Amethyst CADwizz MAX 

Cadalyst Magazine, March 2006

"Amethyst CADwizz MAX from CA Design Associates is a fast viewer that supports DWG and DXF files from AutoCAD v2.5 through 2006. From CADwizz MAX, users also can open and save zipped files and create self-extracting archives.

One of the product’s most interesting and unique features is its ability to create hand-drawn effects for presentations or illustrations. The Wizzle feature applies random changes to the lines in your drawing to give them a hand-drawn appearance. Each line comes out slightly different from the others so, like hand-made drawings, the results are unpredictable.

With Wizzle, users work directly with AutoCAD drawings, rather than first having to save their drawings in another file format. They can view the Wizzled effect directly and undo or make modifications as required. Predefined settings include steady, wobbly, sketchy and architectural, each of which can be modified to produce custom settings that users can save and recall for future use. By modifying amplitude, steps, overshoot and undershoot, users can achieve many effects. Using the control to set amplitude for vertical lines yields a more realistic effect for architectural drawing. Wizzled drawings can be printed or saved in various bit-mapped formats for further processing with a graphics application.

Amethyst CADwizz has a clean and easily understood interface, which makes it a good choice for users who aren’t familiar with AutoCAD but still need a fast and capable AutoCAD file viewer. A single-user license is priced at $77, and discounts are available for multiple-license purchases.

CADwizz MAX handled the variety of AutoCAD drawings and DXF files I tested it with well. This capability, combined with its ability to manage zipped files and create self-extracting archive files, distinguishes Amethyst CADwizz MAX. Users who need to produce illustrations that mimic hand drawings will find the Wizzle feature useful.

In addition to CADwizz MAX, CA Design Associates also offers CADwizz LE, which omits features such as redlining, and file conversion."