# Cad Software.



## Lood

I'd like some opinions on good CAD software for amateur use? I don't mind paying for a good product, but seeing that I won't use it that much, I don't want to go overboard with regards to the price.


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## MarkStephen

What type of CAD program are you looking for, or maybe better asked , what are you wanting to accomplish with it? If your wanting to do 2D drawings and such, there is a plethora of options out there and several rather good ones that are free, both open and closed source. If your looking for doing 3D solid modeling, your choices for free or low cost just got a lot smaller. Or, are you looking to do 3D "organic" modeling, in which case you would be wanting a mesh modeler, which is not really CAD, though they do share a number of features. 

So maybe tell us a bit about what your wanting to do and how much time you have to put into learning. Knowing that, myself and others will be able to point you to some rather good options that should meet your end goals. 

Mark


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## dracozny

The other question is which Operating system are you going to run it on? OSX, Linux, Windows?


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## BRIAN

Have  a look at Q CAD you can down load for free.  so you can get the feel of it   the full instruction book is cheap and teaches you from the very basics of drawing.   You can the decide to get the pro version if you want, the cost is minimal..  I tried three others before Q CAD and all they did was confuse me

  Mind you at the age of 74 that's not hard to do  !!!

Brian


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## Karl_T

Assuming Windows. you can't beat Draftsight. They have a free version. It works exactly like AutoCad in 2D only.
http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

Karl


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## Lood

Thanks. I use Windows and long ago, I used to have Autocad Light installed on my desktop. I enjoyed working with Autocad LT. After that, I had Autocad Student, but I now find all the steps to go through before being able to download it, near impossible. Unfortunately, the pay versions of Autocad seem srather rediculous in price - just my opinion. 
I only want to do simple 2D drawings of projects that I want make on the lathe and mill.


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## mzayd3

I bought turbo Cad from office max or somewhere similar.  it is good for hobby use.  it was also under $100.  another option for 3d stuff that i like is Google's sketchup- you pretty much create profile and "extrude" it, and it is really capable for being free!


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## Karl_T

Yep, Draftsight will be perfect for your background. I just noticed they now do Mac and Linux too.


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## Terrywerm

Since you are accustomed to AutoCAD LT, you might find another Autodesk product to your liking, called AutoSketch. It is primarily a 2D product but is capable of doing some simple 3D extrusions in the latest versions. It can produce and open DXF and DWG files and a few others in addition to its own SKF format.   Version 10 runs about $300 to purchase, but copies of version 9 (which I use) can be found for under $100.  It runs just fine on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1  

I tried Draftsight some time back, prior to purchasing AutoSketch 9, and it would not even launch without DLL file conflicts on the computer I had at that time (Vista), so I never got to try it out. I've heard good reviews of it, but sadly never got the chance to see for myself.


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## alloy

I read some good things on another site about Cubify.

When I get my CNC mill running I'm going to purchase it.  Price is right at $50.  They also have a 14 day free trial.

http://cubify.com/en/Products/Invent


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## alloy

I read some good things on another site about Cubify.

When I get my CNC mill running I'm going to purchase it.  Price is right at $50.  They also have a 14 day free trial.

http://cubify.com/en/Products/Invent


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## MarkStephen

Lood said:


> Thanks. I use Windows and long ago, I used to have Autocad Light installed on my desktop. I enjoyed working with Autocad LT. After that, I had Autocad Student, but I now find all the steps to go through before being able to download it, near impossible. Unfortunately, the pay versions of Autocad seem srather rediculous in price - just my opinion.
> I only want to do simple 2D drawings of projects that I want make on the lathe and mill.



As Karl_T mentions, DraftSight would probably be your best choice given your back ground. You can find it here - http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/ and the free version is here - http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/ 

It requires activation which will get you a reasonable amount of email from them wanting to upsell you along with some occasional useful information, so maybe no so bad as those things go. It's put out by Dessault Systems, the same folks that make SolidWorks and CATIA. The only thing I find lacking with DraftSight is they do not Import or Export IGES, but to be fair, neither did AutoCAD until a year or so ago. 

