Free CAD

[Retired]

Hi,

I'm absolutely useless when it comes to CAD in fact I have difficulty drawing a straight line but the following free CAD software is encouraging me to settle down and learn if only for 2D drawing.

I came across this site a few years ago whilst having lots of problems with gear cutting. This site has a Spur Gear Wizard which is amazing and extremely easy to use if the gear data is known. Just enter pressure angle; teeth number; diametrical pitch and bore diameter leaving the backlash at recommended "3". Within minutes a full size gear appears on the screen. I successfully cut 45 cast iron gears using the wizard and can't praise it enough. In order to print the gear then the printer needs setting to "Actual size" otherwise an 8" diameter gear is printed.

I now need to solve another problem as I want to space drilled and tapped holes around a circle on a turned steel component with little room for error.

Emachineshop is a real eye opener if you care to browse the site. If I was living in America I could sit at my computer; design a component/s; specify material ; machine to be made on and send off the drawing to be checked and a quote given. Pay then sit back and wait for delivery. All this with full access to just about every kind of material and machine without even leaving my chair; how good is that?

A couple of years ago I paid £27 for TurboCad version 17? I spent hours just trying to get the page size correct; all the information was there but it took forever wading through the tutorials; my fault entirely as I would benefit from one to one tuition just to grasp the basics then I would quickly pick CAD up. It makes me sick when Big Al can press a couple of keys to draw something that has taken me hours ending in failure.

http://www.emachineshop.com/

Kind regards, Col.

[Nick]

Another worth considering, but not for the faint of heart, is SolidEdge Free 2D - this is a free, full featured, 2D package - and by "full featured" it really means exactly that.

Its a complete CAD package - the same as their commercial one costing $1000s, but only limited to 2D rather than 3D solid modelling.

I've used it for years - its AutoCad compatible and will import/export DXF files etc. Actively maintained and has user forums & YouTube training videos etc.

Main use I have for it is generating DXF files for laser & profile cutters etc and doing precise 1:1 printouts for chassis drilling - just stick the laser printer output onto the blank chassis using 3M Spray Mount and drill through the fiducial marks...

http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en...onse.shtml

Not recommended for a CAD virgin, but if you want to push the boundaries a bit and are familiar with AutoCad or SolidWorks etc., then this is definitely worth a go... It worth persevering - once you're over the initial hump its a breeze (ish!)

[AlanBeckett]

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/f...-software/
Fully compatible with AutoCAD.

Alan

[Joe]

I'll stick to my pen and scanner, thanks.

- Joe

[Radio Fixer]

Corel Draw X5 Home and Student Edition for me. Its now up to X6 but I wont upgrade. Very good software and well supported with Forums and tutorials.

Gary

[Yorkie]

I feel even more inadequate now

I marvel at the spledid drawings, dials, front panels, circuits etc that so many people seem to be able to create - often seemingly in a jiffy. I've made the mistake I guess, of downloading several free CAD software packages and bought Turbocad some time ago, so rather than developing a level of competence with any one package, I'm not just inept at only one piece of software, but quite a range! Equally incompetent in Tiny CAD, VEE CAD, Serif PagePlus, TurboCAD, Micrografx, DesignSpark, ExpressPCB, Express Schematic, Publisher, Paint, and now DraftSight and SolidEdge - my ineptitiude at CAD knows no bounds.

I spoke to Robert Darwent a while back about the splendid Ekco A22 dials which he created from scratch. I asked if he used CAD professionally and he said 'Oh no - I'm a self-taught hobbyist'.

Grrrrr! I must be the only person around who has yet to find an answer I understand to any question I pose in the 'Help' screens.

Basically, a triple-refined, weapons-grade numpty.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for replying.

I tried downloading the package you kindly suggested Nick and it took 20 minutes but when I tried to install my operating system did not support it as it needed Vista SP1.

