Free Drawing Software Package Suggestions

[fasterbyelan]

Good Morning,

For those that draw mechanical parts via a computer, what software package would you recommend? I would prefere a free one as I will only be making limited use of such. I have used AutoCad quite a while ago so am not a complete novice.

Thank you,

Karl

 

[Mrs C]

Sketchup Make 2017 - quite a learning curve but worth it

 

[worn thumbs]

Qcad,Librecad,Sketchup and Fusion are very popular.Do you intend to use the computer as an electronic drawing board to produce 2D drawings or are you likely to progress to 3D modelling?Personally I use Freecad because it has a huge range of workbenches for a wide range of tasks from basic 2D drafting to creating toolpaths for my homebuilt CNC router.It also produces parametric 3D models.Absolutely free and always will be,but not the easiest to learn.

 

[ScaredyCat]

I use openscad because you code the components rather than draw them.

.

 

[Yojevol]

Hi Karl
I've been using TurboCad for 20 years now upgrading from time to time. It's a poor man's version of AutoCad so it may be easy for you to pick up. I've got a disc with Version15 Pro on it which you're welcome to have if you wish. I've just loaded it onto my PC to make sure it's still working.
I have tried SketchUp and Fusion360 (an Auto Cad product) both of which are more intuitive than TC, but I can't be bothered to learn a new system. If you want to get straight into 3D modelling, which I would recommend, then Fusion 360 seems to be a good option.
Brian

 

[Ollie78]

And the winner is Fusion 360 !

I have tried many many different software for drawing 2d and 3d and have settled on Fusion 360. It is free for hobby use and enterprise and is extremely powerful.
I really used to like Sketchup when it was a free standalone software but they have kept sort of making it worse, it as a browser based solution now, it is kind of intuitive but lacks proper parametric modelling.
Parametric is important because if you have done a complex drawing but wish to alter a dimension this can be done after the fact and the software will adjust the component/ assembly and associated parts throughout.

Imagine for example that you have drawn a staircase and the spindles are not right, you can just change the dimension or shape of one spindle and they should all change. (the caveat being you do have to "construct" your models corectly using component etc.).
This became more important when I got a CNC router, the other great thing is Fusion has built in CAM so you can actually make gcode from one software. Though I like vcarve for simple stuff.
I sometimes use it to just quickly visualise things, its great if you don`t know all the dimensions as it will show you the ones you don`t know and its just so quick to change things until they look right.
It can do much more advanced things than I will probably ever need, this sort of capability would have cost tens of thousands not that long ago.

I struggled at first because previously I was using sketchup which is slightly different in its processes and had taught me some "bad habits".
I think it would have been easier to learn if I had not previously been on sketchup

Make no mistake you will have to put in some effort to get into it but don`t get discouraged as it is quite quick to do models once you get the hang of it, if you have some autocad knowledge this will help.
Good support at autodesk forum and lots of youtube tutorials out there.

Ollie

Edited because i can`t spell.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Imagine for example that you have drawn a staircase and the spindles are not right, you can just change the dimension or shape of one spindle and they should all change. (the caveat being you do have to "construct" your models correctly using component etc.).

Er, Sketchup does let you do exactly this, very easily indeed.

You can build up components, made from many objects nested "inside" the component (or even components within components, many levels deep), and clone those - any later change to any part of the complex object is reflected in all its clones. You can also take one of the clones and make it unique, so it is unaffected by changes to the rest.

What it doesn't easily do is move everything else to accommodate changes you have made. So you can't easily stick two objects together in a single place/area and have them stay stuck that way no matter what else you do to one of them.

In the case of your staircase, it is very easy to make the spindles as a set, so if the length of one changes the others do, too. But you'd have to move the bannister rail by hand afterwards if you needed to.

Sometimes it's a bit annoying, but it can be excellently quick:

I recently needed to write a safety instruction manual for the kickboard system I'd made for a refurbished tower scaffold. There are lots of machine screws, washers and brackets. I pretty much only needed to draw out one bracket with its bolts and then copy+position the sub-assembly six times to get the quantity I needed. Similarly with the corner pieces and their fixings, etc. That done, I could combine the components in functional sets, which could be hidden or included in images to illustrate the instructions ("Step one, fix the end board..." and so on).

