Easy to use CAD program?

[Lee Schierer]

I am interested in finding something either free or cheap(<$50) that a non-cad user can learn.

Double Cad offers a free version that is relatively easy to use. For straight lines the line function works well. You can use the command line after selecting a straight line function to draw a line of a specified length at a specified angle from a selected point. For a 6" line Straight up the entry would be @6<90 For a horizontal line 3" long it would be @3<0, 4" line at 45 degrees would be @4<45 the same line 45 degrees to the left would be @4<135. The angles run from 0-360 with 0 the right edge of the screen, 90 is the top , 180 is the left and 270 is the bottom.

Also many local Vo-tech or community colleges offer instruction in CAD drawing for a relatively low price. Some even get a healthy discount on student versions of cad programs.

[Dan Valleskey]

Lee has a good point, even a beginners class will have you screaming along in no time. And, it used to be you could get even more help in lab time. I suppose CAD labs have gone away though.

Be aware that taking a class will stick you to whatever software they use. Autocad in many cases, at least, that used to be the hot one. If they teach Pro-E, you may never find a free version.

[Larry Browning]

No Hijack Larry- that's what I'm looking for also.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions- I'm going to take a look at them. For me it's a little embaressing- I'm about the last of the engineers that learned to draw with pencil and paper. I never learned the drawing programs very well.

The main thing I learned about this type of software is that learning how to use CAD software is like learning how to play a musical instrument or how to draw a picture. Knowing how to operate it technically is not the same as being able to use it. I know how to make the instrument produce a noise, but to make it play a song is whole different thing.

Also, at one point I had decided that learning to use CAD or Sketchup software was going on my list of things to do after retirement (5 years or so) when I had more time to devote to it. But if I can find something that doesn't frustrate me, I might give it a go before that.

[Jim German]

Sketchup is a great program, but it works in a completely different method than a traditional CAD program like AutoCAD/ProE/Solidworks. If you have used one of those in the past you'll probably find sketchup frustrating and difficult as you try to do things how you are used too. If you're new to CAD, its probably the easiest to learn. Sketchup also has the benefit of having a huge user contributed database of models that you can go and add into your model. For instance I was trying to figure out a good layout of cabinets for my office, and was able to just import a bunch of different types, easily move them around and see what worked before drawing up my own.

[Larry Browning]

If you're new to CAD, its probably the easiest to learn.

If it is easiest to learn, then I am in BIG trouble!!!!!!

[Lloyd James]

I have used Autocad for 20 years and it is alot of fun to draw with it. I know Autocad is more expensive, but it has so many
cool features. You don't have to learn how to use all the features to make good drawings.

It really helps to take 1 course at 2 year colleges. You would be amaze how easy the course is.
If you sign up for a class, I believe you can buy Autocad with a student discount.
I have had my internet crash several times and I never loose any of my cad drawings; even the one I have on my screen. I am not sure if you can do that with Sketch-Up

Even though you can take several classes in Autocad, you only need one to be able to draw up any wood cabinet.

Just one of the great features of this cad: Lets say you drew up a part and have dimensioned it. Now you want to increase its length or width, you can stretch the part the part and the dimention will automatically adjust itself.
Even if you don't use the stretch command to change the part; you can pick on the old dimention and drag one leader and it automatically updates too.

[Jim German]

I have had my internet crash several times and I never loose any of my cad drawings; even the one I have on my screen. I am not sure if you can do that with Sketch-Up

Sketchup is a desktop program. Once you have sketchup downloaded, it does not matter if you are connected to the internet or not.

Autocad is fine for 2D, for 3D however its just plain awful. Also keep in mind that it retails for about a grand, and while yes you can 'get it for free' (student edition/borrow/download) Sketchup is actually free.

Rather than taking a course at a community college, why not ask around and see if there is someone nearby who could spend a couple hours showing it to you.

[ray hampton]

no highjack intended but do any of the c a d software have a good library of imports files ? which ones work better to produce a round part ?

[Rob Fisher]

I have used CAD for the last 16 years, AutoCAD, Microstation and several other smaller CADs and in my opinion Sketchup is by far the easiest program to learn. It works a bit differently than AutoCAD but it is great, especially for woodworking scale projects. I used googles basic tutorials but there are a ton of other how to's out there. As others have said there is also a huge library of sketchup models that others have created and you can download/use/modify for your project.

