looking for very basic drawing software

[sawdust1]

It needs to be very simple, easy to understand, (i'm not computer savvy) only need vertical and horizontal lines .
A free down load for use on Mac book is what i'm after.
All the cutting lists and drawings for all the products on my website are hand drawn on A3 paper so
i'm redoing them a bit neater.

 

[finneyb]

I bet drawing by hand, the old way before CAD, will be quicker.

 

[Brandlin]

I bet drawing by hand, the old way before CAD, will be quicker.

How does that satisfy the OPs request or make the plans he has on his website neater than his current hand drawn ones?

 

[MikeG.]

I bet drawing by hand, the old way before CAD, will be quicker.

Only if you don't know a CAD programme well. Once you know it well, there is absolutely no comparison.

 

[MattRoberts]

It needs to be very simple, easy to understand, (i'm not computer savvy) only need vertical and horizontal lines .
A free down load for use on Mac book is what i'm after.
All the cutting lists and drawings for all the products on my website are hand drawn on A3 paper so
i'm redoing them a bit neater.

Sketchup is very simple to use, especially if you're just looking to make 2D plans using lines and rectangles. I'd recommend looking on YouTube at a couple of videos on it to see what I mean

 

[NickN]

I bet drawing by hand, the old way before CAD, will be quicker.

How does that satisfy the OPs request or make the plans he has on his website neater than his current hand drawn ones?

And how does your post improve on that situation?

The sniping at others gets tiresome.

A +1 for Sketchup, fairly simple and should do what the OP wants.

 

[nev]

Inkscape is worth a look.

You can also use it to 'trace' your existing drawings either manually or automatically, if you don't fancy starting from scratch

 

[Sideways]

Another vote for sketchup. Great that it's a quality programme with lots of users and regular updates, free for non professional use.
Even the 3d drawing can be learnt from the turorials by someone with no previous knowledge of CAD.

 

[MikeK]

Another vote for SketchUp. I use the Make 2017 version on a Mac and love it. I learned the basics in one day after watching a lot of YouTube videos.

You can find the SketchUp downloads here:

https://www.sketchup.com/download/all

 

[Brandlin]

I was going to suggest sketchup, but my understanding is that the free version doesn't let you export a vector graphics file or print. so that may not be useful to the OP for putting files on his website.

I only have the full version here, but that's what i remember from when back when.
My only other recommendations i have knowledge of would be solidworks and autocad - neither fit the simple or free catagory.

 

[MikeK]

With my free copy of Make 2017, I can print and export JPG files of the scenes. The exported files are not vector files that can be imported by AutoCAD, but they are good enough for displaying on a website.

Here is a JPG I just made showing my ongoing shop design.

 

[sawdust1]

Thanks one and all, i will take a look at your suggestions and have a go over the week end.
Don't need to put the drawing on my website, the items on their have a drawing and cutting list
pinned on the wall of my workshop, they are now scruffy and need redoing.
Mikek that workshop drawing looks cool, i really will have to get going.

 

[Cordy]

Like the initial poster, I too am not very computer savvy

After watching a few instruction films I manage to draw simple projects
using Inkscape

 

[colinc]

Hi,

For 2d work I would recommed DraftSight. It is a free product from Dassault Systems and is, I believe, available on Mac as well as Windows. I have used it for years and it compares well with the other offerings.

For 3d, Trimble's Sketchup is the best for our sort of stuff and am not just saying that because I work for them!

Regards,

Colin

 

[MikeG.]

Hi,

For 2d work I would recommed DraftSight. It is a free product from Dassault Systems and is, I believe, available on Mac as well as Windows. I have used it for years and it compares well with the other offerings.

For 3d, Trimble's Sketchup is the best for our sort of stuff and am not just saying that because I work for them!

Regards,

Colin

I use DraftSight now, after years on Autocad. I suspect that our OP wants something a bit simpler than a full draftsman's package like Draftsight, though.

 

[Keith 66]

Draftsight is probably not a simple package to learn being a full on cad program similar to Autocad, I installed it last year but gave up with it in the end, simply too much hassle even getting it to work at all. Looking at the online forums this is a known issue.
One of the simplest Cad packages is Techsofts 2d design, used in 90% of british schools, unfortunately it is not cheap.
I have been recomended Q Cad which looks very similar, it has a free version & even the pro version is pretty good value.

 

[worn thumbs]

There is a huge selection of good,free CAD software out there.At the basic end there is Qcad,which has morphed into LibreCAD (part of the very useful Libre Office suite).A little more ambitious is Draft Sight and it is enormously capable,in my view at least as good as AutocadLT and you may find the Autocad tutorials on youtube relevant as you get to grips with it.For the real full fat 3D parametric modelling stuff you might be amazed at the capability of Freecad.You might also find it immensely frustrating at first.On the other hand you will be getting almost all the functionality of Catia for nothing.

 

[colinc]

Hi,

Yes, every product mentioned is good and each has its following. I guess what each has in common is a learning curve. Fortunately most have good tutorials and manuals. What is needed from the user is some commitment of time and effort to learn them. Once learned they open up all sort of possibilities. It is a shame really that there aren't, or don't seem to be, night classes in Cad like there are in other IT skills. Perhaps that is someting to be looked in to?

I have been involved in Cad development since the mid 1980's and have personally trained hundreds of people from scratch, albeit on commercial not free products, so I know how essential it is to have help to climb that learning curve. Video learning doesn't work for everyone and just a few hours guidance from a expert can make a big difference particularly for the less computer savvy.

One thing about bought as opposed to free software is that paying makes people more commited to sticking with it and getting training. The free stuff doesn't come with a training network. However, I wonder if there might be members here willing to give a bit of time up to help others in their locality by offering a few hours of coaching?

Regards,

Colin

 

[Keith 66]

You are right, good training is worth having. Teacher i now work with spent 1 1/2 hours with three of us doing 2d design, I learnt more from her in that short time than i had in the previous 2 years.
With the kids the girls seem to pick it up far faster, we had a lesson last week, Year 8's, first time any of them had touched 2d design they have a basic set of exercises to work from. By the end of the lesson a good half of the boys had barely managed to draw a line, yet some of the girls were already flying with some great looking designs coming together.

 

[tomatwark]

I use Sketchup for my drawings, 3d and also working drawings as well.

I think for what the OP is wanting Sketchup will be easier to learn and also do what he wants.