What is your choice of CAD program?

I’m not familiar with what a virtual machine is or how to set it up. I am pretty inexperienced with computers and troubleshooting issues. So if I could keep it as simple as possible I think that would be best

Paul - thanks for the heads up (reply#27) on LibreCad.  Have downloaded it and trying it out. Seems quite comprehensive a package, more so than TC, but progress on a drawing is far slower at the moment due to having to learn a different way of doing things, and figure out why some commands work quite differently than expected, and how to fix the unexpected.  So yes, it does work on a Mac, yes it is free too (huge plus for someone with short arms and deep pockets), but I suspect it works better on Windows , perhaps?

Chris 

Quote from: LaurenticPaul - thanks for the heads up (reply#27) on LibreCad.  Have downloaded it and trying it out. Seems quite comprehensive a package, more so than TC, but progress on a drawing is far slower at the moment due to having to learn a different way of doing things, and figure out why some commands work quite differently than expected, and how to fix the unexpected.  So yes, it does work on a Mac, yes it is free too (huge plus for someone with short arms and deep pockets), but I suspect it works better on Windows , perhaps?

Chris 

Cheers Chris, glad you spotted the suggestion. LibreCAD is a development of the community edition of QCAD. I think there's still a free version of QCAD which also runs on Mac. I tried it some years ago but found LibreCAD easier. I don't know about the Windows versions, I haven't used that OS for many years.

At the end of the day it depends what you want your CAD program to do; I only require simple 2D so LibreCAD does the job (it has an isometric view but I've never used it). If you want free alternatives for 3D you could try FreeCAD or SolveSpace which are both cross-platform, or the online 'OnShape'.

Good luck!

Quite happy to be restricted to just 2D Paul, I'm too old to undergo getting my head around 3D, although I have looked at FreeCad and SolveSpace, which I quite liked!

Chris

Does LiebreCAD have the ability to open and save DXF files?  Sometimes a basic 2D CAD program is pretty handy. I used to use AutoCAD 2000  years ago but it won't install on the newer operating systems anymore. Dassault Systems the Solid Works people, came out with a 2D program called DraftSight that was pretty much a carbon copy of the AutoCAD interface, and it was free. Then after they got a pretty large installed base they started charging for it, and it was more than I wanted to spend for occasional use.

Dave 

Quote from: Dave OttoDoes LiebreCAD have the ability to open and save DXF files?

It does, that's the default format. I don't know offhand how consistent it is as far as imports go as I've only looked at a few drawings created by others but they seemed ok.

Quote from: Dave OttoDoes LiebreCAD have the ability to open and save DXF files?  Sometimes a basic 2D CAD program is pretty handy. I used to use AutoCAD 2000  years ago but it won't install on the newer operating systems anymore. Dassault Systems the Solid Works people, came out with a 2D program called DraftSight that was pretty much a carbon copy of the AutoCAD interface, and it was free. Then after they got a pretty large installed base they started charging for it, and it was more than I wanted to spend for occasional use.

Dave

Dave, as I mentioned in my earlier post, Solid Edge CE has an exellent 2D CAD system built into it - with the advantage that the UI for 2D sketching is pretty much the same as that for it's 3D sketching, so Solid Edge offers a very gentle path from 2D to 3D if you require it. I've moved much of my TurboCAD 2D across to SE-CE '2D' now (via DXF files) and they open perfectly. If I wish to create a 'new' 2D drawing, then i simply open a new Solid Edge CE 'draft' document. I then have all the 2D features I had in TurboCAD (and a lot more).

I'm currently running SE-CE on both Win 11 & Win 10 (Home Editions). It's free to download.

Regards.

I use Surfcam by Hexagon I have been using since 1999 it has changed some, but the basic layout stays the same easy to learn and they have great support staff.

I'm trying a free programme called SolidCraft. It was recently released and gets updated each day. Lots of bugs at this time, but it should get better. If it delivers all it promises, it could be a major pain for some other software companies. IF.

The latest version of FreeCad is very good, some bugs, but getting better. I still mainly use DesignSpark Mechanical and SolidEdge.

Quote from: A7erI'm trying a free programme called SolidCraft. It was recently released and gets updated each day. Lots of bugs at this time, but it should get better. If it delivers all it promises, it could be a major pain for some other software companies. IF.

The latest version of FreeCad is very good, some bugs, but getting better. I still mainly use DesignSpark Mechanical and SolidEdge.

That looks interesting, I'll keep an eye on it, hopefully it'll make it into the Linux repositories eventually.

You can download a version for Linux.

Quote from: A7erYou can download a version for Linux.

Yeah I noticed but I've become a lot more security conscious these days (thinking of recent Arch AUR issues) and tend to stick to the official repos

Solid Edge seems only available for Windows, not Mac.  And even then, it seems it needs Windows 10 or 11, Enterprise or Professional with active MicrosSoft support.  So unless you are an up-to-date Windows operative........

Meanwhile, on my Mac, my trying LibreCad is working out well, it has now overtaken TurboCad as my "go to" CAD. 

No, it doesn't do all things as easily as TC, you need to follow its rules as otherwise it doesn't want to play, but it seems to offer a lot more than TC and the more I get used to it the faster I am getting.  There are a number of little extras that I love in LibreCad, right clicking in the drawing area to bring up the last few 'tools' you have used, saves time, and the ability to easily select an entity and change some of its properties including layer, I appreciate those.  Printing is also more straightforward than TC too.  And the fact I can pull over my TC drawings having exported them as a DXF file is a bonus that works well too.

Chris. 

Onshape works in a web browser, so it works on any operating system, Windows, Mac or Linux. It also has apps for Ios and Android (so you can show people what you are working on.)
Because your work is stored on Onshape servers, you can work on any project on any device.

Someone said they thought working over the internet must slow down big projects. It doesn't, and I think the remark misunderstands how it works. A large project, untouched for months, is available to work on in a few seconds. You do need a reasonable connection speed though.

There is no limit on 'open' files. You open a project document and all its part studios, assemblies, and drawings are ready to work on.
You don't have to save anything, that happens automatically.
You don't have to worry about updates, they happen at Onshape's end.

Here are a couple of projects of mine. The Quorn grinder model is incomplete but well advanced. In places it includes detail such as fully modelled threads, engraved dials, etc.

The other one is again incomplete, but it is a well-advanced, fully-detailed model of the full size 'Catch Me Who Can' replica that I am involved with. Every rivet will be modelled. The firedoor opens to reveal the fire bars. For purposes of weight calculation, the boiler is full of hot water. (I could, but won't, model lumps of coal.)

Quote from: Charles LamontOnshape works in a web browser

Very nice modeling. Out of curiosity are you using the free version or one of the paid subscriptions? Reason I ask is (aside from free means anyone on the internet can search for, view, copy, and export your CAD models), I've also read that people using free have experienced lag with models of any complexity. This comment came from, lets call them 'more experienced users' who through hobby/work accounts had the ability to view the same model flipping back & forth between Free & Paid on similar PC hardware. The issue (he felt) was Onshape dynamically manages cloud server loads across its multi-tenant architecture & favored paid users during peak overall platform usage...something along those lines. Again, maybe not a concern for a weekend hobby warrior. And I wasnt quite convinced of this particular users test if for example his hobby subscription was at home at internet speed A and his work subscription was at internet speed B, that might override his perceived refresh speed.