Mark


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## MarkStephen

Lood said:


> Thanks. I use Windows and long ago, I used to have Autocad Light installed on my desktop. I enjoyed working with Autocad LT. After that, I had Autocad Student, but I now find all the steps to go through before being able to download it, near impossible. Unfortunately, the pay versions of Autocad seem srather rediculous in price - just my opinion.
> I only want to do simple 2D drawings of projects that I want make on the lathe and mill.



As Karl_T mentions, DraftSight would probably be your best choice given your back ground. You can find it here - http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/ and the free version is here - http://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/ 

It requires activation which will get you a reasonable amount of email from them wanting to upsell you along with some occasional useful information, so maybe no so bad as those things go. It's put out by Dessault Systems, the same folks that make SolidWorks and CATIA. The only thing I find lacking with DraftSight is they do not Import or Export IGES, but to be fair, neither did AutoCAD until a year or so ago. 

Mark


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## MarkStephen

alloy said:


> I read some good things on another site about Cubify.
> 
> When I get my CNC mill running I'm going to purchase it.  Price is right at $50.  They also have a 14 day free trial.
> 
> http://cubify.com/en/Products/Invent



IMO, Cubify is a poor choice of software to use with anything beyond 3D printing. It is crippled software. If you look at the specs, while it will import STEP, IGES and SAT it will only export STL mesh files. It will not export industry standard solid formats that are used by most every other 3D CAD modeler out there. While the STL format is perfectly fine to use for 3D printing, beyond that it is considered a garbage format and is for all practical purposes a one way trip. That is to say, you can convert a solid into a mesh, but it is near impossible to convert a mesh back into the solid, at least with any shape beyond a simple cube. DesignSpark is crippled in the same way. You will probably be better served spending a bit more money going with a commercial package like Geomagic, (made by the same people that make the crippled Cubify), or maybe Rhino3D. On the free side, there is FreeCAD, which is the opposite of being crippled.


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## dracozny

BRIAN said:


> Have  a look at Q CAD you can down load for free.  so you can get the feel of it   the full instruction book is cheap and teaches you from the very basics of drawing.   You can the decide to get the pro version if you want, the cost is minimal..  I tried three others before Q CAD and all they did was confuse me
> 
> Mind you at the age of 74 that's not hard to do  !!!
> 
> Brian


Librecad is the fork of Q cad. I use Librecad, it does have some bugs though, but they are not detrimental.


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## randyc

I LOVE LibreCad - for former users of AutoCAD, it's a seemless transition.  For others - not difficult at all -

I also use two other applications from SourceForge.net.  Those people are great, they contribute their own time and provide us with really superior software for free !  (No connection other than a happy user of three different applications, used almost daily !)


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## MarkStephen

+1 for LibreCAD. It is a pretty decent program and is being actively developed.


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## Lood

Wow, thanks a lot for all the replies and advice! I downloaded DraftSight last night and started playing around with it a bit, drawing a rifle telescope spotlight  mount, which I want to make for my son. I haven't read though it quick start guide or anything, but I did find it quite straight forward. 
I check out some of the other over time and then select the one I am most comfortable with.


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## phill05

If you want to do artistic parts as well as machine parts I would have a look at Vetric cut 2d or Vetric Vcarve Pro both are real easy to get into using and if your feeling like pushing 3d try Vetric aspire, I have worked my way up to Aspire now and would not like to be without it, I feel the more you do the more you want to do, although a little pricy i think you get more for your money with it.


Phill


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## Dinosaur Engineer

Another choice for free 2D CAD on Windows is solid edge - can be down loaded from the Solid Edge site. As a previously experienced AutoCAD user (company S/W) I find the free solid Edge has all the functionality I need for amateur 2D work.


