2D CAD

[Old SchoolParticipant @oldschool]

Can anyone recommend a simple to use 2D CAD program I need to do some drawings that I want to put into a word document. Did Autocad 12 a long time ago.

[Old SchoolParticipant @oldschool]

[SverreEParticipant @sverree]

Hello;

Try DraftSight 2017, it is a free version of AutoCad, I have used it for several years. Another option is to go for full 3D, and I would recommend DesignSpark Mechanical – also completely free!

Regards Sverre

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

I'm not sure I'd describe Draftsight as "a free version of Autocad". For one thing it's by the makers of Solidworks rather than Autodesk. Looks pretty good if you just want 2D, mind.

Designspark Mechanical is a cut down version of Spaceclaim (now owned by Ansys). May be fine if you have limited ambitions but for full 3D CAD with all sorts of (free) extras, Fusion 360 is unbeatable – millions would agree. They have just released the sheet metal component this month, so it's almost on a par with the other professional mid-range CAD systems – for free – and they haven't finished developing it yet….

Murray.

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

DoubleCAD XT is a free 2D CAD program, you have to register to get a product activation code. I have been using it for a couple of years, works for me.

Thor

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

The drawing tool in Word is usable but frustrating but has the advantage that your pictures can be edited in place. If you have MS Office then another option is to do them in PowerPoint. Best quality comes by pasting as Windows Metafile in that case. For a very good and free drawing programme download and install OpenOffice. There is a similar suite called libre office which I find not quite so good. I use OpenOffice a lot for doing workshop sketches but it isn't CAD. And files will not save in formats such as dxf.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by Muzzer on 10/08/2017 19:34:28:

I'm not sure I'd describe Draftsight as "a free version of Autocad". For one thing it's by the makers of Solidworks rather than Autodesk. Looks pretty good if you just want 2D, mind.

Agreed, but it is virtually identical to the older 2½D versions of Autocad. I was brought up on very early versions of Autocad and find Draftsight very easy to use.

Russell

[SandgrounderParticipant @sandgrounder]

I have old releases of Autocad and Inventor bought new in 2004 on a XP PC which I now rarely switch on, I use Draftsight all of the time on my Linux PC and found the transition from Autocad to Draftsight very easy,

John

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Deltacad is cited as the 'easiest CAD programme' & I think it is.

Tony

[Earl HughesParticipant @earlhughes79310]

Hello, Have been using Solid Edge 2D, also free for a while after trying Deltacad

**LINK**

Regards, Earl

[John ReeseParticipant @johnreese12848]

I also have Solid Edge 2D, aka Solid Edge ST8. Pretty easy interface.

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

I bought DesignCad 3D some years ago but found 3D too difficult to learn when what I really wanted was an electronic drawing board so I ended up using it as 2D.

When it became too dated I bought DesignCad 2D and find that this does everything I need.

Brian

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Much depends on what you mean by 'some drawings'. If the drawings are just a few illustrations then one of the simple drawing tools like Word Draw will be easier to learn and use. But If your drawings are dimensioned or have any level of complexity then a proper 2D tool will be more appropriate. There are lots of these. Most seem to do a reasonable job on the basics but be aware that the simpler tools make it hard to do advanced drawing. Trouble is the more capable the tool, the steeper the learning curve.

On Linux, QCAD is my tool of choice for 2D. Also runs on Windows. I'm impressed by Fusion360 which I mostly find intuitive. (Not always!) It uses an entirely different drawing technique: you 'make' a 3D object, and ask Fusion to draw the equivalent 2D plans. Very powerful, the downside being that a good draughtsman might be frustrated by having little control over the look and style of the resulting drawing.

Dave

 

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 15/08/2017 09:26:00

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

Having used AutoCAD 14 a little, and DraftSight about as much (mostly use SolidWorks), I'd say they are functionally identical for basic 2D work, especially if you use the keyboard for entering commands. DraftSight is just as frustrating in exactly the same spots as AutoCAD 14, and as a result my new monitor has gnaw marks in the same place as my old one did, and from the same causes.

Regards,

Richard.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

There's a good comparison of some of the free 2D programs here

Russell

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