Mechanical drawing/drafting programs

I down loaded DoubleCAD XT the other day. It looks like AutoCad. Haven't had a chance to use it much. It's free. Looks OK.

I've played with Cadstd too. I'll go with DoubleCAD myself. But, I'm just a casual AutoCAD LT user at work.

Maybe the experts have opinions too.

What are you doing with it?

Relatively simple 2D drawings with dimensions. Lines, circles, arcs, etc.

My first project may be a part that I need for a WW2 OCD trailer pump that looks like a very large Belleville washer--4" diameter, 7/16" thick, no center hole. So, side view would have lines and arcs. Plus the dimensions and notes.

You might want to also look at the free Google sketchup for illustrating your device. It works with lines and surfaces instead of extrusions, but it makes it easy to rotate, position and duplicate your part.

DoubleCAD has been the solution I find most compatible with my needs...Price is right, as well.

This is a free Autocad LT clone http://download773.mediafire.com/igz9zcxxxsog/22sjihtvd1n/PCADLT2006.EXE

Do a google on Allycad, they have a free version and the only restriction is on the design file size. It includes bunch of tookits and a programmable macro language that is quite basic like. It is a south African company.

I recently downloaded doublecad. I have just experimented with it a little bit. I have used autocad lt for many years. It seems to be pretty good and comparable to the lt version of autocad, even with some better features. I downloaded it mainly to try for at home use and to be able to open newer versions of autocad drawings that my older autocad lt would not open. I can now open newer versions and save them down to work with my 2002 autocad lt version.

All mentioned, DoubleCAD it is good and Free!.

Solid Edge draft is free you just register but they do not bother you and it is the draft pkg. to it's 3D program. Also it is the easiest (user friendly) drafting by being able to click without typing

Just curious, if a person sent an AutoCad 14 dwg to a person with AutoCad LT (or Cadstd, or one of the others), would they be able to open it? Or visa versa?

ACad 14 to ACad LT - very probably, if LT is a newer year/version

ACad LT to ACad 14 - unlikely, Autocad stuff is never backward compatible

Many many other cad programs can open AutoCad dwg files. Not all others will export dwg files for opening in AutoCad.

DXF format is usually the preferred transfer format in that case, and very often they are not backwards compatible.

Hooker

There is a free program out there called "TrueConvert" from Autodesk that works well to convert Autocad drawings from one version to another

Alibre;Truespace;brlcad;...;Why not Google Sketchup?

Try Delta Cad www.deltacad.com

It is about $40 and very powerful. We have been using for years very successfully. Easy to learn / master. Does about 95% or more of what AutoCad LT does for a fraction of the cost.

I have recommended to several others and they love it.

Try SolidWorks 3D

www.solidworks.com

VectorWorks is an excellent CAD program available for Mac + Windows OSs. Not free but very reasonably priced and a very shallow learning curve. Look here: http://www.nemetschek.net/

The basic package has all the capability you want + it is an integrated 2D - 3D environment - you draw an element in 2D and if you enter the Z component in the Layer definition it converts to 3D automatically. Believe me - you will want the 3D capability sooner than you think.

Does not have the machine design power of SolidWorks but you do not want that complexity or price.

Alibre is a 3d solid modeling CAD system that also does a good job of producing 2d drawings from the models parts.

I have used it for years and find that it is fast to learn and use and robust enough to keep expanding with your growing capabilities as an engineer/designer. Its not free, but it is very reasonable.

It is so very nice to simply download 3d models of the standard parts you want to spec. copy and past the cost and other data and draft your custom components out of solids or sheet stock and then assemble the whole thing electronically to debug the design without investing anything more in the design than the time it takes to create it.

I am a very happy customer.

Mr. Gee

Goggle Sketch up.

I have used autocad for 15plus years, started 3d work about 10yr ago. Sketch up is very intuitive and easier than acad.