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## markknx

randyc,
I am CADtarded When I had drafting in high school our delete key was on the other end of your pencil. So where can I find tutorials Librecad? Or is there any books that would be helpful  for just learning cad?


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## MarkStephen

markknx said:


> randyc,
> I am CADtarded When I had drafting in high school our delete key was on the other end of your pencil. So where can I find tutorials Librecad? Or is there any books that would be helpful for just learning cad?




YouTube University 

Just typing in "LibreCAD tutorials" provides results like this -


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## dracozny

youtube is often where I go as well for Librecad tutorials. Blender on the other hand has some nice written tutorials but it's very tricky to use blender as a cnc cad.


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## MarkStephen

dracozny said:


> youtube is often where I go as well for Librecad tutorials. Blender on the other hand has some nice written tutorials but it's very tricky to use blender as a cnc cad.



 That's because Blender is not a CAD program. Blender is a very, very good mesh modeler, and I am a big fan and user of the program, for video animations, physics and particle engine, etc., but it is not CAD. True enough, it has a number of CAD like tools in it and is has been used for non critical things, but it simply lacks the precision of a geometric CAD program, be it 2D or 3D.

On the other hand, in the open source arena, FreeCAD is a fully parametric 3D modeler with mathematical accuracy down to the molecular level, if you really need something that accurate. In Blender,(as well as sketchup and several others), when you make a circle, you're really making a multi edged polygon. In FreeCAD, as with any solid modeler or geometric 2D CAD, a circle is a circle with only 1 edge and a radius.

Oh, and there are both written and youtube video tutorials for FreeCAD, plus an active user /developer supported Help section in the FreeCAD forum.

Don't get me wrong, Blender can be used successfully for things like CNC routers, carving out plaques and such, but I would not ever use it to CNC bearing races for a jet engine.

Mark


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## dracozny

MarkStephen said:


> That's because Blender is not a CAD program. Blender is a very, very good mesh modeler, and I am a big fan and user of the program, for video animations, physics and particle engine, etc., but it is not CAD. True enough, it has a number of CAD like tools in it and is has been used for non critical things, but it simply lacks the precision of a geometric CAD program, be it 2D or 3D.
> 
> On the other hand, in the open source arena, FreeCAD is a fully parametric 3D modeler with mathematical accuracy down to the molecular level, if you really need something that accurate. In Blender,(as well as sketchup and several others), when you make a circle, you're really making a multi edged polygon. In FreeCAD, as with any solid modeler or geometric 2D CAD, a circle is a circle with only 1 edge and a radius.
> 
> Oh, and there are both written and youtube video tutorials for FreeCAD, plus an active user /developer supported Help section in the FreeCAD forum.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, Blender can be used successfully for things like CNC routers, carving out plaques and such, but I would not ever use it to CNC bearing races for a jet engine.
> 
> Mark


that's actually a complete misconception about the accuracy. you have to adjust the units of measure from blender units to imperial or metric. yes there is a setting for that. and then you can specify how many decimal places you would like to go. My main complaint about Freecad is actually the interface, seems off right? Most would complain about blender's interface but my favorite tools like extrusion are completely gone. and then the rule system just confuses me. http://www.britishideas.com/2012/07/01/configuring-blender-for-cad/

now if you really want to dig into the nit and grit of Blender as a cad program feel free to follow this guy's tutorials http://www.rab3d.com/index.php


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## markknx

Thanks guys!


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## compsurge

FreeCAD, Autodesk Fusion 360 (I use this), DesignSpark Mechanical to name a few


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## chappo

Another package worth considering is ViaCad. I use the 2D3D version, but others may be more suitable for your needs.


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## ronald4418

There is a Free version called DoubleCad XT 5 that is effectively the same as AutoCad 2012. Therefore any of the AutoCad 2012 online Free video's will work. I found when doing my AutoCad College Course that this software met all of my needs even though it only did 2D. I could purchase for a minimal cost the PRO Version to do the 3D portion. Also it took a heck of a lot less computer resources including memory and hard drive space.


