

A powerful and useful software that any CAD artist worth his name will at least know about. Find a huge variety of new & used Computer-aided design CAD books online including bestsellers & rare titles at the best prices. This software is much more than just drafting and 3D models, it can do almost anything. It is a whole suite filled with things such as simulation, meshing and rendering. Being open source has its perks, it is 100% free and always will be.įreeCAD is an amazing free alternative to SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor, it might not be as polished but for the price you are paying ($0) it has a high standard. If you are used to 3D modelling it can be a bit difficult getting into, don’t let this stop you from trying out this amazing piece of software! FreeCAD If you’re into schematics and don’t need or want 3D then Draftsight is one of the best free alternatives to AutoCAD. Second up is Dassault (creators of both CATIA and SolidWorks) and their free 2D CAD software. Choose the best option for your needs, from essential 2D drafting, advanced 2D CAD or all-in-one 2D and 3D design.
DRAFTSIGHT 2016 E BOOKS FULL
These tools might be available in other free CAD alternatives but if you decide to pay for their professional version you will have a ton of plugins available which will fix this issue. Not only that but Google (Yeah… SketchUp is Google product) keeps an insane library with literally thousands upon thousands of designs that you can download and modify. Easily transition from AutoCAD due to DraftSight’s familiar interface, commands, and full compatibility to seamlessly utilize your legacy drawings and data like Dynamic Blocks. There are a few issues with SketchUp which are based on the fact that a lot of tools are missing. This is because they’ve managed to emulate the feeling of working with a pen and paper. SketchUp is based around the idea that you can get good at it in a matter of days. It does have some lack in usability but if you’re starting out then I would highly recommend this piece of software. It’s simple and has a fun vibe, you can make anything you envision and you can make it fast. These 3 choices have been made from my point of view (a mechanical engineer), they’re applicable for other areas too! SketchUp Keep in mind that for every enthusiast, hobbyist, professional engineer, architect and programmer there is a software that fits them. Intuitive user interface, portable, customizableĮasily extensible, lightweight, its purpose is for architectural use Programmable, extremely powerful, parametric modeling Powerful 2d drawing tool, useful for professionals, loads of tools available SOFTWAREįast and easy to learn, fun to use, perfect for hobbyists. It can be very expensive though, especially for someone that is starting out. I have compiled a list of the best free CAD alternatives in 2016. 2016 is here and CAD is becoming more and more useful both as a job and a hobby.
