CAD PROGRAMS ?

casca92

MURPHY:Was an optimist ,when compared to me
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how do I phrase this ?

Is there a good basic for learning and practical use " CAD PROGRAM"
what are some of the ones that are being used ? Can an old dog learn this new trick ?

thanx
casca
 
how do I phrase this ?

Is there a good basic for learning and practical use " CAD PROGRAM"
what are some of the ones that are being used ? Can an old dog learn this new trick ?

thanx
casca

I love Fusion 360 by AutoDesk. You can search for posts here about it or Google it. Free for hobbyist and lots of videos teaching how to use it.

There are a lot of others as well, but this is the one I like and use. Very powerful.

Ted
 
How does Fusion 360 compare to other versions of AutoCAD such as my old standby ACAD LT98 (if anyone's familiar with it)? Are the instruction & command sets similar?
 
Each CAD program has it's own distinct features and faults...and supporters and detractors. Hard to learn "CAD" without using a specific program. Best option is to pick one that sounds good (price, features, support...) and spend your time learning that.

Ken
 
How does Fusion 360 compare to other versions of AutoCAD such as my old standby ACAD LT98 (if anyone's familiar with it)? Are the instruction & command sets similar?

I'm familiar with AutoCad Lt. If it's a 2D program like that you want, then I would strongly suggest Draftsight 2D. It's an AutoCad Lt clone and you can use most, if not all, the old AutoCad Lt commands, features and functions. I have it and use it when I want to make a nice 2D drawing of something. It's the closest copy of AutoCad Lt I've ever seen... Almost identical.

Fusion is a horse of a different color because it is 3D. Nothing at all like these two 2D programs and there would be a learning curve involved switching. Fusion is awesome!

You can download the free one here, or buy the Professional for $99, but I see no need to buy the Professional version for home use, because the free one does pretty much everything AutoCad Lt does.

https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

Ted
 
I found ViaCAD quite easy to use and learn. I struggled with bugs in earlier versions of FreeCAD, but I have heard it is much better. Fusion360 is a little difficult for me to use, but its extremely powerful and able to do things neither of the others I mentioned can do. Fusion360 has built in CAM capabilities with some very good HSM capabilities as well, but also has a little bit of a learning curve. I did have to modify the post processor for Mach 3. I still do most of my 3D CAD in ViaCAD. Its also got very powerful 2D CAD capability, but because most of my 2D is supplemental to 3D and mostly for help with CAM I tened to do most of the 2D stuff in CamBam.
 
I like TurboCAD Delux as a good balance between full CAD programs and too light weight.
 
I second Draftsight for 2D work and it will open all your old autocad drawings. The learning curve is very short for anyone used to the autocad products and of course the price is right (free). I have been using it for several years and also to do the dxf drawings that I need for my 2 1/2 cnc cam operations.

So far, I have not found a need for 3D work and the learning curve that is required for it.
 
I get that. Unfortunately a lot of my work would be nearly impossible without 3D.
 
Casca, are you wanting something just to tinker with to learn the basics ???
There's a free, simple 2D CAD program on eMachineshop. https://www.emachineshop.com/machine-shop/Free-CAD-Design-Software/page100.html
There's even a very good tutorial with YouTube videos on this forum done by Steve. Here's the link: http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/cnc-from-sketch-to-part-the-way-i-do-it.19633/
It is a very limited CAD program, but it's free and many of the functions will translate to better programs.
If nothing else, I'd highly recommend reading and viewing Steve's work on that sticky thread. I know I enjoyed it.
 
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