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## Reddog54

Lood said:


> I'd like some opinions on good CAD software for amateur use? I don't mind paying for a good product, but seeing that I won't use it that much, I don't want to go overboard with regards to the price.


Check out Design CAD 3D Max 24 is their latest version.  You can get it for around $100 and they also have a CAD/CAM software package but not sure how much it is.  They also have a pretty good forum to help answer any questions you may have and some free instruction videos out there.

Steve


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## merkelerk

I have been using Design Cad 3D Max since it first became available on 5 1/4" floppy.
3D rendering  with multiple lighting and also animation. Simple and easy to learn and can be bought for $149 (goes on sale regularly for $99).
http://www.imsidesign.com/


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## Tanshanomi

You might check out ViaCAD.  I use it both at work and at home on both Macs and Windows PCs. There are several versions  and the Pro edition is very powerful for the price. 

http://www.punchcad.com/


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## fketchum

PTC has a 3d option thats for free. I have not really used it much but it looks promising. Its called PTC Creo Elements /Direct Modeling Express.
 Because I have have not posted before I cant put a link up yet but a google search will find it for you


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## jererp

The only drafting classes I had were in high school and college, all done on paper.  I successfully made it to retirement without needing to learn any CAD.  So, what I did was sign up for a Solidworks class at the local community college.  You got a fully functioning copy of the program, as well as professional instruction.  Also, the benefit of having a live person to help with any questions.  Price was quite reasonable.....around $135.00 and the program is yours to keep as long as it is for personal use.  Anything you print out does have student version printed on it.    
But you can't let those young kids intimidate you....it was hard work for me after 35yrs working to go back to school, but it was something I wanted to try, and it was worth the effort.


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## dkopp

I know someone mentioned TurboCad.  I get mine from Ebay.  There are tons of resellers who sell new software and it's cheap.  Last time I got the 2-D version (V.15) for about 25 bucks.  You just have to make sure you buy a full version and not an upgrade disk.


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## shorton

I use Bentley Microstation.  You can get a copy of their Bentley Power Drafting (same thing for a beginner to advanced intermediate user)  on their website IIRC.  Free for students and non commercial work.


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## ShepRCS

I just found onshape through a similar post on another forum. 

It's in beta at the moment but my request for an invite took about 10minutes so maybe not so restricted. It's forum the solid works team and is free although limited to 6 active projects. $100 for an unlimited version. 

It's cloud based and seems to be very similar to solid works. It also has an app that runs well on my iPhone although screen is a little small. 

Not at had much time me to play with it. But it's worth a look I think!

Shep


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## gt40

You might check out viacad pro- It is relatively easy for learning curve and capable for low priced cad


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## randyc

markknx said:


> randyc,
> I am CADtarded When I had drafting in high school our delete key was on the other end of your pencil. So where can I find tutorials Librecad? Or is there any books that would be helpful  for just learning cad?



MarkStephen answered your question I think.  Frankly I didn't know that LibreCAD tutorials existed - I'm an old school AutoCAD user and LibreCAD was a painless transition for me.  Most commands are either similar to or easier than those used in AutoCAD.

Years ago there was an even better application called "Generic CAD" but it became so successful that AutoDesk bought them out and discontinued the product.  It wasn't free however -


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## markknx

randy,
Yes as Stephen di. But I also found a book on using AutoCAD with a 30 day trial of AutoCad 2015LT I am up to lesson 4. Someone else told me autoCAD to LibreCAD was pretty easy. so I plan to get as far as I can in the book before my trial runs out and then convert back to Libre. Just from my short working with both libre seems a little simpler to fin funcntions on.Mark


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## Bill C.

