Open-source and free CAD software can prove a valuable resource to those looking for an alternative to paid CAD software like AutoCAD.
CAD—computer-aided design or computer-aided drafting is a technology to create real-world objects on your computer screen to understand them deeply. For example, if you want to build something new and creative such as a new home, car, bridge, etc. you want to see it before going to implement its design in the real world. You want to see how it looks and works.
CAD technology has been widely used in various fields of engineering design. The development and application of CAD systems have caused profound changes in traditional product design methods and production models, resulting in huge social and economic benefits.
At present, CAD technology research hotspots include computer-aided conceptual design, computer-supported collaborative design, massive information storage, management and retrieval, design method research and related issues, and support for innovative design. It is foreseeable that technology will have a new leap and will also cause a design change
CAD technology has been constantly developing and explored. The application of CAD technology has played a role in improving enterprise design efficiency, optimizing design schemes, reducing the labor intensity of technicians, shortening design cycles, and strengthening design standardization.
More and more people realize that CAD is huge productivity. CAD technology has been widely used in machinery, electronics, aerospace, chemical, construction, and other industries. Design methods such as parallel design, collaborative design, intelligent design, virtual design, agile design, and full lifecycle design represent the development direction of modern product design patterns. With the further development of artificial intelligence, multimedia, virtual reality, information, and other technologies, CAD technology is bound to develop in the direction of integration, intelligence, and synergy.
Enterprise CAD and CIMS technology must take a step-by-step approach with e-commerce as the goal. From the inside of the enterprise, realize integrated, intelligent, and networked management, use e-commerce to cross the boundaries of enterprises, and realize the agile supply chain between customers, enterprises, and suppliers in the true sense.
List of Best Free and Opensource CAD Software
Here is some free CAD software including open-source perfect to start with designing and 3D modeling for beginners and professionals…
Archimedes
Archimedes is a free and open-source CAD software (Computer-Aided Design). Blender is the free and open-source 3D creation suite that supports rendering, compositing, and motion tracking, even video editing modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, even video editing, and game creation.
Blender
Blender is a free and open-source CAD software that comes with a 3D creation suite that supports modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and even video editing, and game creation. See: How to download and install Blender in Ubuntu
Download: https://www.blender.org/
SketchUp: 3D modeling for everyone
SketchUp is an online free 3D modeling software that can use for drawing lines and shapes. Push and pull surfaces to turn them into 3D forms. Stretch, copy, rotate, and paint to make anything you like.
Website Link: https://www.sketchup.com/
LibreCAD
LibreCAD is a free Open Source 2D CAD application for Windows, Apple, and Linux. It is a fork of QCAD and the interface of LibraCAD is look like AutoCAD. So, if you are familiar with AutoCAD then you can easily operate LibraCAD. It supports 2D only, so if you want open-source CAD software for creating a site plan or something flat then using it makes more sense.
Website Link: http://librecad.org/cms/home.html
OpenSCAD: 3D CAD Modeller
OpenSCAD is another free CAD software that is worth mentioning and available for Linux/UNIX, MS Windows, and Mac OS X. OpenSCAD provides two main modeling techniques: First, there is constructive solid geometry (aka CSG) and second, there is an extrusion of 2D outlines. Besides DXF files OpenSCAD can read and create 3D models in the STL and OFF file formats.
Website Link: http://www.openscad.org
FreeCAD
It is another popular open-source parametric 3D CAD modeler for CAD, MCAD, CAx, CAE, and PLM. It can be used by a variety of people such as in architecture or other engineering specialties.
FreeCAD is based on a powerful geometry kernel called OpenCasCade and offers the same UI on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux platforms. It can read and writes many open file formats such as STEP, IGES, STL, SVG, DXF, OBJ, IFC, DAE, and many others.
Website Link: https://www.freecadweb.org/
QCAD – 2D CAD
QCAD is a free, open-source application for computer-aided drafting (CAD). It is a 2D designing software to draw 2D drawings such as plans for buildings, interiors, mechanical parts, or schematics and diagrams. QCAD works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Website Link: http://www.qcad.org/en/
BRL-CAD
BRL-CAD is a cross-platform Open source CAD software. It is a solid geometry and modeling system that includes an interactive geometry editor, ray-tracing for rendering & geometric analyses, network distributed framebuffer support and image & signal processing tools.
Website Link: http://brlcad.org/
Onshape: Full-Cloud CAD
Onshape is a free CAD platform that provides free enterprise-grade CAD functionality. It also gives unlimited storage for public projects.
