diff --git a/scripts/create_tarball.sh b/scripts/create_tarball_and_zip.sh
similarity index 76%
rename from scripts/create_tarball.sh
rename to scripts/create_tarball_and_zip.sh
index 0088e8b..5871209 100755
--- a/scripts/create_tarball.sh
+++ b/scripts/create_tarball_and_zip.sh
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 #function for printing usage
 usage() { 
-        echo "Create a tarball of the project. Specify the project root with the";
+        echo "Create a tarball and a zip of the project. Specify the project root with the";
         echo "-d parameter. Optionally, specify the -v switch to get verbose output";
         echo "and/or the -q switch, for non-interactive (without user inputs)";
         echo "processing.";
@@ -103,12 +103,24 @@ VERSION_NUMBER="${VERSION_MAJOR}.${VERSION_MINOR}.${VERSION_PATCH}"
 PROJECT_NAME=`cat $CMAKEFILE | grep project.*\(.*\) | sed "s/^[^(]*(\([^)]*\)).*$/\1/g" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'`
 n="${PROJECT_NAME}-${VERSION_NUMBER}"
 TARBALL_NAME="${n}.tar.gz"
+ZIP_NAME="${n}.zip"
 
-#verify that tarball doesn't allow forbidden characters
+#booleans for checking what has to be created
+CREATE_TARBALL=true;
+CREATE_ZIP=true;
+
+#verify that tarball name doesn't contain forbidden characters
 if ! [[ $TARBALL_NAME =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9|\.|\_|-]+$ ]]; then
         echo "--> Want to create tarball with name $TARBALL_NAME." >&2
         echo '--> ! Filename not valid, only a-z, A-Z, .,- and _ characters are allowed' >&2 # write to stderr
-        exit 1
+        CREATE_TARBALL=false
+fi
+
+#verify that zip name doesn't contain forbidden characters
+if ! [[ $ZIP_NAME =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9|\.|\_|-]+$ ]]; then
+        echo "--> Want to create zip with name $TARBALL_NAME." >&2
+        echo '--> ! Filename not valid, only a-z, A-Z, .,- and _ characters are allowed' >&2 # write to stderr
+        CREATE_ZIP=false
 fi
 
 if [ -z "${q}" ]; then
@@ -117,34 +129,80 @@ if [ -z "${q}" ]; then
         select yn in "Yes" "No"; do
                 case $yn in
                 Yes ) break;;
-                No ) echo Leaving tarball creation; exit 1;;
+                No ) echo "Leaving tarball creation"; CREATE_TARBALL=false; break;;
                 esac
         done
 else
         echo "--> Tarball with name $TARBALL_NAME will be created."
 fi
 
-#check if file with the tarball_name already exists. In interactive mode, ask the user if this file shall be deleted. Otherwise just exit.
-if [ -f "$TARBALL_NAME" ]; then
+
+#check if file with the tarball_name already exists. In interactive mode, ask the user if this file shall be deleted. Otherwise do not create tarball.
+if [ \( -f "$TARBALL_NAME" \) -a \( "$CREATE_TARBALL" = true \) ]; then
         if [ -z "${q}" ]; then
                 echo "--> File $TARBALL_NAME exists. Delete file?"
                 select yn in "Yes" "No"; do
                         case $yn in
                         Yes ) break;;
-                        No ) echo Leaving tarball creation; exit 1;;
+                        No ) echo "Leaving tarball creation"; CREATE_TARBALL=false; break;;
                         esac
                 done
-                rm $TARBALL_NAME
-                if [ -f "$TARBALL_NAME" ]; then
-                        echo "Could not delete $TARBALL_NAME"
-                        exit 1
+		if [ "$CREATE_TARBALL" = true ] ; then
+			rm $TARBALL_NAME
+                        if [ -f "$TARBALL_NAME" ]; then
+                        	echo "Could not delete $TARBALL_NAME"
+                        	CREATE_TARBALL=false
+                	fi
+		fi
+        else
+                echo "--> ! File $TARBALL_NAME exists. Delete first. Exiting tarball creation."
+                CREATE_TARBALL=false;
+        fi
+fi
+
+if [ -z "${q}" ]; then
+        #in interactive mode, ask the user if the zip shall be created with this filename
+        echo "--> Do you wish to create a zip with the name $ZIP_NAME in the current directory?"
+        select yn in "Yes" "No"; do
+                case $yn in
+                Yes ) break;;
+                No ) echo "Leaving zip creation"; CREATE_ZIP=false; break;;
+                esac
+        done
+else
+        echo "--> Zip with name $ZIP_NAME will be created."
+fi
+
+#check if file with the zip_name already exists. In interactive mode, ask the user if this file shall be deleted. Otherwise do not create zip.
+if [ \( -f "$ZIP_NAME" \) -a \( "$CREATE_ZIP" = true \) ]; then
+        if [ -z "${q}" ]; then
+                echo "--> File $ZIP_NAME exists. Delete file?"
+                select yn in "Yes" "No"; do
+                        case $yn in
+                        Yes ) break;;
+                        No ) echo "Leaving zip creation"; CREATE_ZIP=false; break;
+                        esac
+                done
+		if [ "$CREATE_ZIP" = true ]; then
+                	rm $ZIP_NAME
+			if [ -f "$ZIP_NAME" ]; then
+                        	echo "Could not delete $ZIP_NAME"
+                        	CREATE_ZIP=false
+                	fi
                 fi
         else
-                echo "--> ! File $TARBALL_NAME exists. Delete first. Exiting."
-                exit 1;
+                echo "--> ! File $ZIP_NAME exists. Delete first. Exiting zip creation."
+		CREATE_ZIP=false
         fi
 fi
 
+#exit if tarball and zip must not / cannot be created
+if [ \( "$CREATE_ZIP" = false \) -a \( "$CREATE_TARBALL" = false \) ] ; then
+	echo "Exiting, no files to generate";
+	exit 1;
+fi
+
+
 #temporary directory for doxygen
 MYTMPDIR_DOXY_BUILD=`mktemp -d`
 #temporary directory for building other things (e.g. Latex or integrating snippets into examples)
@@ -356,8 +414,20 @@ if ! [ -f $MYTMPDIR/${n}/doc/reference/doxygen_html_generated/index.html ]; then
         exit 1;
 fi
 
-#finally, build the tarball.
-echo "--> Calling tar"
-tar -czf $TARBALL_NAME -C $MYTMPDIR ${n} 
+#build the tarball, if CREATE_TARBALL is true.
+if [ "$CREATE_TARBALL" = true ]; then
+	echo "--> Calling tar"
+	tar -czf $TARBALL_NAME -C $MYTMPDIR ${n}
+	echo "--> Done. Created $TARBALL_NAME."
+fi
+
+#build the zip, if CREATE_ZIP is true
+if [ "$CREATE_ZIP" = true ]; then
+	echo "--> Calling zip"
+	cd $MYTMPDIR
+        zip -r -q $ZIP_NAME ./*
+	mv $ZIP_NAME $REMEMBER_CUR_DIR
+        echo "--> Done. Created $ZIP_NAME."
+fi
+
 
-echo "--> Done. Created $TARBALL_NAME."