I'm happy to announce that QCAD 3 is nearing its final release. The latest release candidate (QCAD 3 RC5) has proven to be stable on all supported platforms (Windows, Mac OS X and Linux) and we're now updating the books and e-books to reflect the new QCAD 3 looks and features.
If you are using the current stable release of QCAD (2.2), you are encouraged to try out QCAD 3 RC5. The two versions can be installed in parallel like separate software packages.
Although the final version of QCAD 3 has not been released just yet, I feel that this is a good moment for brief glimpse of what the future holds. The QCAD 3 release will be the beginning of a couple of new developments:
- There will be new versions of CAM Expert based on QCAD 3. We already have a basic CAD to CAM converter with path optimization and simple simulation but there's certainly more to come.
- There will also be a new release of the Open Source QCAD Community Edition, also based on QCAD 3. More about that will be revealed in a separate posting... stay tuned!
- Several new tools based on the QCAD 3 framework can be expected. One tool we have in the pipeline generates variations of CAD blocks and symbols from existing drawings for example to create a complete set of DIN parts (think screws, nuts, flanges, etc).
- Last but not least, QCAD 3 and the QCAD 3 Application Framework will of course continue to evolve. We have received a lot of feedback and feature requests which we will begin to process after the QCAD 3 release. Many thanks for all user input - it is highly appreciated. Feel free to add your own wishes!
Andrew