CAD help for project plans

[westend]

Help!
I want to do some 2d drawings of simple flat panels and I don't want to spend hours trying to master some drawing software. Anyone know of a simple drawing progam that I can use for this that ends up with a file format that I can export? File format can be .pdf, .dwg, .dxf, etc., anything that isn't proprietary and that others use.

Something along the lines of freeware or shareware is what I'm after. I don't want to pay $1k for an Auto-cad license.

 

[shimniok]

Windows or Mac?

I was gonna say Visio but... ain't cheap. Great for drafting like that, though.

The free s/w I was using on the Mac changed recently and eliminated a lot of stuff that was really useful... so am on the lookout for *something* ... *anything* to replace it.

The main feature I like for the drafting stuff are ability to draw objects then set their scale and x,y position in inches (or mm) so any drawing program that can do so would work pretty well.

Wished I could be of help.

 

[5Toes]

SKetchup

 

[elnaldo]

For real CAD, I use Qcad, free for linux, paid for Win and Mac.

For quick drawings, open source, INKSCAPE is a good choice.

Also the Open Office suite, it's free, and comes with "DRAW", a vector editor.

 

[westend]

I have Google sketchup and after a few tries am ignoring it. I'll take a look at Inkscape and Draw. I have Open Office so I might already have that.

 

[rob29]

I tried out a little google sketchup and found it seemed extremely plain. After watching a few youtube videos though it got a little more interesting. If you want something that will produce a too-scale drawing, cad is definetly the way to go. I actually had to research a bunch of different cad alternatives for work recently. After a few that took forever to register, a few that wouldn't work with windows 7, and even a virus, I think I found a great alternative that is free for personal and even commercial use. Its Doublecad XT and is marketed as a autocad viewer/ editer. It doesn't have the 3d planes of autocad in the standard version, but works extremely similar to autocad. I am in the process of doing some mechanical and electrical drawings on it at work and so far it has worked really nice for basic wiring diagrams to ortho views. Give it a shot.

 

[melofelo]

for initial design..you cant beat an A1 drawing board, a scale rule and an adjustable triangle..

 

[OvenMaster]

for initial design..you cant beat an A1 drawing board, a scale rule and an adjustable triangle..

I still have mine stashed somewhere (I used to be a structural steel detailer in a past life).

Tom

 

[shimniok]

To followup ...

I found Sketchup a nightmare to figure out (and I can usu. figure out most of the relevant details of using programs within an hour or two with no manual). I have TurboCad which I got in OfficeMax... older version, so pretty cheap. Haven't used it much.

Inkscape-- find it limiting in a lot of ways... haven't found a way to set object sizes/locations or set scale.

Have GIMP now for Windows, but haven't played with it a lot yet.

 

[OldJBL]

Help!
I want to do some 2d drawings of simple flat panels and I don't want to spend hours trying to master some drawing software. Anyone know of a simple drawing progam that I can use for this that ends up with a file format that I can export? File format can be .pdf, .dwg, .dxf, etc., anything that isn't proprietary and that others use.

Something along the lines of freeware or shareware is what I'm after. I don't want to pay $1k for an Auto-cad license.

This should do what you need and it is free.

http://www.bestfreewaredownload.com...tellicad-autocad-clone-freeware-qtwbnnss.html

 

[elnaldo]

I have Open Office so I might already have that.

Sure, you have it installed. It will be OK for drafts and designs. It's not a CAD software, but a vector editor.

Inkscape-- find it limiting in a lot of ways... haven't found a way to set object sizes/locations or set scale.

I've found the best way to do this is to draw at 100% size, and scale at print time (that's what I do in CAD applicatios), or scale everything later. To set object sizes and locations... there is a toolbar with x-y coordinates and W-H size ...

Have GIMP now for Windows, but haven't played with it a lot yet.

GIMP is a very powerful image editor, but not a vector editor, so I don't think it will fit this pourpose...

 

[WntrMute2]

Any updates in the 14 years since this was posted? I want to create some simple panel for Send-Cut-Send.

 

[RCherrington]

I don't generally work in 2d, but when a customer sends me a .dwg or .dxf, I use Qcad. Its a reasonable approximation of AutoCad from about ten-ish years ago - which is not a bad thing at all. I believe its still free for home use.

For doing anything with circuit boards, I use KiCad. Its got a good user base so lots of resources for it are available and its reasonably intuitive once you get the hang of things. It ouputs al the necessary files to have your boards made by outfits like PCB Way and all those places.

For 3d, there's no substitute for SolidWorks, but that is very pricey and far more powerful than any home-gamer could ever need. Autodesk usually has a free version of their 3d offering, but I havent looked at any of their products in maybe a decade.

I would strongly caution against AlibreCad, or Alibre. Very poor software.

Sorry if that doesn't address your specific needs, but I'm not sure what you're send-cut-sending.