3D CAD software that does not break the bank

[Simon]

At work I use solid edge, but it's expensive (and I hate it). Is there cheapish software out there that is any good ? I don't mind spending a few hundred pounds but I don't want to get bitten. I'm having a little look at Turbo CAd at the moment.

[xygor]

I've had good results with VariCAD.  US$660.

[Farley]

Onshape is subscription based software. I think they have a free version, probably with some limitations. Supposedly started by one of the original founders of SolidWorks. I don't have any personal experience with it.
https://www.onshape.com/

This one used to be called Alibre and used to be around $500-$1000 for a license. They don't show pricing on their website so no idea what it's going for now.
http://www.geomagic.com/en/products/design/overview/

[janoc]

FreeCAD: http://freecadweb.org/

Or Fusion360: non-commercial free otherwise subscription based, but cloud-only storage: http://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

There is also DesignSpark Mechanical:
http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/page/mechanical (never used it)

And for really basic stuff (mostly 3d printing, "maker-oriented") 123Design
http://www.123dapp.com/design

However, if you are not using Windows, you are mostly going to be screwed. Apart from FreeCAD few support anything else ...

[awde]

Autodesk Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists and it includes a decent CAM if you need it. It has cloud based storage but there are still decent amount of export options. They seem to update it also quite often. Onshape may also be worth considering.
If you are student you can also download Solid Edge academic, which has all the features, but you can't open files with paid Solid Edge.

[0xdeadbeef]

There's a free version of PTC Creo Elements.
Even though I never used 3D CAD before, I kinda successfully designed a 3D printed case with it by importing layers from a 2D CAD tool (QCAD), extruding and merging them.

[Mechanical Menace]

If you're happy coding your models openscad is great. Especially if you like parametric CAD packages.

I know some who use Blender but I personally find it the wrong tool for the job.

[Brumby]

While I have TurboCAD (TurboCAD Professional v19 - Platinum Edition - 64bit), I'm probably not the best to offer an opinion because I do not use it frequently and do not use many of the features.  I certainly have not pushed any boundaries.  Also, I have never used any other CAD product worth mentioning to offer any comparisons.

But here is my 2 cents' worth...

My chief issue is one of learning - not on basic drawing (I aced TD all through high school) - but on what features and tools I needed to achieve the results I wanted as well as (among other things) the intricacies of solids (ACIS and others) which, being self-taught, has been a challenge.  Having said that, I found the UI okay and I have been able to achieve some acceptable results.

One creation has been a gazebo designed to fit in with the target terrain, of which I was able to produce a 'fly around and walk through' animation using the AnimationLab plug in (extra cost).  My computer is a bit old (AMD2+) and not specced for workstation tasks, so rendering requires patience - but comparing my machine's performance to what's current indicates the software isn't too shabby.  (Again, this is subjective opinion without external reference points.)

I have not ventured into ANY engineering analysis, so I cannot offer any comment there.

My chief reason for running with TurboCAD was also one of cost when getting into something serious in the way of CAD software.  As a personal expense, it was still a bit steep, but now the pain of that has faded, I'm happy with what I have - software wise.


If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them if I can.

[Aodhan145]

If anybody is a student all the autodesk software is free.
http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

[daqq]

VariCAD is nice.

Also, this looks nice: http://store.steampowered.com/app/304970/

[jeroen74]

A few days ago at work I tried FreeCAD 0.15 to design a milled casing for an project, my first attempt at 3D design. I gave up on FreeCAD, it is simply still too immature to be usable, although I do like it. However, it does an excellent job of converting STEP files to VRML for DipTrace.

So I gave Siemens NX a try, which is what the two mechanical engineers use; one happened to have a few days off so I could use that computer. Unsurprisingly it's much better, and despite it being a very big program I was able to design something basic in no time. For what I wanted to design it has basically the same workflow as FreeCAD: draw a sketch, constrain it, extrude and that repeated a few times.

[Simon]

Your right, freeCAd is a disaster, I just can't hack it and to compare itself to the solid edge I use shows how deluded some people are. I am sure it will get better but likie all open source software it takes time and lots of peoples free time.

I tried varicad and could not make head nor tail of it. PTC seems interesting, I have been playing with it for the last few minutes and it's a lot like solid edge, I may give it a go.

Solid edge is owned by siemens and well, It's the best thing I've used yet but i hate their attitude, it's expensive and when you look at the improvements from one version to another it make you wonder why bother to have a maintenance license. They have decided that their syncronous modellling is the best and only thing to use and ram it down the throats of new users trying to sway them away from the history based "ordered" modeling environment. Yet every time i use syncronouse it give me a right kick up the arse at the very end. Of course the company that sell it to us in the UK refuse to admit that it cannot do what we reasonably expect of it.

