What's the Best CAD Software?

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/12126/Drawing

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/13483/CAD-Software

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/4248/3D-Cad-Software

I don't use any CAD software professionally, but, TurboCad is good and cheap, and if you look hard you can still find free versions.

Rhinoceros is a brilliant intuitive 3D CAD package; reasonably priced; and you can get a trial version which allows you to save a limited number of times before you have to cough up ($s). I have done a few drawings then a screen capture without saving. I would hope that Rhino approve of this practice because it's a good way of spreading the word: and the price is very reasonable if you want to save the source files.

I supposed to say creo and grabCAD are the best CAD softwares. Look at this thread, it will clear your thoughts more..

I think you copied the wrong URL: that's a thread about kitchen remodelling.

Hi Randall,

I understand you're using TurboCad, reason- cheap price for you. But you know for me AutoCAD, Solidworks, CATIA etc are friendly for me and I'm getting lot of advance feature also. I believe we should think about features, not about cheap price. Find here all best CAD software.

I use AutoCAD at work. In my opinion AutoCAD is to other cad packages what Word is to other word processors, the worst and the most expensive.

Just my opinion.

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Now that's a loaded question. I've been using CAD programs for about as long as they have been around. The main programs I have used have been Intergraph on a mainframe (MicroStation on a PC), and AutoCad on PCs. There are a number of addon applications for each. From there it really depends on the application. The following is a very short list of questions that should be asked:

Do you want to draw in 2D or 3D?

Are you drawing parts like gears? Will the drawings interface with CAD/CAM machines?

Are drawing HVAC systems for buildings? Do you share drawings with Architects?

Area you doing presentation drawings? Are you going to render them into a picture? How good do you want to do the rendering?

Are you designing or drawing?

To me mechanical engineering means something different to someone else.

Are you sharing the information with other diciplines?

There are CAD systems that are more than a drawing tool. AutoCAD is not just a drawing tool. It is really a database program with a graphical interface. That's why it's so easy to customize.

I use SolidEdge at work, but don't care for it a lot. I think SolidWorks is better. For 2-D work, I have CADopia. It's a very good clone of AutoCAD at a small fraction of the cost. It comes in several versions, the more expensive working well in 3-D. The 2-D that I have is used by SolidWorks for it's 2-D package.

AutoCAD is OK, but is still heavily oriented toward architectural use. It's main benefit now is the enormous user base.

It all depends on what you want to do: (as mentioned by others already)

Are you going to design a product made from shaped sheetmetal (cars, planes, boats,...) you can seriously go for Cadam/Catia and all successors/predesessors.

Is the final product build up with injection moulding: ProEngineer is a good one.

But are you building machines, solidworks can be the one to go for.

A good CAD package has much interfacing capabilities and knows how to handle extrenal processing of data like FEA, it can do the pre and post processing of it's own geometry. I know that Cadam/Catia and ProE do this very well. (spot weld and injection flow analysis are good examples of the internal/extrenal processing capabilities)

Like the man says, it depends on what you want to do. I personally use a 2D version of DesignCad for two reasons. One it is cheap (about $100) and it is easy to learn compared to the high end stuff.

Microsoft paint by far. I is completely free form so you are not bogged down by pre-set solids. If you need a texture just create one save as a bmp and paste it into another drawing. Bam, that simple.

The biggest con of any CAD package is that you are bound by the packages pre-set idea of how to engineer, Microsoft paint escapes that.

Wow. I'd like to see some of your drawings.

Could you give us the block count?

What about the structural calculations, do they also run out of paint?

Your approach of the problem is exactly what is going wrong in many projects: The engineers drawing unconstructable things.

A decent package adapted to what you want to do would have prohibited or at least warned.

CAD must ease your life, not just adding another layer of complexity to it.

HEY LET ME TELL U SOMETHING SERIOUS ABOUT CAD SOFTWARES B'COS ACCORDING TO MY WORK KNOWLEDGE ANY CAD SOFTWARE WHICH SUPPORTS 3D-MODELLING, 2D-DRAFTING, ASSEMBLYING, MANUFACTURING & ANALYSIS IS CONSIDERED AS THE BEST MECHANICAL DESIGN SOFTWARE BUT U HAV SPECIALISED SOFTWARES FOR EVERY MODULES FOR EG- SOFTWARES LIKE NASTRAN, ANSYS R SPECIALLY MENT FOR ANALYSIS PUPOSE ONLY. JUST LIKE THAT U HAVE S0LIDWORKS WHICH SPECIALLY MENT FOR 3D-MODELLING BUT THERE IS NO MANUFACTURING FEASIBILY TOOLS AVAILABLE. IN THIS CONDITION THE 3D MODEL DEVELOPED USING SOLIDWORKS WILL B TAKEN TO ANOTHER SOFTWARE WHICH IS SPECIALISED FOR MANUFACTURING. SO THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE HOW A DESIGN IS BEING MANUFACTURED........SOFTWARES LIKE CATIA, UNIGRAPHICS U CAN PERFORM 3D-MODELLING, ASSEMBLING, 2D-DRAFTING, MANUFACTURING & ANALYSIS BUT THESE HAVE SOME FEW PROBLEMS ON ANALYSIS & MANUFACTURING.........IF U TAKE CATIA IT DOES NOT HAVE BETTER MANUFACTURING AND ANALYSIS I MEAN NOT AS GOOD AS THE SPECIALISED SOFTWARES WHICH IS MENT FOR ANALYSIS & MANUFACTURING BUT IT IS BEST SOFTWARE FOR SURFACE DESIGN, 3D-MODELLING & U HAVE MANY MODULES LIKE PROCESS PLANNING, STRUCTURAL DESIGN ETC...... AND IF U TAKE UP UNIGRAPHICS I THINK ITS GONNA BREAK UP THE BARRIERS OF ALL CAD SOFTWARES IT HAS GOT EVERYTHING IN ITS BEST WAY.......BUT U DONT HAVE BETTER ANALYSIS IN IT ....BUT IT IS SURE IN THE FUTURE I WILL OVER COME ALL CONSTRAINS & DRAW BACKS .......THE MAIN THINK ABOUT UNIGRAPHICS IS.. IT HAS THE BEST MANUFACTURING TOOLS ...SO THERE IS NO NEED OF BUYING A SEPERATE CAM SOFTWARE......UNIGRAPHICS IS ALMOST THE MIXTURE OF ALL SOFTWARES LIKE AUTOCADD, CATIA, PRO-E, SOLIDWORKS ETC......BUT IT IS NOT USER FRIENDLY .......CATIA IS ONE OF LEADING SOFTWARES IN AERONAUTICAL INDUSTRY BUT RIGHT NOW MANY COMPANIES HAV REPLACED CATIA TO UNIGRAPHICS FOR ITS BEST MANUFACTURING AND OTHER STUFFS...DONT THINK THAT I AM A BIG FAN OF UNIGRAPHICS ......I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW TO WORK ON UNIGRAPHICS .......I JUST CAME TO KNOW ABOUT ALL THIS THINGS ONLY BY 2 YEARS OF WORK EXPERIENCE AS DESIGN ENGINEER ....I HOPE MY COMMENTS WOULD HAV HELPED U IN SOME WAY.............SENT IN UR FEED BACKS TO MY MAIL ID- SR.5S@IN.COM

Hi

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