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Free CAD software is what you're looking for? Not everyone has access to professional modelling tools. But napkin scribbles won't do it for manufacturing purposes. If you cannot find a way to make proper models or drawings, we are here to guide you towards some free CAD software.

FreeCAD is free open source CAD software for Windows. This software is suitable for both beginners and professionals. It allows you to create as well as edit an existing CAD design present in different CAD file formats like STL, OBJ, DWG, DXF, PLY, etc. Using it, you can design machine parts, architecture, ships, and meshes. Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. Design Cad free download - EWDraw CAD Component Ultimate Edition, Autodesk Design Review, 5DFly Photo Design, and many more programs.

Engineering CAD (Computer Aided Design) software assists engineers in designing and drafting parts, products and structures that can be done in two or three dimensions. Related Software Categories: Simulation Software.

Instead on listing every possible free program, we are going to pinpoint only the best ones, so you can benefit from the many advantages of CAD software.

Free 3D CAD Software

Our system is well prepared to read STP files for giving you laser cutting price instantly. This is a universal CAD model file. Pretty much any proper 3D modelling software lets you converts the models into STP files.

A list of programs for free 3D modelling:

Fusion 360

Powerful CAD modelling platform from Autodesk that has a free version for students and hobbyists (or companies with a revenue under $100,000). They have a great step-by-step intro to using the program. This will bring your 3D design skills up to the necessary standard. There is also a variety of tutorials available on YouTube. For example, this video shows the ease of making a 2D drawing from your model.

FreeCAD

An open-source 3D modelling software. Another good solution when 3D solids are needed. It also has a separate sheet metal environment, which is really handy for avoiding design mistakes.

Also suitable when you want to make proper drawings of the models. Create your 3D parts first and then make easy drawings automatically.

Onshape

Onshape has a free version for hobbyists and makers. Very professional-looking software suitable for anyone interested in learning CAD. A big perk is that all the files are stored on a cloud, making it the ideal program for group work.

3D Modelling Program Trial Versions

Most of the professional solid modelling programs cost a lot. They also have more possibilities, like embedded Finite Element Analysis software. But you can first try educational or trial versions.

While trials last for maybe a month, student versions are often free for a year and can be further extended. The advantage for trial versions is full functionality. Student versions tend to restrict the capabilities and leave watermarks to drawings as they are meant for learning purposes, not actual engineering.

Here's a list of the best CAD programs around:

Solidworks

Probably the most popular CAD software out there. Solidworks has a lot of how-to videos on YouTube and you can find answers to any questions. The interface is pretty intuitive. Thus, it is often used by universities as the CAD program for students. The trial versions last for 14 to 30 days.

Solid Edge

Another very widely used 3D modelling program. Similarly to Solidworks, Solid Edge is easy to use and has a wide support network. The trial versions gives you a 45-day access to full functionality.

Inventor

Autodesk Inventor's user interface is a little different from the previous two, but the functions stay pretty much the same. The gap isn't big, though. If you know the functions, you'll find them in any program. Trial version lasts for 30 days.

CATIA

Best free file compression software. Like SolidWorks, it is developed by Dassault Systems. The reason for having different programs is that they're aimed at separate segments of the industry. Although CATIA has a steeper learning curve, the functionality is especially important for sectors like car manufacturing. It provides more possibilities with surface modelling and creating complex assemblies. There doesn't seem to be a proper trial version but there's a free student version with a 1 year license.

Creo

Another CAD program aimed at more proficient users. Like CATIA, it is friendly towards larger and more complex assemblies. The downside is needing proper CAD engineering fundamentals. Creo has a 30-day free trial.

Solidworks and SolidEdge are very forgiving towards simple mistakes. They are perfect for 3D modelling but tend to slow down with bigger assemblies. Inventor lets you go on despite mistakes but will, at some point, mess up the whole assembly, if not constrained and modelled properly. Creo and CATIA are better suited for more proficient users. Thus, your choice should depend on the CAD applications you're after.

Free 2D Drafting Programs

There are also good CAD tools available for making 2D DXF drawings. Don't be deterred by the amount of commands available to you. The designing of simple sheets with cutouts only needs proficiency in a fraction of those options. Just be sure you are not using inches instead of millimetres, or vice versa. Also, if you happen to have DWGs instead of DXF files, you can convert them using this.

QCAD

An open source CAD system for everyone. Supports DXFs and DWGs. As Draftsight will soon lose its free status, this is our first recommendation for 2D drawing software. Larger array of functions is available at an affordable price.