For example, this image shows one of the brackets with its bolts. The sides and other brackets are in the model, but "hidden" to clarify this bit of the task:

And here's the "cloned" brackets all visible:

 

[worn thumbs]

Parametric is important because if you have done a complex drawing but wish to alter a dimension this can be done after the fact and the software will adjust the component/ assembly and associated parts throughout.

Imagine for example that you have drawn a staircase and the spindles are not right, you can just change the dimension or shape of one spindle and they should all change. (the caveat being you do have to "construct" your models corectly using component etc.).
This became more important when I got a CNC router, the other great thing is Fusion has built in CAM so you can actually make gcode from one software. Though I like vcarve for simple stuff.
I sometimes use it to just quickly visualise things, its great if you don`t know all the dimensions as it will show you the ones you don`t know and its just so quick to change things until they look right.
It can do much more advanced things than I will probably ever need, this sort of capability would have cost tens of thousands not that long ago.



Ollie

Edited because i can`t spell.

I believe I said exactly the same about Freecad,since it is a parametric modeller and has all you need to produce Gcode for a CNC router.I also said its absolutely free and always will be-no limitation on turnover or sliding scale of subscriptions.The choice is there.

 

[Old.bodger]

For 2D this is very good and easy to learn.

https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/ ... ree-2d-cad

 

[fasterbyelan]

Many thanks for the suggestion, it is appreciated.

As I am starting from scratch I think the Fusion 360 is the one I will try; FreeCad is my second option. Ollie, you mentioned it is free to use, is this with a student licence?

Regards,

Karl

 

[Yojevol]

There may be a time limit on how long a student can use Fusion 360 for. I downloaded it about 2 years ago just to try it out. I went open it recently but couldn't get into it. I assumed my download was timed out. Does anyone know for sure?
Brian

 

[Ollie78]

Fasterbyelan

I have an enterprise licence, I have to renew each year but as long as I don`t make more than £100,000 a year (fat chance !) I can keep going, if I was earning that much I would just pay for it.
There used to be a hobby level as well as student, they keep changing it around. Start by downloading a free trial and eventually you come accross the options for it.

Wornthumbs
Quite right, freecad does do that to. I was mainly comparing it to sketchup which does not.

Eric The viking

Er, Sketchup does let you do exactly this, very easily indeed.

I have explained it badly perhaps, trying to convey the benefits of parametric. Also trying to explain simply.
I realise sketchup is good at arrays.

What it doesn't easily do is move everything else to accommodate changes you have made. So you can't easily stick two objects together in a single place/area and have them stay stuck that way no matter what else you do to one of them.

This is what I meant really, the way the entire model is changeable at any stage and yet relationships between components are maintained through constraints etc.

I don`t mean to hate on sketchup or freecad ( or Blender did anyone mention that, very popular )or anything else, far from it Sketchup has been an easy way for many people to get into 3D modelling.

Everyone "gets on" with software differently so you might need to try a few until one fits for you.

If I had to put the effort into learning one package it would be Fusion 360. Just my opinion.

Ollie

 

[u38cg]

I spent some time learning Onshape last year - it's not dissimilar to Fusion 360, but is completely free to hobby users - the one disadvantage is your models are open for anyone to view, which unless you're building backyard nuclear submarines is probably not a problem for most of us. You need a modern browser and a reasonable horsepower machine but it works very nicely and the documentation is very good indeed.

