. CorelCAD incorporates a range
of tools, commands and UI elements found in
other CAD software so any CAD designer can
quickly get to work with no learning curve.

Windows has traditionally been the operating
system of the CAD world, but there are pockets of
dedicated Mac users. With that in mind, CorelCAD
is optimized for both platforms — and at a
fraction of the price of other CAD software
available for the Mac.

Reviewer’s Guide [ 1 ]

Customer profiles

Architects, Engineers and CAD service
providers

In the Architecture, Engineering, and
Construction (AEC) sector, CAD designers work
primarily in 2D, but with an increasing emphasis
on 3D design. They work for small to medium­sized firms and create a variety of drawings,
including 2D designs for drafting and
construction plans, elevations, floor plans, and
construction details. Their projects are just as
likely to be created from scratch as to be based on
legacy design components. The ability to
collaborate and exchange files with colleagues
and clients is critical to their workflow. And, many
architects prefer the Macintosh operating system
or work in a hybrid Windows
environment.

®

PC and Macintosh

CorelCAD addresses these needs by offering a
lightweight, standards-compliant 2D application
that supports 3D solid modeling. The ability to
work in the DWG format eliminates any
conversion issues when exchanging files with
colleagues or reusing legacy files. Collaboration is
simplified and accelerated through support for
voice notations* and commenting in editable
drawings. In addition, files can be exported to
CorelDRAW (CDR)*, Corel DESIGNER (DES)*, and
PDF, simplifying information sharing with other
departments in their company, such as
documentation or marketing. What’s more,
CorelCAD is optimized for both Windows and
Mac OS, so users can work on the platform they
prefer.

* Windows version only

Reviewer’s Guide [ 2 ]

Occasional 2D CAD users

There are two groups of occasional 2D CAD users,
each with distinct needs and workflows.

Firstly, CAD designers working for large
enterprises in the manufacturing sector design
primarily in 3D, however, they still need 2D
support. The types of drawings they design
include assembly schematics and parts details, and
many of their legacy files are 2D CAD (DWG),
which have to be maintained. A 2D draft will
often serve as the basis for a 3D design, and they
need to be able to repurpose 3D files to add
detail to 2D drawings. To share their work with
other departments, they publish CAD drawings to
a range of formats.

Secondly, graphic designers need a tool to edit
CAD files that supports all elements of DWG
drawings, such as model spaces and layout sheets.
They work in marketing and technical
documentation departments, and the ability to
work with 2D CAD files allows them to reuse
design content in user guides, marketing
materials, and presentations.

CorelCAD addresses these needs by offering an
affordable, standards-compliant 2D CAD
application that complements 3D CAD solutions.
The ability to export CAD drawings to
CorelDRAW and Corel DESIGNER file formats
simplifies repurposing content, ensuring that
users can maintain and reuse legacy content.

[ 3 ] Reviewer’s Guide