Punch! ViaCAD 2D/3D is feature rich, low-cost CAD software used for general-purpose design. Costing under $100, the software delivers excellent bang for your buck and is perhaps one of the most underrated products in our lineup. The application may lack some intuitiveness but it earns our TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award for its advanced 2D drafting and 3D modeling capability through a simple, efficient layout.
ViaCAD offers most of the features we sought in CAD software, including command histories, text editing and the ability to import existing designs. You can also drag and drop existing tools into a custom tool palette so the interface displays only the tools you need for your current project.
A standout feature of the CAD software is its “logicursor” that helps you select new, logical points within your design. When the feature is turned on, a potential line appears as you move the cursor, allowing you to see where exactly you should place your next point. This helps minimize errors since you can determine proper placement before implementing the point.
The CAD software doesn’t have a point marker tool or macros. The latter would greatly enhance the convenience and usability of the application since it allows you to save a string of redundant, consecutive actions as a single command.
ViaCAD offers complete 2D capability and 3D solid modeling using the 3D ACIS engine, a third-party modeling kernel utilized by several CAD and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) applications. You can make complex designs and shapes using the various integrated design methods the software offers including solids, surfaces and curves (e.g., points, lines, etc.). The software boasts 26,000 symbols that can be used in any design.
If you’re interested in creating floor plans, the software’s repertoire of design tools also includes versatile 2D architectural tools. Fast drafting tools allow you to easily create walls, windows and doors with a single click of your mouse. While it doesn’t have textures, you can assign a material to a 3D model (e.g., steel, wood, etc.) and it will calculate weight and volume properties. And there isn’t an animation capability but you can extrude 2D drawings from 3D models.
ViaCAD 2D/3D is compatible with all major CAD file formats including DWG, DXF, PDF, JPEG and BMP. You can also import files from Sketchup, Google’s free 3D modeling application.
Prior knowledge of drafting terminology and techniques is useful with any design application but particularly so with this CAD software. While it’s not difficult to navigate, ViaCAD is simply not as intuitive as other applications we reviewed. For instance, there’s no quick help option you can select to tell you more about the feature currently in use. So if you don’t know what a particular feature in the tool palette is, you have to search the user guide.
ViaCAD’s manufacturer offers direct technical support via email but unfortunately there’s no support. In fact, you can’t even purchase phone support; the manufacturer simply doesn’t offer it.
Before contacting the manufacturer via email, we’d recommend perusing the supplementary tutorials and user guide, which can be accessed directly from the CAD software’s interface. Brimming with helpful information and tips, these prove to be the software’s most useful resources. The ViaCAD website also offers access to user forums, but we didn’t find these to be nearly as beneficial as the software’s included guide and tutorials.
Punch! ViaCAD 2D/3D is ideal for the home user or small business with a limited budget. It also services as a good stepping stone for learning how to use more complex 3D applications. This design CAD software isn’t as intuitive as some of the other applications we reviewed, but its 2D and 3D functionality prove to be just as good.