 

[Robbo3]

There may be a time limit on how long a student can use Fusion 360 for. I downloaded it about 2 years ago just to try it out. I went open it recently but couldn't get into it. I assumed my download was timed out. Does anyone know for sure?
Brian

Dunno, never used it.
There is a free version for personal use which excludes
• Phone and email technical support
• Team collaboration and data management
• Commercial translators (such as NX, Catia, SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, PTC Creo etc.)
• AnyCAD (non-destructive, native CAD translation and referencing)
- https://www.autodesk.co.uk/campaigns/fu ... -hobbyists

 

[Bm101]

Quick aside without derailing the thread. For strictly basic use such as designing a static plan for a porch or a door etc which is the easiest to pick up from scratch.
I have a little experience with sketchup but the old pc died, I recently bought another and thought now as good a time as any to start fresh if there is better free software.
I'm(fairly) ok with picking up new software but if there's a standout for early stage simplicity so much the better as I have no need for more complex applications and a desire not to be sat in front of the pc for longer than necessary. :wink:
Cheers.
Chris

 

[Sachakins]

Stick with SketchUp maker 2017, it's free, the web version is to dependent on net connection.

 

[8Tons]

From the day I left school to the day I retired I was a draughtsman.
In all my working years I was asked only once to produce anything in 3D and that was for a presentation.

If you want to produce decent plans learn to draw them in 2D first!

I'm not saying "don't use 3D", however if you can produce good 2D drawings with plans, elevations and cross sections, you'll get a much better understanding of the processes needed to construct your product!

3D drawings are great for getting an overall view of something, but in the working world they are rarely, if ever, handed out as construction drawings.

 

[worn thumbs]

From the day I left school to the day I retired I was a draughtsman.
In all my working years I was asked only once to produce anything in 3D and that was for a presentation.

If you want to produce decent plans learn to draw them in 2D first!

I'm not saying "don't use 3D", however if you can produce good 2D drawings with plans, elevations and cross sections, you'll get a much better understanding of the processes needed to construct your product!

3D drawings are great for getting an overall view of something, but in the working world they are rarely, if ever, handed out as construction drawings.

I can understand the sentiments expressed.I also disagree profoundly with them.If you use 3D modelling,you create a 3D representation of each piece,from which you may choose to extract orthogonal views,cross sections and views from any angle you may select.You may also take the 3D model of each piece and create an assembly of all the components of a complex item.In several 3D modelling packages you will have the facility to represent the part as a wireframe,a wireframe with hidden lines,a surface model or a model with varying degrees of transparency and to inspect it from any angle you choose.You may wish to insert a clipping plane to show exactly what a particular section looks like in 3D.With the right 3D package and material library you will be able to establish the weight and centre of gravity of each component.Then, as some of us have mentioned earlier in the thread, you can generate Gcode for accurately producing those parts that are amenable to CNC machining or a set of templates for those occasions when they are useful.The difference is 3D modelling as opposed to drawing a view from an angled viewpoint.

Then we get to the biggest advantage of all,parametric modelling;how long does it take to redraw a piece, either on a board or with a 2D CAD system,to reflect a change?First the old lines need to be cleanly erased and then the features need to be redrawn in their new location.With parametric modelling you just select the feature to be changed and alter the value to suit the new requirement.One click of the mouse later-its there.

For another view on the topic,this video offers a balanced review of the systems discussed in this thread. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojxa552elD0

 

[AJB Temple]

3D modelling is now universal in some industries. No 1 offspring has been studying aerospace and aeronautical engineering for some time (doing masters) and as far as I can see from talking to him and attending open days in Delft, 3D software is universal. It makes it, for example, easy to rescale or refoil (reshape) a turbine blade, which as a curved shape of varying twist and thickness, is very difficult to visualise in 2D. They can 3D print straight from the drawing, to a very high degree of accuracy.

 

[u38cg]

Yes, there's been a bit of a revolution driven by computational capability. When I was a first year engineering student in 1999, we spent a year learning to draft in 2D by hand. In the second year, we were allowed to draft in 2D on a computer, and then render these in three dimensions. The excitement! A few years later, those courses were swept away and replaced with training in 3D modelling from scratch.

Certainly the discipline of being able to draft in 2D is a useful one, and perhaps most of all if you're not able to visualise the end result in your mind before you start. It's also more than adequate for many purposes. But designing directly in 3D does unlock a lot of possibilities that people trained like me would dismiss because of the design time involved.