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[Susquatch]

II use AutoCad lite for work on 2D electrical drawings.
I have used it many times to design parts.
I used to have the 2000 version running on a (XP) virtual machine as I could not install it in Win7 or 10.
It is an indispensable tool to have!
I would like to find a CAD program that I can easily transition to and not pay a monthly subscription for hobbyist use.

I am no expert, but I understand that Fusion 360 is evolved from AutoCAD or at least is the same company now - perhaps through acquisitions. That might work in your favour. For the time being, it's free for hobby use with some restrictions.

I'm having some difficulty with it, but most users really like it. It sure won't hurt you to give it a try.

 

[David]

II use AutoCad lite for work on 2D electrical drawings.
I have used it many times to design parts.
I used to have the 2000 version running on a (XP) virtual machine as I could not install it in Win7 or 10.
It is an indispensable tool to have!
I would like to find a CAD program that I can easily transition to and not pay a monthly subscription for hobbyist use.

Maybe have a look at Alibre Atom 3D.
I managed to pick up a licence for $100 USD

 

[Janger]

David does Alibre do CAM?

 

[David]

David does Alibre do CAM?

It does use MeshCam as an add-on which I have read isn't super.
My workflow is such that I don't need CAD/CAM. For my CNC router I export the design into Vectric Desktop where I do the CAM. For 3D printing I export the design in to Prusa slicer.
@jcdammeyer what's your experience with CAM and Atom3D?

 

[StevSmar]

Fusion 360 is evolved from AutoCAD

It’s more of an evolution from AutoDESK Inventor. Too me, it looks like AutoDESK took a clean slate to design an “end to end” (Modelling to Analysis to CAM) package.

There are apparently things that Fusion does better than Inventor and vice verse. I bet their marking approach is to make Fusion the gateway drug to the much more expensive Inventor.

 

[jcdammeyer]

It does use MeshCam as an add-on which I have read isn't super.
My workflow is such that I don't need CAD/CAM. For my CNC router I export the design into Vectric Desktop where I do the CAM. For 3D printing I export the design in to Prusa slicer.
@jcdammeyer what's your experience with CAM and Atom3D?

I use the original AlibreCAD which came with AlibreCAM which was an integrated VisualCAM from Mecsoft. I had both VisualCAD/CAM for a year along with my Alibre. MecSoft was nice and let me play for a year to migrate my Alibre files over. I decided not to do that so now I'm stuck at about 2019 with AlibreCAD and 4 axis AlibreCAM (VisuaCAM). They don't always play nice together.

What I liked about AlibreCAD/CAM is that I can make one tiny change in the drawing, flip back to the CAM panel and just regenerate. With AlibreCAD and VisualCAM I'd have to re-export STP from the CAD and redo all the work again in VisualCAM.

Neither side (Alibre+Mecsoft) will acknowledge why they suddenly stopped supporting each other with the built in CAM. My guess is the occasional "Error-Save your work" turned into finger pointing and neither wanted to do the work to find out why.

So I stopped support for VisualCAM because I wasn't using it. My License for AlibreCAM I paid for once and is for eternity. This summer I will not renew support for AlibreCAD for the same reason. Lack of an integrated CAM package.

I export the STL files and slice with SLIC3R inside Repetier user interface. I then connect via my Ethernet connection to a Raspberry Pi2 running OctoPi and that Pi2 is connected to the 3D printer USB port. I drag and drop the .gcode files created by Repetier/SLIC3R onto the Octopi browser and then set up printing.

 

[Susquatch]

It’s more of an evolution from AutoDESK Inventor. Too me, it looks like AutoDESK took a clean slate to design an “end to end” (Modelling to Analysis to CAM) package.

There are apparently things that Fusion does better than Inventor and vice verse. I bet their marking approach is to make Fusion the gateway drug to the much more expensive Inventor.

This makes good sense to me. Again, I'm no expert on this subject. I do find Fusion quite cumbersome at times.

The rubber will either hit the road when I try to do 3D printing or when my dead brain cells outnumber my living ones and I give up on the whole idea.

 

[StevSmar]

I do find Fusion quite cumbersome at times.

Me too! There are lots of times where I’ve cursed “this would be so much easier in AutoCAD”. It’s taken me about 3 years to unlearn the AutoCAD shortcuts I learned 15 years ago…

 

[LenVW]

I just noticed this conversation.

I am investigating ‘QCAD’ out of Germany, I think.
It looks like an excellent ‘2D software’ that is similar to the 2D AutoCAD that I used for decades to layout designs and proposals in detailed parts and plant size production line concepts.

Has anybody tried the QCAD ?
For $60 it seem to be a good tool for basic designs.

 

[Dabbler]

My friend Rick has used QCAD from the very early days, when it was free. It has a really good hisory of being robust.

 

[Former Member]

I use NanoCad for quick 2d stuff, Autocad feel.