LibreCAD

A 2D CAD free and open source software. Recommended by many who don't use CAD enough to warrant a need for buying one. The learning curve is a bit steeper, as the user interface differs more from the CADs we are all used to. For a first-timer, it doesn't make much of a difference though.

Sketchup

This is an intuitive software that has many different pricing packages according to the necessary functions. The simple sketching version is free to use and good for making DXF drawings ready for production.

Adobe Illustrator

Not free but very popular among artists and graphic designers. Illustrator uses vectors for making the art. Thus, there is no need for getting any extra software. You can save your drawings as DXFs that are ready for laser cutting.

DXF Files Have Vectors

Digital images come in 2 forms: raster and vector. Raster graphics contain many small dots or pixels. Image files are usually built using pixels. The problem is that when enlarged, they get inaccurate and aren't really connected to each other. It's more like a cluster of dots.

The solution is using vectors in DXF file format. Vector graphics use points, lines and curves to convey your image. You can zoom in indefinitely, while the quality of a curve remains smooth. Laser cutting needs this quality to get the desired result.

Converting to Vector Files

There are some feeless services online to convert your PDFs to DXFs. It is useful when your drawings are simple. But you should still review it for glitches and scale ratio.

Check the scale by measuring the drawing. Make sure the measurements correspond to reality. If not, simple math can get you a ratio of the drawing's measurement to the one needed. Use this to set the value for scale.

• Zamzar. The results satisfied us after some testing. The scale got messed up during the conversion but a little tweaking was all it took. You can receive the download link in less than a minute.
• Cometdocs. Not much of a difference between Cometdocs and Zamzar. Provided quick results but the scale was off again. Still good enough to get the job done if the quantities are small and some manual labor doesn't put you off.

Hopefully you found a suitable free CAD software for your needs. If you have already produced your CAD files, submit them for instant quoting on our sheet metal fabrication platform!

This is a list of free and open source 3D CAD (computer-aided design) software packages. More precisely MCAD (Mechanical computer-aided design) software.

- FreeCAD

Home Cad Software Free

- About FreeCAD

FreeCAD is a general purpose parametric 3D CAD modeler, whose development is completely open source (LGPL License). FreeCAD is aimed directly at mechanical engineering and product design but also fits in a wider range of uses around engineering, such as architecture, finite element analysis, 3D printing, and other tasks.

FreeCAD features tools similar to Catia, SolidWorks or Solid Edge, and therefore also falls into the category of MCAD, PLM, CAx and CAE. It is a feature based parametric modeler with a modular software architecture which makes it possible to provide additional functionality without modifying the core system.

FreeCAD is also multi-platform, and currently runs on Linux/Unix, Windows, and Mac OSX systems with the same look and functionality on all platforms.

FreeCAD is maintained and developed by a community of enthusiastic developers and users (see the contributors page). They work on FreeCAD voluntarily, in their free time. They cannot guarantee that FreeCAD contains everything you might wish, but they will do their best! The community gathers on the FreeCAD forum, where most of the ideas and decisions are discussed. Feel free to join us there!

- Salome Shaper

SHAPER is a parametric and variational CAD modeler. It offers improved ergonomics that are best suited for the drawing from the graphical interface. The variational aspect allows the user to draw interactively a sketch with dimensions and constraints, just what he sees on a technical drawing. The parametric aspect ensures that the final shapes are automatically updated when a parameter of a CAD feature is modified. It also allows simple assembly of 3D parts.

FreeCAD is maintained and developed by a community of enthusiastic developers and users (see the contributors page). They work on FreeCAD voluntarily, in their free time. They cannot guarantee that FreeCAD contains everything you might wish, but they will do their best! The community gathers on the FreeCAD forum, where most of the ideas and decisions are discussed. Feel free to join us there!

- Salome Shaper

SHAPER is a parametric and variational CAD modeler. It offers improved ergonomics that are best suited for the drawing from the graphical interface. The variational aspect allows the user to draw interactively a sketch with dimensions and constraints, just what he sees on a technical drawing. The parametric aspect ensures that the final shapes are automatically updated when a parameter of a CAD feature is modified. It also allows simple assembly of 3D parts.

Create, modify, import and export (IGES, STEP, BREP, ..), repair and clean CAD models.

SHAPER module of SALOME is destined for:

• import and export of geometrical models in IGES, BREP, STEP and XAO formats;
• parametric construction of geometrical objects using a wide range of functions:
• viewing geometrical objects in the OCC viewer;
• transformation of geometrical objects using various algorithms.