Do you guys use a mouse and pad or a drawing tablet to make your drawings?  I use a laptop and find it takes a while to draw.  I grew up in the days of paper and pencil drafting. 

Thanks for your help,


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## randyc

Me too, Bill !

I only use CAD for complicated things, otherwise I make sketches on a lined pad and try to keep them near scale (usually 1/4 inch to the inch).  That's usually good enough for most things that I do these days.


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## dracozny

I rough draft most things on paper. Depending on how complicated it is I can then either write gcode based on the rough draft or refine it in a cad program to then convert using Cam.


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## 4GSR

Bill C. said:


> Do you guys use a mouse and pad or a drawing tablet to make your drawings?  I use a laptop and find it takes a while to draw.  I grew up in the days of paper and pencil drafting.n
> 
> Thanks for your help,



Mouse and pad for me.  I threw away the tablet many years ago!  Hope we are talking about same thing...


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## maker of things

Background: I own the latest Geomagic Design at home and use current Autodesk products at work. 

If you have in decent internet connection Autodesk has several free options online.  https://www.autocad360.com/ http://www.123dapp.com/design

Draftsight is pretty close to AutoCad and works for those of us who still type commands.  The constant emails got old for me so I stopped using it.

I also found http://intellicadms.com/site/cms-intellicad-products.html and have not used it yet but looks decent for around $100.   Uses all Autocad commands and is .dwg direct compatible according to the site.  Considering this for simple 2d drawings in the shop to load into cam software.

Most 3d cad packages are parametric modeling so everything works on constraints which I don't like for 2d.  "Drawing" in a 3d cad package is generally the printable output with dimensions from the 3d model.

Geomagic Design (formerly Alibre) is 1/3 the price of Inventor with much of the same functionality.   Fairly easy to use as parametric cad, outputs to .dxf .dwg .iges and .step.    
    Note: Cubify invent (from the same company) is not drafting software it is made to create parts for 3d printers.  There is no 2d output or dimensioning.

Freecad is a 3d parametric modeler which is, as the name implies, free.  I found the learning curve to be a little steeper than Geomagic Design (coming from Inventor and Mechanical Desktop) but you can pay in hours instead of dollars.  Time spent learning this package will largely carry over to several industrial cad packages.

Sketchup.  NOT associated with Google anymore.  NOT really free (for full use).  NOT really cad.  I would suggest against anyone who is not doing architectural design work from spending any time trying to learn this.  Any time spent learning sketchup will not help you operate any cad system that I have ever used (I have not used them all by any stretch).  I would consider it closer to Cubify invent. Sketchup requires you to pay to output .stl (3d printer format)

As with all things on the internet YMMV but hopefully this info is somewhat helpful to at lest one person.


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## markknx

OK guys just an up date I am a little deaper in the book ( BTY the book is begginers AutoCAD 2015 from Ind.press) I can now draw most shapes, work with layers, do chamfer7 fillets. But I have not gotten to dimentioning yet. the start of the book was rough because they talk about all these functions but don't give examples of use. I am the guy that  if you tell me about it I want to know how! Also as most of you know once you get some basics down the rest is pretty easy. Like keeping that line from sticking to the curser (It wasn't the only curser) like gum on my shoe. Thanks for the links and support guys. with that Ihave to go do my next lesson.
Mark


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## markknx

OK  Guy just so you know Ididn't just ask a bunch ofquestion and never use the info. (Something the bothers me is when someone asks for help with a problem everyone tries to help and then they don't let anyone no how it worked out) That little rant over. Here is where I have gotten I'm back with Librecad as my trial to Autocad ran out. (But I saw above a free Autocad 360. Vs Librecad whats the thoughts) Any how Here are some simple parts drawing I did on libre. One is from the tutorialthe other is just something I created to test what I was learning. Thank you to the guy that came up with the Undo button. Can't seem to get one to attach. Need work on that. It keeps comming out as a PDF. Well you guys get it I'm getting there.


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