CAD tools

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Intro

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

DesignWorkshop Lite

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.

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.

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 (extrusion can be linear or on different paths, so you can make, e.g., a torus by extruding a circle on a circular path).

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.


Landscaping CAD

We are looking for an open source landscaping CAD program to help with collaborative permaculture design.

See Also

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