[janoc]

Simon, before you call something a "disaster", you better consider the price tag. You are comparing Solid Edge (a direct Catia competitor), a $5k/seat + annual subscription software with something done by a bunch of enthusiasts in their free time. In that context it is rather unfair - like saying that because a bicycle doesn't come with all amenities of a private jet it is an unusable disaster. Both have their place and market niches. FYI, I was able to use FreeCAD to design some widgets for 3D printing with no major hassle, so at least the basics are certainly working.

VariCAD detto, that's a ~$200/seat class software, if I remember right.

You are certainly entitled to have issues with the functionality or workflow, but keep it in context, please.

 

[PChi]

I have used SKetchUp Make for designing a couple of simple folded aluminium cases. What capabilities are you looking for?

[Simon]

Simon, before you call something a "disaster", you better consider the price tag. You are comparing Solid Edge (a direct Catia competitor), a $5k/seat + annual subscription software with something done by a bunch of enthusiasts in their free time. In that context it is rather unfair - like saying that because a bicycle doesn't come with all amenities of a private jet it is an unusable disaster. Both have their place and market niches. FYI, I was able to use FreeCAD to design some widgets for 3D printing with no major hassle, so at least the basics are certainly working.

VariCAD detto, that's a ~$200/seat class software, if I remember right.

You are certainly entitled to have issues with the functionality or workflow, but keep it in context, please.

As i said I am sure it will get better with time but as it stands now it is unusable as it lacks a number of things. A functionality i was expecting is missing and was expected to be released in version 0.14, it is now at version 0.15.... As I said I'm sure it will get there but I need something now.

I am not sure how the price tag relates to the work flow or user interface, I expect both of those are down to the preference of the developers, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And for all solid edge costs we find bugs in it regularly, their syncronous environment while great for creating can leave you screwed when you need to edit.

[janoc]

As i said I am sure it will get better with time but as it stands now it is unusable as it lacks a number of things. A functionality i was expecting is missing and was expected to be released in version 0.14, it is now at version 0.15.... As I said I'm sure it will get there but I need something now.

Out of curiosity - what are you missing? I was mostly fighting with the sketcher, but the workflow in 0.15 is better than in 0.14.

I am not sure how the price tag relates to the work flow or user interface, I expect both of those are down to the preference of the developers, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And for all solid edge costs we find bugs in it regularly, their syncronous environment while great for creating can leave you screwed when you need to edit.

Well, the price tag is the difference between whether I am willing to cut the software some slack or not. E.g. when FreeCAD crashed on me, losing my last 30 minutes of work in the process, I was pissed, but certainly less pissed when the same happened with the commercial Fusion360 made by Autodesk. Or when my colleagues are regularly losing work due to bugs in 3D Studio Max (OK, not CAD, but also made by Autodesk). That's something I can take in stride in software that is free but is not acceptable in an expensive commercial product.

[Simon]

I wanted to create a sketch on a parallel plane, but you can't make a parallel plane or if you can you can't use it as the basis of a feature.

I have had solid edge just encounter an error and crash more times than I want to remember, never mind it just not being able to do what it is supposed to do.

[janoc]

I wanted to create a sketch on a parallel plane, but you can't make a parallel plane or if you can you can't use it as the basis of a feature.

I have had solid edge just encounter an error and crash more times than I want to remember, never mind it just not being able to do what it is supposed to do.

I think that if you want to sketch on a plane parallel to some other feature, you will need to create a helper object (e.g. a cube) and then sketch on it. I haven't found a way to make an offset plane for sketching otherwise, unless your plane is parallel with one of the major planes (XY, YZ, XZ) - there you can specify the offset distance when creating the sketch.

The other option is to sketch directly in the original plane and apply offset to the resulting part - in the Part workspace, there is an Offset utility.

I have seen this feature in Fusion360, but even there it is rather unpredictable in what it does and where the sketch will be actually created. However, that could be because of the UI there that is rather inconsistent. 

[Simon]

I can do a parallel sketch but it can't be used as the basis for an extrusion. The environment is basically still rather under developed and they did say on their forum that it is something they are addressing.

[Simon]

Many software allow 2 installations for 1 license file, one at home and one at work. Is it possible to install a second copy on your home PC?

Are you refering to solid edge ? if so no, siemens are bastards, regular licenses are locked to the machine, you can pay more for a floating lisence that will only work in your own region or has to be checked out because for even more money you can get a a global floating license that can be used anywhere in the world. I think my employer may be looking into this as we now own a small company in america so we can effectively share one licences because while one of us sleeps the other uses it.

[Robaroni]

My take is the bottom line with all this stuff is learning curves.
You don't just invest in a program in cost you invest your time. Doesn't matter what program you're talking about but EDA's and 3D drafting have a steeper curve than most of the other programs I use. You may get in the door cheap but you may also regret it down the road. That's what happened to me with Eagle. I went from Protel (CircuitMaker not the new Altium version) to Eagle when CM got sold to Altium. I've always found Eagle a cumbersome program but I kept digging along with it and using my old Protel simulator which was quite good actually. Trouble is you have to learn a program to know if you like it, you just can't do it from a demo, you have to get into the trenches. Sending out boards, making models, the libraries, no simulator, etc. were all a pain in Eagle.
Finally I spent a couple of bucks for Labcenter's Proteus with advanced simulation. Mostly I like it a lot more (you'll rarely if ever completely love a program). sending out boards are a snap, it has every output known to man. Making models is much easier and I really like the simulator. Routing tracks still needs some work but it's getting better.

