Blender CAD

[pkastagehand]

Anyone downloaded and tried Blender? Just looking at some Youtube videos. Looks pretty amazing, but also looks like it could be quite a steep learning curve. It is another open source "project" CAD as is FreeCad.

Paul

 

[dman]

Anyone downloaded and tried Blender? Just looking at some Youtube videos. Looks pretty amazing, but also looks like it could be quite a steep learning curve. It is another open source "project" CAD as is FreeCad.

Paul

blender started a few years ago as a program for rendering highly detailed models and animations. i tried it back then and never really learned anything in it. it does amazing renderings if you know how but it's more of an artists program than a modelers or machinists. it has support for a lot of things you may never really need in cad like textures and light sources. it may even do true ray tracing.. but i am aware they have a cad plugin or version. just haven't tried it. i have free cad, it works. there are a few things that are annoying and stuff i haven't figured out how to use but it seems to be a nice program. not my first suggestion for a beginner but is fully functional.

 

[pkastagehand]

I have Ubuntu version of Freecad which I haven't spent much time with yet. I have Vectorworks at work and have used it for years so that is how I do most all of my drawing or modeling work. But I keep looking for cheap/free options for after retiring (whenever that may happen) since I won't want to deploy the dollars for Vectorworks.

Are there good tutorials for Freecad in written form? I find a lot of the video tutorials are nearly useless as they assume too much (like some prior familiarity of the menus, etc. or that I can see what they are clicking on in the small screen views.)

 

[dman]

i don't really know of any. i learned a lot in auto cad back in high school and have worked with mastercam and feature cam... it's about knowing more than one way to do something efficiently and if it doesn't work one way you are used to, try something else to develope a style with the software you are using... i don't use cad enough these days to give too many pointers in free cad. i just haven't gotten it down because i haven't had a big need for it.

 

[RichD]

I have the Ubuntu FreeCad version too, but haven't been able to use it due to my video system is not modern enough to support it. I normally use an old DOS version of AutoCad ver 11 running in DOSBOX within Linux.

Eventually I'll upgrade my video card and learn to use FreeCad. It looks promising.
Rich

 

[ausdier]

CAD Blender ??? Rof}

 

[rythmnbls]

Some CAD orientated blender tutorials.

http://www.rab3d.com/tut_blender.php

Steve.

 

[BaronJ]

Blender is very good at what it was originally intended for. As the picture shows. I currently have Qcad and Draftsight, both free although both have paid for versions. Of the two I find Qcad a little easier to use, but both have various odd quirks. Qcad has an excellent user manual where things are easy to find. Draftsight's manual I find quite terse by comparison.

Most will guess that I am a Linux user but both these programs run on Windows and Macintosh as well and can interchange files as required. One advantage of having these programs is they can read and allow you to print DFX and DRG drawings found on the net.

 

[rythmnbls]

Another linux user here

Librecad is another good CAD package. I believe it is a fork of QCAD. http://www.librecad.org

Steve.

 

[BaronJ]

Another linux user here

Librecad is another good CAD package. I believe it is a fork of QCAD. http://www.librecad.org

Steve.

Hi Steve,
Nice to meet another Linux user. I'm currently running "PCLinuxOS" with the "Trinity" desktop. I also run "Open Suse" on a laptop. I hate KDE4 and am waiting for the "Trinity R14" to be released then will put that on the laptop as well.

Thanks ! "librecad" is a new one for me. Not heard of that one. Will have a look at it.