I've just managed to download your suggested package Alan; DraftSight downloaded in a minute and installed quickly although I have not had chance to play around with it.

When I bought my first computer about 15 years ago Gary it came with Coral Draw on CD which I still have somewhere but I never used it.

Oh dear David I can relate to your comments only too well having tried a number of CAD programs over the years. when I bought TurboCad I was determined to learn how to use it but like you it drove me to despair; with over 65 tutorials I found it took forever just to try to set the page size and when I tried to follow each tutorial I felt totally isolated as the tutorial was hidden whilst I tried to draw; I gave up after spending many hours in frustration.

This afternoon I was determined to produce the drawing I needed and with fierce concentration I got stuck into "emachineshop" and after four hours I succeeded so at last I've got my foot on the CAD ladder. What I achieved in four hours producing the drawing I can now achieve in minutes and feel I now at last have a grasp of the very basics which will make everyone familiar with CAD laugh at my slow progress; winter is here if ever it left us so I'll spend some time with emachineshop as I find it more user friendly than the other CAD programs I've tried.

I too tried "Paint" and can draw with this David but can heck as draw anything to dimension so I've only ever used paint as I would a sketch pad.

The emachineshop drawing format is not recognized by "Gimp" or even "My documents" so I couldn't even send my successful drawing but then it occurred to me to take a digital picture and download this so below is the drawing. It is very basic having two concentric circles and three equally spaced diagonal lines breaking the circles into six very accurate segments of 60 degrees each. The outer circle is the reference to align the newly turned metal mount and the inner circle gives the six hole centers where each line intersects. Tomorrow if it is not pouring with rain; blowing a gale or snowing I hope to attach the drawing using double sided adhesive tape; center punch then drill pilot holes followed by the tapping and clearance holes and finally tapping at 5mm.

I visited Screwfix today and bought 100 5mm x 16mm stainless steel socket countersink screws; these were cheap and the size will be handy to have in stock.

After years of CAD frustration I've finally produced an accurate drawing that I can use; I'll add the actual project later as a thread; I'm pleased with my progress today.

Many thanks to Gary for kindly offering to help out with a drawing if I became hopelessly stuck; I appreciate your offer Gary; thank you.

Kind regards, Col.

   

[pwdrive]

Hi Col, I used inkscape which is a freebie and runs on windows easy to use etc does rotational angles etc, can input in millimeters/centimeters etc each to their own but thought I would mention it. It's relatively easy to master etc. Like most programs if you don't highlight an object not a lot will happen.
It's not CAD.

Marconicr300largeloggingscalescan.pdf

Marconicr300smallloggingscalescan.pdf

I did these on it, when printed out they were an exact fit.

Lawrence. Ooops the links don't work. View the originals in the dial scan section

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks Lawrence; I've now downloaded Inkscape (easy) and will play around with it in the near future.

To date emachineshop is my favourite CAD program but as I'm a raw beginner at CAD its worth looking at the options before I settle onto a single program. I keep running out of time.

Kind regards, Col.

[Yorkie]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for replying.

I tried downloading the package you kindly suggested Nick and it took 20 minutes but when I tried to install my operating system did not support it as it needed Vista SP1.

I've just managed to download your suggested package Alan; DraftSight downloaded in a minute and installed quickly although I have not had chance to play around with it.

I downloaded Solid Edge 2D fine Colin, but you need to make sure that you download either the 32 bit or 64 bit version according to your PC operating stystem. I used 32 Bit Win7 and the program runs fine - leastways, it would if it was in a competent pair of hands! It did take about 15 mins to download but it's a very large program - 1.37 GB compared to say Turbocad at 2.92MB or Draft Sight at 211 MB, which I also downloaded fine. My incompetence in the use of CAD programs is now even more diverse!

A chum designed the attached front panel for my Radio Bygone's Wobbulator using Powerpoint. I really ought to be able to do stuff like that myself but I'm a tad too far down the food chain