 

[GlenG]

I just noticed this conversation.

I am investigating ‘QCAD’ out of Germany, I think.
It looks like an excellent ‘2D software’ that is similar to the 2D AutoCAD that I used for decades to layout designs and proposals in detailed parts and plant size production line concepts.

Has anybody tried the QCAD ?
For $60 it seem to be a good tool for basic designs.

I’m an old school AutoCAD guy and I bought QCAD after i tried their free version for a while. It‘s a short learning curve from AutoCAD and I think we’ll worth the $60

 

[Raygers]

I used Autodesk Inventor student edition when you didn't have to prove student status. I tried a few since then and finally settled on Freecad, the latest version is 0.21 which incorporates a lot of new features and improvements.

 

[Dabbler]

I've had trouble with freecad .21 and autocad crashing on my all-too-small PC. I've upgraded since, had should retry both again.

 

[BaronJ]

I just noticed this conversation.

I am investigating ‘QCAD’ out of Germany, I think.
It looks like an excellent ‘2D software’ that is similar to the 2D AutoCAD that I used for decades to layout designs and proposals in detailed parts and plant size production line concepts.

Has anybody tried the QCAD ?
For $60 it seem to be a good tool for basic designs.

I've been using Qcad for a number of years now ! Started off with the free community version and later purchased a licence for Qcad Pro. Which is what I am using today. Do bear in mind that it is 2D not 3D.

 

[LenVW]

I've been using Qcad for a number of years now ! Started off with the free community version and later purchased a licence for Qcad Pro. Which is what I am using today. Do bear in mind that it is 2D not 3D.

You can use 2D tools to produce accurate designs and detailed views as long as you are able to visualize the design as a 3D concept. Descriptive geometry was a skill that I learned early in my career.

 

[ChazzC]

I use MacDraft Pro (2D, which is all I need):

https://www.microspot.com/index.htm

They have a PC version, also, as well as a Lite option (you lose some capabilities, but can still save/print/whatever). I used Lite initially then upgraded when I started doing more detailed drawings for Village Press publication. You can try for free for 14 days and they have a comparison "tool" on their website. I like the fact that it is an outright purchase and you only pay if they have a major software upgrade and you want it. If you buy the Lite then upgrade, you keep the Lite so can put that on a laptop if you want (I did).

While geared towards Architectural/Landscape/Construction, they do have "Electrical" and "Engineering" libraries (I have the Engineering library and use the fasteners from time to time if it makes things clearer in an enlarged or assembly plan).

I modified the standard symbol to create the low profile head version (in red).


They frequently have deals (their bundles are currently on sale), and will work with you on getting a good price on a custom package. I got a super deal on my upgrade to Pro plus the Engineering library (they sent me a link to the Electrical library by mistake and just told me to keep & use it if I wanted to and sent me the correct link).

 

[Susquatch]

I used to use Easy CAD from Autodesk for 2D drawings at home. I had access to CATIA at work. I have no trouble visualizing 3D from 2D. EasyCAD was a standalone company when I first started using it. It made sense to me and I still like it. Then they were bought out by Autodesk.

I believe EasyCad drawings can be imported into Fusion as a DXF but I've never done it. It would be nice if it could be used as a sketch or sketches.

My only interest in Fusion is 3D Printing and stress analysis. I believe 3D Printing is within my reach, but stress analysis might be an old man's pipe dream.

 

[LenVW]

You can use 2D tools to produce accurate designs and detailed views as long as you are able to visualize the design as a 3D concept. Descriptive geometry was a skill that I learned early in my career.

I've been using Qcad for a number of years now ! Started off with the free community version and later purchased a licence for Qcad Pro. Which is what I am using today. Do bear in mind that it is 2D not 3D.

Hello from Central Ontario, Canada.
We are in Kitchener, a city of 200,000 about 50 kms West of Toronto.
I have been at Kellogg’s Engineering, Big O - HDPE pipe forming, Millwrighting projects and Engineered Vacuum Systems for oil refineries. What industries have you been involved with ?

 

[ColinB]

Awesome This may or may not be the place to ask being new to this site and site/ forum etiquette is taught if I need to ask somewhere else please redirect me.
I think I realize the benefits of CNC CAD CAM tech. but pitifully little about it in this day and age. Software costs are the main reason I have hesitated. We had AutoCAD on the server where I used to work as a Millwright lead hand but had very little time to learn it due to the alarm bells going off. So I would really appreciate if anyone could point me in the right direction such as online courses, ( I live in the boonies) good reading material basically point A. I would be grateful. Heck I'm stilling struggling to use my laptop. I use a drafting table in my dining room & all XYZ manual machines.

Many of the free CAD programs are online only. I've been learning FreeCAD and am finding it quite capable for my hobby projects. It's a free app that you install on your computer (Mac, Windows or Linux). There are lots of youtube videos (MangoJelly in particular) and forum help available.