What Do You Use To Draw/design Projects?

[Holescreek]

It looks like that Punch ViaCad for $69 would be a great 2D option. Trying to resurrect computers with an OS that is 20 years old is just a study in frustration.

I didn't look at it yet but one thing that is important to me is that whatever software I choose must be able to use all the ACAD drawings I've already drawn over the years. That Progcad looked like a great fit, just like Draftsight was before they got so full of themselves. I was telling an Ex-cop buddy about how Draftsight lured everyone in with free software for many years then suddenly launched the pay/year plan and he said "just like drug dealers do. Get you hooked on the product first then hit you with the bill." I suspect that Fusion360 will play the same game eventually.

 

[7milesup]

Not sure about Fusion charging for the hobby or education sector. I know a guy that is very high up in Autodesk management he has told me that they will never charge for Fusion 360. Right now, Fusion is heavily used with the 3D printer folks (that is how/why I started using it) along with the radio control model field. Their market segment is quite large at this point.

 

[middle.road]

It looks like that Punch ViaCad for $69 would be a great 2D option. Trying to resurrect computers with an OS that is 20 years old is just a study in frustration.

Nah, it's easy. Just like resurrecting old iron in the shop. Just requires a tad of patience.
Fired up an '05 HP laptop with XP on it just today, in an attempt to get a Intel 1999 USB microscope working.

On the Fusion front, Autodesk has pretty well neutered it for home hobbyist use.
If someone you know sends you a Solidworks files for whatever reason, you're SOL.

 

[Tanshanomi]

It looks like that Punch ViaCad for $69 would be a great 2D option. Trying to resurrect computers with an OS that is 20 years old is just a study in frustration.

I've used various ViaCAD products for at least 15 years, and it's good. I've never had a problem opening/saving Autocad DXF or DWG files.

 

[7milesup]

On the Fusion front, Autodesk has pretty well neutered it for home hobbyist use.

Hardly.
The number of help videos out there along with the Fusion 360 forum makes the program very friendly. Not even sure why one would need to contact tech support.
Anyhow, I get that you don't like Fusion. To each his own. Finding a powerful 3D cad program like Fusion for free is extremely difficult.

 

[bakrch]

Nah, it's easy. Just like resurrecting old iron in the shop. Just requires a tad of patience.
Fired up an '05 HP laptop with XP on it just today, in an attempt to get a Intel 1999 USB microscope working.

On the Fusion front, Autodesk has pretty well neutered it for home hobbyist use.
If someone you know sends you a Solidworks files for whatever reason, you're SOL.

View attachment 310403

I wouldn't say SOL, one could just ask that person to export as a .step file ... good to go.

 

[7milesup]

Or even a DXF

 

[Holescreek]

So far I've learned enough FreeCad to make some things on my 3D printer but really haven't delved into the program more than enough to do just one project. I stay busy in my shop making parts and drawing is just a means to an end for me, not the focus. The programs that have been working for me for 20 years still do their job, it's the computers that changed.
I've had Draftsight on my work computer since the program first came out and it made my job easier and more productive for the company too. I just learned that because of the change the company is removing it from almost all of the computers in the company (definitely mine) and putting some kind of viewing software on to see the engineering drawings. I work in the QC lab and Draftsight (and AcadLT before it) made it easy to overlay actual contracings and optical scans onto drawing sections for seeing out of spec conditions. We even used it for calibrating contoured sweep blades. I can't wait to tell them that they have to come up with a new way to to accomplish this stuff - when it's too late.

 

[middle.road]

Hardly.
The number of help videos out there along with the Fusion 360 forum makes the program very friendly. Not even sure why one would need to contact tech support.
Anyhow, I get that you don't like Fusion. To each his own. Finding a powerful 3D cad program like Fusion for free is extremely difficult.

You are correct about the videos. The quality and quantity of them make it easy to learn Fusion. That's how I picked it up.
Lars actually had his beginners series of three that matched what I was trying to create at the time.
Although mine didn't turn out as nice as his did...

And I can't think of any reason to contact tech support except for perhaps a problem with one's files on the cloud servers.
But even then that can usually be solved by searching.

You're incorrect about me not liking Fusion. It is the changes to the licensing/features that has my fur up.
If Ben sends me a copy of the cool hand tool holder he's working on in Soldidworks, I'll not be able to bring it into Fusion.
Even just within our community here there are a quite a few that use Solidworks, and if we were to collaborate it might be difficult.

 

[bakrch]

You are correct about the videos. The quality and quantity of them make it easy to learn Fusion. That's how I picked it up.
Lars actually had his beginners series of three that matched what I was trying to create at the time.
Although mine didn't turn out as nice as his did...

And I can't think of any reason to contact tech support except for perhaps a problem with one's files on the cloud servers.
But even then that can usually be solved by searching.

You're incorrect about me not liking Fusion. It is the changes to the licensing/features that has my fur up.
If Ben sends me a copy of the cool hand tool holder he's working on in Soldidworks, I'll not be able to bring it into Fusion.
Even just within our community here there are a quite a few that use Solidworks, and if we were to collaborate it might be difficult.

I suppose in that case it is annoying.

There is always the EAA $40/yr Solidworks license that I hear about (never tried it myself). Inventor also hands out free educational licenses, and if you're fluent with Fusion 360 it will take no time to adapt.