CAD tools

Overview

See CAD Discussion and CAD

Here are some open source options for CAD. Please add others if you know of any. We are looking for a cross platform program, preferably open source. We are using Linux so anything for a PC with linux should work ok. It would also be nice if it worked with our Mac OS X 10.3.9 laptops, and be cross platform for other collaborators, but this is not necessary.

Google SketchUp

• Free, but not open source, works in linux under Wine.

DesignWorkshop Lite

• Free, but not open source, only windows & mac versions
• For home design and visualization of architecture, landscapes, exhibits, urban design, or any kind of spatial design

DraftSight

• Free, but not open source
• Good AutoCAD compatibility
• Focused on 2D drafting, very little 3D support

Blender

open source, 3D modeling / animation classic, but with limited/nonexistent CAD functionality for creating 2D fabrication drawings

Works OK for basic 3d design and prototyping but only makes meshes. It is poorly suited for CAD use.

FreeCAD

• "FreeCAD is a general purpose Open Source 3D CAD/MCAD/CAx/CAE/PLM modeler, aimed directly at mechanical engineering and product design but also fits in a wider range of uses around engineering, such as architecture or other engineering specialties. It is a feature-based parametric modeler with a modular software architecture which makes it easy to provide additional functionality without modifying the core system."
• "FreeCAD is based on OpenCasCade, a powerful geometry kernel, features an Open Inventor-compliant 3D scene representation model provided by the Coin 3D library, and a broad python API. The interface is built with Qt. FreeCAD runs exactly the same way on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux platforms."
  • "A complete OpenCasCade-based geometry kernel allowing complex 3D operations on complex shape types, and supports natively concepts like brep, nurbs, booleans operations or fillets."
  • "A modular architecture that allow plugins (modules) to add functionality to the core application. Those extensions can be as complex as whole new applications or as simple as python scripts or self-recorded macros."
  • "A full parametric model allowing any type of parameter-driven custom objects, that can even be fully programmed in python."
  • "Complete access from python built-in interpreter, macros or external scripts to almost any part of FreeCAD, being geometry creation and transformation, the 2D or 3D representation of that geometry (scenegraph) or even the FreeCAD interface."
  • "Import/export to standard formats such as STEP, IGES, OBJ, DXF, SVG, U3D or STL."

CAELinux

• "Based on the open-source CAE softwares Salomé, Code_Aster, Code_Saturne and OpenFOAM , you can load your CAD geometry in Salomé and start partitionning and meshing your problem in just 5 minutes. Then you can simulate incredibly complex physics with the open-source FE & CFD solvers Code_Aster, Code-Saturne, OpenFOAM & Elmer: non-linear thermo-mechanics, coupled fluid-structure dynamics, seismic / non-linear explicit dynamics, contacts, visco-plasticity, fluid dynamics, heat exchange, convection heat transfer and radiation, electro-magnetcis in other words nearly all physics problem can be addressed with the integrated solvers!! Then reload your results files in post-processing applications like Salomé, GMSH, Visit, or Paraview to visualize your data in 3D."
  • It can do CAD (Salome) but could be a little easier to use with more mouse control with widgets and hotkeys.
  • Good candidate for CAD-CAE if nothing else is found.

avoCADo

• Evaluation pending.

BRL-CAD

• BRL-CAD is a powerful cross-platform open source solid modeling system that includes interactive geometry editing, high-performance ray-tracing for rendering and geometric analysis, image and signal-processing tools, a system performance analysis benchmark suite, libraries for robust geometric representation, with more than 20 years of active development. Operating Systems: All major platforms.
• Evaluation pending.

QCad Community Edition

• Available only as source code
• How to get support for the QCad Community Edtion?
• Seems to be the closest to AutoCad

LibreCAD

• LibreCAD is a fork of the QCad Community Edition
• Available for Linux, OSX and Windows
• The 1.0.0 series is still basen on QT3
• The forthcoming 2.0.0 series is based on QT4

CollabCAD

CollabCAD is a 3D CAD/CAM Software system for the collaborative design & development of Industrial Designs. CollabCAD is an initiative of National Informatics Centre (NIC, Department of Information Technology), Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC, Department of Atomic Energy) and Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (Department of Space, VSSC).

• Collaborative & Comprehensive
• Economical CAD Solutions
• Flexible & Easy to Use Database Connectivity
• Programmable Scripting Interface
• Powerful Reverse Engineering
• Slicing/Cross sectioning, Generating Cross section points
• Customizable User Interface
• Standard Data Exchange Formats
• VRML Preview
• BAR Code for ERP Solution
• Plot Configurator and BOM
• XML based geometry data storage and Database connectivity
• Multiple language (English, French, German, Spanish, Norwegian and Italian) support
• Content Management System and Work Flow
• Interface to Enterprise Automation Application

OpenSCAD

For 3D modelling you may want to look into openscad (at openscad.org) written by Clifford Wold (you met him @metalab, he fixed your power cord). This uses CSG (constructive solid geometry) internally and can generate STL but also *import* STL (and use CSG on the resulting model). It also can read 2D designs in DXF and extrude parts of it into the 3rd dimension (extrusion can be linear or on different paths, so you can make, e.g., a torus by extruding a circle on a circular path).

• OpenSCAD User Manual
• Mailing list

"[OpenSCAD] does not focus on the artistic aspects of 3D modelling but instead on the CAD aspects. Thus it might be the application you are looking for when you are planning to create 3D models of machine parts but pretty sure is not what you are looking for when you are more interested in creating computer-animated movies."-openscad.org

HeeksCAD

• Use the geometric constraints solver to create accurate drawings from rough sketches
• Solid modeling is provided by Open CASCADE
• Manual

HeeksCNC

• CAD/CAM application written in Python that can help you produce the NC code for your milling machine.

OpenCASCADE

• Open CASCADE Technology is software development platform freely available in open source. It includes components for 3D surface and solid modeling, visualization, data exchange and rapid application development. Operating Systems: Linux, Sun Sparc, or Windows.
• Seems too clunky without a better GUI.

CADEMIA

• CADEMIA is a modern CAD system with a full functionality for civil engineering and architecture
• It is written in Java and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux
• It is available in English and German

Landscaping CAD

We are looking for an open source landscaping CAD program to help with collaborative permaculture design. CADEMIA may be a possiblity here

Electronics CAD

• KiCAD
• Gnu Electronic Design Automation tools.

2D CAD

• QCAD
• CADEMIA

See Also

• CAD by Mariano Alvira
• SKDB
• Discussion on CAD options for Ubuntu
• 3D file viewer
• FreeCAD and [1], directories of free CAD, CAM and CAE programs
• Printed Circuit Board Routing Software: http://www.freerouting.net/
• Quite Universal Circuit Simulator
• p2p-foundation: Open Source CAD Applications
• Rendercity, an online Radiance rendering service. One rendering job at a time, for free, at resolutions up to 768 x 768 pixels
• DraftSight - 2D drafting with dimensioning. [2]