Website Link: https://www.onshape.com
Note: Not free anymore…
VPython-wx
VPython is allowed you to write Python programs that generate navigable real-time 3D animations. It is based on the cross-platform library wxPython.
Website Link: http://vpython.org/
Sweet Home 3D
Sweet Home 3D is a free interior design application that helps you in designing the house design. You can also see the 3D view of, how your furniture looks in your newly designed house.
Website Link: http://www.sweethome3d.com/
Wings 3D
Wings 3D is open source and completely free for use in both personal and commercial projects. Wings 3D offers a wide range of modeling tools, a customizable interface, support for lights and materials, and a built-in AutoUV mapping facility. But there is no support in Wings for animation.
Website Link: http://www.wings3d.com/
OpenPLM
OpenPLM is an open-source PLM ( Product Lifecycle Management) software. It is business software that unifies all the company’s development activities and structures data around the product. This Open-source CAD Software can help engineers, technicians, and all people to manage Office, CAD, ECAD, Source code, and FEA in their collaboration. OpenPLM features a full web and user-friendly interface.
Website Link: http://www.openplm.org/trac
ImplicitCAD
It is a powerful, open-Source programmatic CAD software that allows you to solve your designing problems using the power of math, using coding.
Website Link:http://www.implicitcad.org/
3DCrafter
It is a real-time 3D modeling and animation tool that can use to create an animated scene by using a simple drag-and-drop approach. Your animation can be stepped through a frame at a time, viewed in real-time, or recorded to a Video (AVI) file so that you can distribute your creation.
Website link: http://amabilis.com/products/
nanoCAD
nanoCAD Plus is a professional-grade CAD tool. It comes in various free and pro versions according to one’s needs. It supports .dwg file format and the interface of this CAD software is easy to use with powerful drafting and design. If you want some command-line tools, SNAP and OSNAP then you have to move to the pro version.
Website Link: http://nanocad.com/
Tinkercad- Free online CAD
Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. It helps teachers, kids, hobbyists, and designers to imagine, design, and convert their imagination on a computer screen.
Fusion 360 free 3D CAD/CAM
It is a free CAD product from AutoDesk for Students and educators.
Also, Read:
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- Free and Open source BIM Software List
- 9 Best Free and Opensource Video Editing Software for Windows
- 14 Top Opensource Data Analysis Software
- 12 Opensource Tools for Artificial Intelligence (AI)
So, these are the few best and most free open-source CAD software available online and can be easily downloaded from the link provided after each CAD software. If you have any suggestions or know any CAD application or program which is free or open source then please let us know using the comment section. We will review it and are glad to include that in this list. Till then thanks for reading and have fun!!
This article contains comprehensive list of best free open source cad software with clear information.
Please consider that Google SketchUp and OneShape are not Free and Open Source software. They are freemium podiatry services.
Use TrueCAD intellicad Software.One of the best AutoCAD alternative cad software at affordable price.Here is the Reference link “https://http://truecad.com/download-truecad-intellicad-software.php”
ActCAD uses the latest IntelliCAD 10.1a Engine Economical price cad software.
Use ACtCAD Software.One of the best AutoCAD alternative cad software at affordable price.Here is the Reference link “https://actcad.com”
ActCAD is AutoCAD Alternative with life time validity.
The best part of using CMS IntelliCAD was finding out it has all the CAD features I’d already worked with. I was pretty worried about finding a good fit for me, but CMS IntelliCAD is definitely unbeatable. Registered for free and had a free trial before payment, I’m glad I could test it out before any payment. CMS IntelliCAD is definitely worth the hype.
Absolutely love working with CMS IntelliCAD! I did some prior research and used the free trial option to get accustomed to the features before investing in it. Was nicely surprised to find that they’re an American business and have been in the market since the early 90s. This definitely gave me more trust and respect. This software was definitely a good find for me.
I’d vote for LibreCAD and FreeCAD. both are as powerful as the costly packages out there.
LibreCAD is a 2d Drafting software. Freecad is a parametric 3d modeller.
I use LibreCAD for floorplan design and FreeCAD for making mechanic objects.
Another Interesting Article about CAD Programs:xp-pen.com/forum-6119.html
I’ve been using CADHOBBY IntelliCAD for my personal projects for a few months now, and I can say that it’s one of the best CAD software for hobbyists. It’s user-friendly, and the learning curve is not steep.