I use TurboCAD and have for a very long time. I stopped buying it at 11.2 when I got a stable version (11.0 was a buggy disaster!) It works pretty well and I've learned the program but I know there are a lot better ones out there (well, maybe the latest version is good) but it does what I need. If I was an architect I wouldn't likely use it but I got the first version cheap so here I am. Not great but, again, I know the program.
So bottom line is that price alone is a poor way to go and 5 years down the road you may hate this el cheapo program but you're invested time to learn it and time is money too so keep that in mind. Go on the sites forums and see what people are complaining about , how many work arounds, etc the need to use, how responsive the community is ( Eagle is good that way a really heavy community)
Rob

[Simon]

The upshot is that at home as my own business I do electronic design (I'll be using kicad having breached the boundry of the library mess it's still in - I gave up on diptrace). I don't usually do mechanical stuff. Having the ability to do some mechanical stuff would be a good idea, say for enclosures and to help customers with solutions that involve my kit and help me get it in. So I won't be spending hours using it like I do at the day job but I'd like something that works. I don't have a budget for something like solid edge but something I can get into easily would be nice.

[HighVoltage]

I see more and more Rhinoceros at some businesses.
It seems to be low cost and really good.
But I do not have any experience with it.


https://www.rhino3d.com/

[Robaroni]

The upshot is that at home as my own business I do electronic design (I'll be using kicad having breached the boundry of the library mess it's still in - I gave up on diptrace). I don't usually do mechanical stuff. Having the ability to do some mechanical stuff would be a good idea, say for enclosures and to help customers with solutions that involve my kit and help me get it in. So I won't be spending hours using it like I do at the day job but I'd like something that works. I don't have a budget for something like solid edge but something I can get into easily would be nice.

I have a machine shop along with my electronics lab but I often use the CAD's to design face plates for designs. Now Proteus let's us import CAD which I haven't implemented yet but I think it will enable me to do some nice complete packages.
Rob

[Simon]

Well I'd work the other way around and export the board as a 3D and import it into a 3D cad package. Use the right program for the right job

[janoc]

The upshot is that at home as my own business I do electronic design (I'll be using kicad having breached the boundry of the library mess it's still in - I gave up on diptrace). I don't usually do mechanical stuff. Having the ability to do some mechanical stuff would be a good idea, say for enclosures and to help customers with solutions that involve my kit and help me get it in. So I won't be spending hours using it like I do at the day job but I'd like something that works. I don't have a budget for something like solid edge but something I can get into easily would be nice.

Well, if you are in Windows and don't want to spend big bucks on stuff like SolidWorks, give a shot to Fusion360 or the DesignSpark Mechanical. I have been playing with Fusion360  a bit and for a hobbyist it is okay-ish (free, but all storage is in cloud). For commercial use you may have to buy a subscription, but it wasn't very expensive from what I have seen. The cloud-only thing is a disadvantage, on the other hand, you get frequent updates with significant new functionality. The development is certainly faster than with FreeCAD. E.g. the last update brought in integration with McMaster-Carr so you can directly import their parts and build on them. Saves a lot of time.   

I am using FreeCAD for simple things I need quickly for my 3D printer in Linux. When I need something really complicated, then I reboot and change over to Fusion360.

[VinzC]

I don't use 3D CAD software and I have only lightly followed the story of free and open source CAD software. I only know this field is «under-loved» (!quotes) because it lacks contributors — let alone the open source CAD library issues across the proprietary Autodesk DWG file format.

I also happen to know of BRL-CAD, which seems to be one of the most advanced (among the few existing, of course) software. Quoting them:

For more than 20 years, BRL-CAD has been the primary tri-service solid modeling CAD system used by the U.S. military to model weapons systems for vulnerability and lethality analyses. The solid modeling system is frequently used in a wide range of military, academic, and industrial applications including in the design and analysis of vehicles, mechanical parts, and architecture. The package has also been used in radiation dose planning, medical visualization, computer graphics education, CSG concepts and modeling education, and system performance benchmark testing among other purposes.

So the latter might be of interest.

[Simon]

Well fusion 3D finally looks like something I am familiar with and may be free for students and startups and companies turning over less than 100K (I am all 3).

i will have a look at BRL cad as well.

[Robaroni]

Well I'd work the other way around and export the board as a 3D and import it into a 3D cad package. Use the right program for the right job

It does that too.

[Emil]

Well fusion 3D finally looks like something I am familiar with and may be free for students and startups and companies turning over less than 100K (I am all 3).

Free for perosnal use too, don't need to be a student or a startup.

It also has nice CAM features.