The Upcoming ZWCAD Gets a Smart Ribbon UI


Recently there has been a lot of speculation about the next version of ZWCAD because of information released in an official statement this March. We are confident to say, that the next release of ZWCAD will be a game changer. It will greet users firstly withnew user interface features, including an application menu button, new capabilities for palettes and most notably, SmartMouse and a different Ribbon Interface. Now let’s take a sneak peek at the new user interface. 

1. SwitchBetween Classic and RibbonMenu 

In the newversion of 
ZWCAD, the classic menu bar is retained for users who prefer to stay with thisfamiliar interface. It is, however, turned off by default. To display the menu bar, click the arrow at the lower-right corner of ZWCAD. From the popup menu, choose the Classic/Ribbon option to display eitherthe menu bar orthe ribbon. 




2. Using Classic Dropdown Menus with the Ribbon 
You don’t need to switch to the classic menu; you can enjoy the ribbon as well as the classic menu in one environment.The Classic Menu Access Button lets you access menu items while working in the ribbon environment. You find this button inthe top-right of the ribbon. (See the figure below for its location.) 



3. Hide the Ribbon to Gain More Room 
The ribbon presents many icons, but its large size reduces drafting space. There is, however,no need to worry about this, because you can minimize the ribbon any time. At the right end of the ribbon’s tab names, there is a down-arrow button: click it to minimize the ribbon; click it again to bring back the ribbon. 


4. Three Skins for ZWCAD 
The default color scheme of ZWCAD’s skin is Black, but there are two more options: Light Blue and Silver. These let you choose between dark and light motifs. The skin options button is atthe topright corner of the interface, as illustrated below. 


5. Auto-hide Palettes 
All palettes in ZWCAD, like the Properties palette, Design Center, and Tool palettes, have a new feature: they are all hidable. Just right clickon a palette, and then check the Auto-hide option, as illustrated below. From now on, palettes are hidden when your cursor is not over them. This gains you more room fordrafting. 





6. SmartMouse = Mouse Gestures for ZWCAD 
Mouse gestures are common among Web browsers for performing browsing actions, and now this useful technology has been added to ZWCAD. We call it “SmartMouse,” and you can customize commands for eachgesture. To do so, choose the Tools tab in the ribbon, and then in the Mouse Gesture panel, click the Settings button. This opens a dialog box for modifying the commands associated with different gestures. 




7. Thumbnail Views of Recently Opened Drawings 
In the upper left corner, there is a ZWCAD logo. It’s the application menu button(see figure below), whereyou can find a list of all of the drawings that were recently opened -- or that are currently open now. You can also view them as icons or as images.When you choose the Large Image option, then the drawings areshownas thumbnail images, which let you instantly recognize the drawing contents. 


8. Search All Related Commands 
The ZWCAD application menu button contains a search box, as shown below. When you input a keyword, it lists all related commands that you can select from to use in your drawing. This is a quick way to find functions whose name you don’t exactly remember. 




A video to show Ribbon and SmartMouse of ZWCAD+:





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Read more about "Ribbon" from ZWCAD forum:
Switch between RIBBON and CLASSIC style
As I can load the ribbon of my application?
CAD ribbon








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