I'd like to announce the third release of PythonCAD, a CAD package for open-source software users. As the name implies, PythonCAD is written entirely in Python. The goal of this project is to create a fully scriptable drafting program that will match and eventually exceed features found in commercial CAD software. PythonCAD is released under the GNU Public License (GPL). PythonCAD requires Python 2.2. The interface is GTK 2.0 based, and uses the PyGTK module for interfacing to GTK. The design of PythonCAD is built around the idea of separating the interface from the back end as much as possible. By doing this, it is hoped that both GNOME and KDE interfaces can be added to PythonCAD through usage of the appropriate Python module. Addition of other interfaces will depend on the availability of a Python module for that particular interface and developer interest and action. The third release adds some new functionality to the program. Construction lines can be easily drawn tangent to circles and arcs, as well as drawn perpendicular to the various entities in a drawing. The thickness of drawing entities like line segments and circles is now drawn on the screen, too. Splitting the entities in the drawing can now be done by clicking on them at the point where they are to be split, or entities can be split at points where they intersect one another. This splitting functionality works only for "real" entities in a drawing like segments and circles; there is no splitting of the construction objects. This release also includes many internal improvements in the code. Many routines were revised to conform to current code standards, numerous routines were simplified, and some routines were completely re-written. These cleanups fixed various bugs, as well as making the code easier to understand in places. Visit the PythonCAD web site for more information about what PythonCAD does and aims to be. http://www.pythoncad.org Come and join me in developing PythonCAD into a world class drafting program! Art Haas -- They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759