Easier Mechanical Annotations With Power Dimension In Zwcad Mechanical

By Author: Alexander Love
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Recently, I got a chance to try some new software from ZWSOFT called ZWCAD Mechanical . I was pleasantly surprised at the power of its annotation capabilities, especially the Power Dimension function that I have been using frequently in another program, AutoCAD Mechanical. In a short time, I have come to like Power Dimension, because of the way it simplifies the task of annotating mechanical drawings.

Let me give you a tour of the genius of Power Dimension in ZWCAD Mechanical. With Power Dimension, I can draw eight types of dimensions through a single command, which I access by typing ZwPowerDim at the command prompt, or enter the shortcut key D, or choose from the ribbon's Mechanical Design tab, or from the classic ZWCAD Mechanical Dimension menu.

Power Dimension includes the following dimensions: Angle, Baseline, Continuous, Horizontal, Vertical, Aligned, Diameter, and Radius, as shown by figure 1.

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Figure 1: Power Dimension places eight types of dimensions

When I select objects like circles, arcs, or lines, I can easily apply diameter, radius, and linear dimensions directly. Or, after picking two points, I can draw dimensions horizontally, vertically, or aligned simply by dragging them in a specific direction, as shown in figure 2.



Figure 2: Applying dimensions as horizontal, vertical, or aligned linear by dragging them

Another genius feature of Power Dimension is that it detects the best position at which I should place linear dimensions. It determines the suitable distance from the object being dimensioned, or whether the new dimension is along the same vertical or horizontal axis as any linear dimensions nearby. In these cases, it turns red, letting me know it is at a suitable position; see figure 3. This makes the linear dimensions look neat and clear.



Figure 3: Detecting a suitable position for linear dimension

Sometimes I draw linear dimensions that overlap existing ones. In these cases, Power Dimension is smart enough to pop up a dialog box with options to let me deal with the overlap. I can replace, break, or move the overlapping dimensions, as illustrated by figure 4. This function spaces dimensions appropriately.



Figure 4: Options for dealing with overlapping dimensions

In much of my dimensioning, I need to add the Ø diameter symbol and a deviation value. With Power Dimension, I specify these engineering requirements easily through the Enhanced Dimensioning dialog box, because it exposes only the variables relevant to this domain. (See figure 5.)



Figure 5: Options for enhanced dimensioning

The same dialog box integrates symbols for tolerances, accessed through the Deviation section. The Tolerances Inquiry dialog box saves me time in looking up mechanical manuals for how to design tolerances, as show by figure 6.



Figure 6: Designing tolerances and fits

For me, the most time-saving feature in ZWCAD Mechanical is its intelligent layer management system that places dimensions on correct layers automatically. I don't need to switch layers when I move between drafting and dimensioning tasks.

Additionally, the dimension style is already formatted for the appropriate drawing standard (see figure 7), and so I don't need to configure settings that sometimes end up becoming complicated in the dimension style manager.



Figure 7: Dimensions with a clear appearance

ZWCAD Mechanical makes annotation easier to use with Power Dimension. I quickly change, edit, and delete dimensions, saving me a significant amount of time and effort.