Draftsight - not for free anymore, old versions will stop working, subscription

[Warhawk]

Sad news but hey, this is the 21st f***ing century. Software ownership = zero. Subscription only.

https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/230270

It was too good to be true anyway. However, killing old versions is rather fuckup. 

Would be happy if somebody recommended multiplatform (linux+windows) 2D cad for hobby use.

[Smokey]

Well that sucks. 
I was always speculating that the solidworks guys were only giving away draftsight to deter people from using Autocad for 2D and by association Fusion360 for 3D but now that Autodesk one-upped them by having a "free" version of the real deal 3D package there isn't much motivation to continue to give away draftsight.

Wonder if this means a new "free" version of solidworks will be coming eventually?

[ataradov]

They were "killing" old versions after the new ones came out anyway long before that. I always assumed that this will happen ans some point.

[voltsandjolts]

SolidEdge 2D works well and is free with registration.

[Warhawk]

SolidEdge 2D works well and is free with registration.

But for how long? Does it check the licence against the internet?

[voltsandjolts]

IIRC the license expires after a year.

I renewed it twice, then after a sales call from them (when i explained I'm an electronics dude and not gonna buy any 3D) they kindly gave me a perpetual license.

The license is a file you save to a particular directory. AFAIK it doesn't need internet connection.

[Warhawk]

Thanks but I am not interested in any software which checks activation or a licence against vendor's servers. I mean - not anymore.

[IanJ]

Yep, been using Draftsight for a couple years, got the email the other day saying free copy will end at year end........Can't complain really, it was FREE!.........my tool chain will just have to change accordingly.

Ian.

[rfporter]

With the December 31st expiration date quickly approaching, I decided to look around for some free alternatives to Draftsight.

I've settled on NanoCAD: https://nanocad.com/products/nanoCAD/
They offer a free version. It supports DWG format and has a very familiar and intuitive UI. I worry though that in a couple years I will be in the same boat again if they decide to go subscription only.

I also tried LibreCAD, which is FOSS but feels a little under-developed at the moment. Too bad its not getting as much love and attention as kiCAD yet. My main gripe is that the autosnap features are quite basic. They recommend snap to grid if you want to make straight lines. I can't remember that last time I enabled snap to grid in Draftsight. I found that I needed to resort to the command line often and perform mental math to get my end points right.

Has anyone else tried these programs? What 2D CAD software do you plan to switch to for your hobby projects?

[Gyro]

I've switched to QCAD at the moment. No DWG support on the free version though.

A9CAD has DWG support and a very simple UI.

[rfporter]

QCAD does look like a good option for hobby use. The paid version is affordable and supports DWG. Their autosnap is a bit better than LibreCAD. Still not as familiar as nanoCAD though.

[Warhawk]

As mentioned in the other thread I switched to old Autocad (98LT and 2000LT) which I happen to have a legal license for. You may get a license from eBay cheap. It is legal at least in the EU. It works under wine and it is enough for my hobby use.