Best cad for beginner

**cropwell** · 14-02-2016

If you look here https://www.3ds.com/products-service...-cad-software/ you will find a free version. It is almost an AutoCAD clone.

**C_Bubba** · 14-02-2016

Originally Posted by cropwell

If you look here https://www.3ds.com/products-service...-cad-software/ you will find a free version. It is almost an AutoCAD clone.

I totally agree with this one. I have been using Draftsight for several years now and I came from an autocad background. The price is right and it is easy to use. There are several tutorials available and it only requires the internet to register it. Once in a rare while, I get an email from them, but not a lot.

**brumster** · 15-02-2016

For 2D stuff I get on quite well with the freebie QCAD; I've no previous background so I'm quite happy to learn what others would probably call it's "idiosyncrasy".

For 3D stuff I really love OnShape as mentioned above. Again, completely free, very easy to use for me (having come from DelCam Powershape) and when you consider what you can do with it without spending any money, it's a pretty cool tool. I use it mainly for 3D printed parts. Don't poo-poo it straight away because it's browser based, but obviously it does necessitate an always-on internet connection. If you want private designs in it, unshared with the world, then you'll hit the free limits quickly though - and then, at $100 per month, it's not cheap. Their pricing could really do with an intermediate level IMHO.

**komatias** · 15-02-2016

Originally Posted by brumster

.... If you want private designs in it, unshared with the world, then you'll hit the free limits quickly though - and then, at $100 per month, it's not cheap. Their pricing could really do with an intermediate level IMHO.

That!

**Neale** · 15-02-2016

Fusion 360 is the same price as OnShape for home/hobby users - that is, free - and doesn't seem to have the same storage limits. That's one reason I use it; the others are that it seems to be a bit more powerful than OnShape and with more fancy features (although that comes at the price of a bit more complexity) and that it has a pretty good built-in CAM package. Although it is 3D, you can in effect use it as a 2D drawing package (and export DXF files if you want). I used to use TurboCAD but now do even simple drawings in F360.

**brumster** · 15-02-2016

Originally Posted by Neale

Fusion 360 is the same price as OnShape for home/hobby users - that is, free - and doesn't seem to have the same storage limits. That's one reason I use it; the others are that it seems to be a bit more powerful than OnShape and with more fancy features (although that comes at the price of a bit more complexity) and that it has a pretty good built-in CAM package. Although it is 3D, you can in effect use it as a 2D drawing package (and export DXF files if you want). I used to use TurboCAD but now do even simple drawings in F360.

Can you elaborate a bit more on the licensing model? It says "full use for 90 days", what happens after 90 days? Might be tempted to try it if it doesn't have to limitations of OnShape... mind you, I do like OnShape :(....

**Neale** · 15-02-2016

If you have OnShape under your belt, I doubt if you'll have too many problems picking up F360. Same basic approach to creating designs. TBH, I prefer the OnShape user interface (I started with OS) but have now moved to F360 for the reasons given. Personal choice, though - everyone has different preferences and priorities and availability of integrated CAM was a big one for me.

I did say free for home/hobby use. As I understand it, you sign up for the 30d free trial, and at the end it asks you if you want to buy or continue as a free home "non-commercial" user. I have a feeling that they do allow limited commercial use for small users but it's not clear how that is policed. I'm sorry that I can't be clearer than that as I actually signed up as a student user and I think that the deal is slightly different (although I'm not sure what happens after the first year). "Full use" might also refer to the CAM component as I believe that the free licence only gives you access to 2.5D CAM rather than the full 3D, but I'm guessing somewhat here. And if you are happy with OnShape and don't need the CAM module, then whether or not it's 2.5D or 3D isn't relevant anyway. Give it a try - you might like it!

**Chaz** · 16-02-2016

Originally Posted by Neale

Fusion 360 is the same price as OnShape for home/hobby users - that is, free - and doesn't seem to have the same storage limits. That's one reason I use it; the others are that it seems to be a bit more powerful than OnShape and with more fancy features (although that comes at the price of a bit more complexity) and that it has a pretty good built-in CAM package. Although it is 3D, you can in effect use it as a 2D drawing package (and export DXF files if you want). I used to use TurboCAD but now do even simple drawings in F360.

Fusion 360. Most users wont need more. Its free and you can import almost any existing format into it.

**Neale** · 16-02-2016

You can, of course, mix-and-match CAD packages. One feature lacking in the out-of-the-box F360 is the ability to automatically add dogbone fillets into corners - typical requirement for slot-together designs in wood. It does have an add-in but my experience of this is that it's not too clever and doesn't always work as expected. I've recently been making some simple box dividers cut from thin ply. The design had tapered sides and I didn't want to have to work out the geometry for the tabs so I designed in F360, proper 3D model, easy to do, then exported panel shapes as dxf, imported into vCarve, added fillets and did the CAM there. Sounds really complicated like that, but in practice it was very quick to do.

Two conclusions from this - F360 can be a good way to do even simple designs as it allows that useful feature of 3D visualisation, and as an engineer, look for the easy way to achieve what you want even if it's not the most obvious way at first sight! And vCarve is a pretty good 2D CAD/CAM tool for CNC routing but at a price.