Double star nanoCAD: free 3.7 and paid 4.0

Summer 2012 ... The nanoCAD project developed by our company has undergone significant changes: a paid version has emerged from the free nanoCAD. We can say that we have passed the first step of Star (T) Up'a - nanoCAD is getting stronger and developing. Further, a journey across the endless expanses of CAD space will be carried out by two (equally important for us) versions of nanoCAD.

For reasons for separation, differences and our plans for the future, see the article below.

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Mini introduction for those who do not know

We launched the nanoCAD project in 2008 already distant for us. It was then that we announced the development of a domestic computer-aided design (CAD) system - a platform for specialized solutions. Announced that the base platform will be free, and specialized applications based on it will be paid. And this scheme worked for almost four years (you can read more about our idea in our previous posts on Habr: “ Do you want to subscribe for software or not? ” And “ Fill nanoCAD subscriptions with buns - or can you earn money for free? ”). Now this idea is undergoing changes ...

4 years of development - what have we achieved?

In our opinion, we have achieved a lot: for example, the licensed user base of only the free base platform nanoCAD has reached more than 155 thousand jobs. At the beginning of the year we released the English version of nanoCAD, which is also successfully and free of charge distributed in the English part of the Internet. We have created on the basis of nanoCAD several unique applications: for example, nanoCAD OPS (program for designing fire alarm systems) and nanoCAD Construction Site (solution for designing sites for construction). Previously, the existing solution based on nanoCAD received a powerful impetus for development: for example, nanoCAD Electro has significantly expanded its functionality over the past three years, turning it into a unique tool for Russia to design indoor electric lighting for industrial and civil buildings. And now the solution is applied not only in electrics - the experience of using nanoCAD Electro to calculate lightning protection is interesting. Attendance of the site nanoCAD.ru is steadily growing and now amounts to 2-2.5 thousand unique visitors per day ...


Fig. The working window of nanoCAD 4 is a classic interface of the automated drawing system.

We initially try to make nanoCAD a universal system, not sharpening on any target group. As a result, analyzing now the user base, we see that the software product is used in various design areas - engineering, architecture, construction, engineering, land management ... We have a large number of users who use nanoCAD and in private at home - for the reconstruction of summer cottages , garages, planning of premises, repair of cars, creation of patterns of clothes, etc.

In general, we are very pleased with the speed of development and the results achieved: nanoCAD - turns into a serious competitive solution and a useful tool for the designer, although four years ago nobody knew about us!

But after the popularity of the solution comes and complication - the mass leads to an increase in the complexity of both the software product and the development of the solution. Different groups of users express different wishes, it is necessary to set priorities and build a strict development schedule. And now nanoCAD is developing in three directions:

• Improvement and optimization of the existing functionality;
• Building up new functionality allowing nanoCAD to enter new user groups;
• Developing an open (accessible to all) API that allows you to develop your own applications and migrate applications from alternative CAD platforms.

All three areas are without a doubt equivalent and require active support and attention from the developers. So, the developer.nanocad.ru specialized site discusses issues related to the development of the API: advising novice developers, helping to port development to the nanoCAD platform, developing priorities for developing the platform’s API functions necessary for developing new solutions. If you have an application that you want to bring to the Russian-speaking users all over the world in the near future, then welcome to our club - we will help you take the first steps in the world of developments under nanoCAD.

To collect the wishes and to understand the needs of users, the official forum of Nanosoft CJSC - forum.nanocad.ru was organized . This is a unique place where developers and users meet at one virtual discussion table. And we see how the day-to-day forum turns into a very friendly community, where not only issues related to nanoCAD functionality are discussed, but also near-project knowledge is exchanged - to the point that users began to share their experiences and experiences with each other. Very many corrections and convenience of working with nanoCAD were born from forum messages, and we invite you to this community - this is the most convenient way to consult on nanoCAD and solutions based on it.

And, of course, we are actively interacting with designers offline - only in 2012, employees of the company Nanosoft drove through 11 cities in Russia and Ukraine as part of the Tour de SAPR campaign. More than 800 people took part in the seminars, who showed great interest in our solutions - questions and answers, a live demonstration of the programs and, of course, feedback, which gave us an additional incentive to develop the new version.

Why did we come up with the idea of ​​paid nanoCAD?

The answer is simple: most users still draw. This shows both personal communication with users (both ordinary designers and their managers) and the number of licenses issued for our software products. Now the nanoCAD platform accounts for more than 60% of all issued / sold licenses!

Why this happens - there are a lot of variants of answers: and a habit that few people want to change; and unwillingness to learn; and the severity of the specialized solution, not forgiving even the slightest deviation from the technology; and the need for the most accurate development of the project in specialized solutions, even at the earliest stages ... Be that as it may, the fact remains: very many designers simply draw.

In addition, the design world is quite broad - narrow specialization often leads to the fact that even existing specialized solutions do not completely cover the needs of designers, forcing them to “fall down” into ordinary drafting. And here there is a huge field for activity - now in the CAD market there is a clear need for new solutions, tailored for design specialties. For example, we are planning to release 3-4 more applications in the near future. But this is a drop in the ocean ... That is why we open the API under nanoCAD - developers, ay! where are you? We invite you to cooperate! ..

And the third reason is the development of the platform. Initially, we created a system with minimal tools for automating drafting. We created a basic scoop that was distributed for free. Which could be expanded with additional functionality (automating the routine) and selling a product already sharpened by the designer.

But most designers want a versatile Swiss knife - with which you can make the first, second, and dessert. Requests for the implementation of functions very far from simple drawing began to appear - explorer drawings, block bases, parametrization of drawings, creation of dynamic blocks, etc. Many of these features can be developed by yourself, but many are better to buy from third-party developers, and these are direct costs: for example, printing in PDF format — high-quality plug-in modules require contributions to the developer. It is clear that developing such a functionality by itself is an honorable, but somewhat costly business (primarily in time).

All this led us to the idea of ​​a dual software product: the paid and free versions of nanoCAD.

Paid nanoCAD and free - how to divide?

Of course, there are no clear boundaries for free and paid nanoCAD - we will adhere to the following principle: if the function is massive, useful and necessary for basic drawing, then it will appear in the free version. For example, dynamic input, sheet management, support for new versions of DWG are all the basic functions needed by any design system user. The trial also includes error correction and implementation of optimizing functions (for example, a more convenient block editor).

But the functions that automate the drawing, designed for professional use of CAD - we will include in the paid version of nanoCAD. For example, functions for working with raster images - vectorization, bindings to raster objects, elimination of “garbage”, distortions, and so on. This is clearly a toolkit that improves the speed and quality of the work of the designer. This functionality can be included in the paid version.

We will define the criteria “is the function for mass use or professional?” Independently and through communication on the forum - it’s not for nothing that we gather a community of users on forum.nanocad.ru.

Now we have divided the free and paid versions both according to the version (nanoCAD 4.0 is paid; nanoCAD 3.7 is free) and by functionality (see the nanoCAD version comparison table ). On the website software products are divorced by name: nanoCAD - these are paid versions of the product; nanoCAD free - free. And for target audiences: it is clear that nanoCAD free is designed for the mass user who does not make high demands on the drawing system, and nanoCAD - for the professional user who needs automation of drawing, but specialized solutions are not suitable for one reason or another.

Future plans

We are continuing to create an affordable computer-aided design system for domestic designers. This means that we will develop both a free version of nanoCAD and a paid one. And, of course, specialized solutions will be developed - during the autumn we plan to update all existing applications (will be based on the paid version nanoCAD 4.0) and release new ones. Follow the news and stay with us :-)