Portable Cad/CAM Software: A Comprehensive Review

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The advent of portable CAD software has revolutionized the way engineers and designers work on-the-go. With powerful tools now available in compact packages that can be carried easily in a briefcase or backpack, there's no excuse for being without access to industry-leading 2D/3D modeling capabilities wherever your projects take you.

In this article, we'll focus our attention on one such offering: SolidWorks' eDrawings Pro. This popular CAD viewer and editor is designed specifically with users who need advanced features but don't require the full feature set of a full-fledged CAD application like SolidWorks itself.

Features

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So what exactly does eDrawigs Pro bring to the table? Let's take a closer look at some key highlights:

### 1. Comprehensive Support for Major Native and Neutral Formats

* Import/Export support for over 30 popular file formats, including native files from major CAD systems like SolidWorks (.Solid), Inventor (.iam/.ipt), CATIA (iges, stl) as well as industry-standard formats such as STEP, STL, IGES.

### 2. Advanced Editing Tools and Features

* Powerful editing tools for complex solids and surfaces

* Boolean operations: union, difference, intersection

* Chamfer/ fillet functions with various types of blends

* Offset entities by length or distance from any point/edge

### 3. Precise Viewing Options & Measurements

* Customizable viewing environments for optimal visualization

- Isometric views (front, top, right), Orthographic views (2D plan and section)

- Dynamic snapping to help accurately position objects relative to others

- Distance measurement tools between points on entities

### 4. Collaboration Features with Real-time Co-Browsing & Markups

* Collaborate in real time using built-in commenting and markup features

- Add sticky notes, draw freehand lines, highlight areas of interest etc.

- Share files directly via email or cloud storage services like DropBox/Google Drive

- Record entire sessions as high-quality video for later review or sharing.

### 5. Extensive Help Resources & Online Forums

* Comprehensive user manual and quick start guides in multiple languages

- In-app help search bar to quickly find answers.

- Active online forums with thousands of registered users asking questions, sharing tips & tricks etc.

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In conclusion, SolidWorks eDrawings Pro is an extremely powerful portable CAD solution that should satisfy even the most demanding user's needs. With its impressive feature set, robust performance and excellent compatibility across a wide range of operating systems (Windows XP/7/Vista/8 32bit/64 bit), it truly lives up to its 'pro' moniker.

Whether you're an engineer working on-site away from HQ or simply someone who wants more flexibility when creating & editing CAD drawings while out-and-about, SolidWorks eDrawings Pro is definitely worth serious consideration. Try it today risk-free with a 30-day trial and see for yourself why so many professionals rely on this industry-leading portable CAD powerhouse.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Price: $995 (single-user license)

Supported Operating Systems:

* Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later

* Vista SP1 or higher

* Windows7,8 x86/x64

System Requirements:

- Intel Core2 Duo processor minimum

- RAM : 4GB+ recommended for smooth performance with multiple large assemblies open simultaneously.

- Hard disk space: at least 10 GB free on C:\ drive.

P cad portable