Corel CorelCAD 2013 Reviewer’s Guide

2013

Contents

1 | Introducing CorelCAD 2013................................................ 1

2 | Customer profiles ............................................................... 3

3 | Key features ........................................................................ 5

Open and save native DWG files.................................................................5

Work with industry-standard CAD features ................................................5

Design in 2D and 3D...................................................................................7

Built for speed on Windows & Mac OS ....................................................... 8

Customize & automate for greater efficiency .............................................9

Compatibility for a smoother workflow....................................................10

4 | Integrating CorelCAD 2013 into other graphics

workflows ........................................................................ 11

5 | Comparing CorelCAD 2013 for Windows and Mac OS.... 13

Introducing CorelCAD™ 2013

For those who want high-level CAD performance
without the high cost, CorelCAD

™

2013 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 DWG

files

and share that content with 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 CorelCAD file format (DWG) supports the

®

latest AutoCAD

2013 DWG format, ensuring the
total fidelity with the industry standard. 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 2013 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 (AEC)
service providers

In the AEC sector, CAD designers work primarily in
2D, but with an increasing emphasis on 3D design.
They work for small to medium-sized 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 2013 offers a lightweight, standards­compliant 2D application that supports 3D solid
modeling. The ability to work in the DWG format,
including AutoCAD 2013 DWG files, 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 2013 is optimized for both Windows
and Mac OS, so users can work on the platform
they prefer

(* Windows version only).

Reviewer’s Guide [ 3 ]

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 import drafts from CorelDRAW (CDR),
and export CAD drawings to CorelDRAW and Corel
DESIGNER file formats* simplifies repurposing
content, ensuring that users can maintain and
reuse legacy content

(* Windows version only)

.

[ 4 ] Reviewer’s Guide