USE* Publications are constantly looking for efficiencies within their own and their customers’ businesses, and the switch from Adobe CS to a shareware alternative for creating images directly from CAD data has delivered yet another cost saving to both USE*, and their clients.

The USE* Publications team recently began working with an OEM client to generate technical illustrations graphics directly from CAD data. For the client, the traditional software tool for enhancing and annotating technical illustrations was Adobe CS. Deploying USE* methods, however, meant that only a small amount of the functionality from this tool was required, while the licenses for the tool are very expensive.

To eliminate this cost without compromising on quality, the USE* team trialled a shareware alternative, which has subsequently been implemented by the client. With six USE* authors, and additional client authors, using the software, the cost saving for the client in licences alone was significant.