- BRL-CAD

BRL-CAD is a constructive solid geometry (CSG) solid modeling computer-aided design (CAD) system. It includes an interactive geometry editor, ray tracing support for graphics rendering and geometric analysis, computer network distributed framebuffer support, scripting, image-processing and signal-processing tools. The entire package is distributed in source code and binary form.

Although BRL-CAD can be used for a variety of engineering and graphics applications, the package's primary purpose continues to be the support of ballistic and electromagnetic analyses. In keeping with the Unix philosophy of developing independent tools to perform single, specific tasks and then linking the tools together in a package, BRL-CAD is basically a collection of libraries, tools, and utilities that work together to create, raytrace, and interrogate geometry and manipulate files and data. In contrast to many other 3D modelling applications, BRL-CAD primarily uses CSG rather than boundary representation.[2] This means BRL-CAD can 'study physical phenomena such as ballistic penetration and thermal, radiative, neutron, and other types of transport'. [3] It does also support boundary representation.[4]

The BRL-CAD libraries are designed primarily for the geometric modeler who also wants to tinker with software and design custom tools. Each library is designed for a specific purpose: creating, editing, and ray tracing geometry, and image handling. The application side of BRL-CAD also offers a number of tools and utilities that are primarily concerned with geometric conversion, interrogation, image format conversion, and command-line-oriented image manipulation.

- OpenJSCAD

JSCAD (formally know as OpenJSCAD) provides a programmer's approach to develop 3D models. In particular, this functionality is tuned towards creating precise models for 3D printing.

JSCAD provides:

• ability to create and manipulate 3D models, as well as 2D models
• ability to use JavaScript programming concepts, and libraries
• ability to save 3D models as STL (and other) formats

- NaroCAD

The goal of this project is to develop a fully fledged and extensible 3D CAD software based on the concept of parametric modeling of solids, comparable to well known solutions.

- OpensCAD

OpenSCAD is software for creating solid 3D CAD models. It is free software and available for Linux/UNIX, Windows and Mac OS X. Unlike most free software for creating 3D models (such as Blender) it 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.

Free Cad Layout Software Design

OpenSCAD is not an interactive modeller. Instead it is something like a 3D-compiler that reads in a script file that describes the object and renders the 3D model from this script file. This gives you (the designer) full control over the modelling process and enables you to easily change any step in the modelling process or make designs that are defined by configurable parameters.

OpenSCAD provides two main modelling techniques: First there is constructive solid geometry (aka CSG) and second there is extrusion of 2D outlines. Autocad DXF files can be used as the data exchange format for such 2D outlines. In addition to 2D paths for extrusion it is also possible to read design parameters from DXF files. Besides DXF files OpenSCAD can read and create 3D models in the STL and OFF file formats.

- SolveSpace

Solvespace is a free (GPLv3) parametric 3d CAD tool.

Applications include:

• modeling 3d parts — draw with extrudes, revolves, and Boolean (union / difference) operations
• modeling 2d parts — draw the part as a single section, and export DXF, PDF, SVG; use 3d assembly to verify fit
• 3d-printed parts — export the STL or other triangle mesh expected by most 3d printers
• preparing CAM data — export 2d vector art for a waterjet machine or laser cutter; or generate STEP or STL, for import into third-party CAM software for machining
• mechanism design — use the constraint solver to simulate planar or spatial linkages, with pin, ball, or slide joints
• plane and solid geometry — replace hand-solved trigonometry and spreadsheets with a live dimensioned drawing

- gCAD3D

3D CAD/CAM - software for MS-Windows and Linux. This program is free software (GPL-3); you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

- FlatFab

Flatfab is software that helps you design and fabricate 3D objects. We imagine in 3D but ideate and draw in 2D. flatfab seamlessly does both.

Free Cad Software Online

Flatfab marries digital modeling and traditional craftsmanship. 3D printing in new-age materials is great for small complex objects, but prohibitive in time and money for anything bigger than your fist. Flatfab enables designers and hobbyists to use their own skills working with common tools and materials, anything that is reasonably flat and can be cut: paper, plastic, wood, steel, even stone.

The flatfab way

• Create your design fluidly, using connected planar parts
• Print your design as 2D curves, ready to cut
• Cut your design, with a digital cutter or by hand
• Pack it flat, if you need to transport it
• Assemble the parts together, there are no tools required!

- FREE!ship

Wedding Layout Software

FREE!ship is a surface modeling program for designing ships yachts and boats. Subdivision surfaces are used rather than NURBS to give the designer the freedom to design any desired hullshape. Unfold surfaces, panel based hydrostatics, various exp formats