[Michael Peet]

For me it's a little embaressing- I'm about the last of the engineers that learned to draw with pencil and paper. I never learned the drawing programs very well.

I had to laugh; when I took drafting for my engineering degree it was maybe 1990 and they still taught it with paper and pencil. By the time I was a senior I had written a simple CAD program for an independent study course.

That said, I need to give a +1 to Sketchup. I always make a model before I build something. I like having the electronic records, and a 3D system is good for visualizing and discovering problems ahead of time. Electrons are cheaper than hardwood.

Mike

[Erich Weidner]

I am interested in finding something either free or cheap(<$50) that a non-cad user can learn. I have attempted to use Sketchup 3 different times and "fun" is not the word I would use to describe my experience. "Frustrating" would be a better word for me.

CAD software uses a different operating paradigm/user interface than drawing and painting software of which most people are familiar (and hence find reasonably intuitive). I'm no CAD expert, but I do use DesignCAD 3D (<$200) and have used some flavors of Autocad 2d in the past.

Lately, I've been using Sketchup. It isn't CAD software but it is easy (compared to CAD) to learn. There is a good ebook I purchased from FWW (and there is a whole Sketchup blog there as well) which helps immensely with the learning curve.

That being said, I will bet it will always be faster to just use pen/paper/eraser to get going on a given project, "right now".
Learning to use CAD or Sketchup is an investment you make (over a few dozen hours) so that once you are proficient with its use you will be able to fix mistakes and tweak designs much much faster than with pencil/paper.

I feel your pain. I'm a programmer and I still don't find either Sketchup or CAD easy. (i.e. just being "techie" isn't a free pass on the time you need to spend learning). I've been learning sketchup as I can get a lot more done with it more quickly than I can in my CAD software. But perhaps I'm just not "wired" for CAD.

[Chris Parks]

I would pay good money to be able to use SU, unfortunately I am one of those people who have no 3D imagination or conception, call it what you will. After repeated attempts and viewing all the videos etc I still cannot use it. Delta Cad I found easy, the only issue for me is (or was) the ability of it to handle metric and the scaling was hard to understand IIRC due to the metric shortcomings. Mind you it was quite a few years ago now so it may be improved.

[Paul Johnstone]

Autocad is fine for 2D, for 3D however its just plain awful. Also keep in mind that it retails for about a grand, and while yes you can 'get it for free' (student edition/borrow/download) Sketchup is actually free.
.

I am not disputing you, just wonder why you think Autocad is awful for 3d.
I am starting to use Autocad now.. I had previously used Alibre.
Autocad (so far) seems a lot better, mainly because there are lots of nice reference books out there.
I would get stuck in Alibre, and have to spend a lot of time getting unstuck or just starting over.
I am sure that in time, Alibre would flow smoother, but it was an exercise in frustration.
I have not used Sketchup, but if you think it is much better for 3d, I'm curious why you think so.
I might switch to Sketchup if there's a compelling reason to.

[Stephen Cherry]

Thanks for the responses everyone- one thing though, I think that any of the autocads is out of the picture. It looks like autocad lt is 1200 dollars. Too rich for me.

[Jim German]

First off, comparing the full version of Autocad to Sketchup is very unrealistic. Sketchup is free, The full retail version of Autocad is $4,000. They aren't really competitors at all, and were designed for different markets with different requirements, and even were designed in different era's.

Autocad works well for making 2D drawings, fully dimensioned, with call-outs, flag-notes, revisions blocks and such. It can do 3D, but it lacks alot of useful 3D tools, is buggy, and difficult to use in 3D. Autodesk (the makers of Autocad) years ago decided that rather than try and turn AutoCad into a full 3D solid CAD package, they would instead start fresh with Autodesk Inventor. Inventor is probably an order of magnitude more expensive than AutoCad, and competes with Solidworks, Catia, ProE and the like.

Alot of it comes down to what you are trying to do. If you are trying to come up with fully dimensioned drawings to send off to a shop, AutoCad would be fine for that. But if you want a nice picture of what the final product will look like to give to clients, or to let you get an idea of how it will look Sketchup will work alot better.