Suggest a CAD

[scottyhazzard]

Advise me please. I am trying to determine what would be the easiest CAD software to learn, function on a Mac yet be useful to send to CNC machine shops and get accurate quotes and make flashlight parts. Very limiting factor is my budget. So what can a noob with very limited budget, high school drafting education (23 yrs ago) realistically use on a Mac and interact with the real machining world?

 

[PeterH]

I use qcad community edition on linux myself. Looks like it works on mac if you're up to compiling from source, http://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?t=1447

 

[scottyhazzard]

Thanks, I'm not much of a compiler. Key for me is easy to learn and can export in solidworks or other format used by Firstcut.

 

[fyrstormer]

http://blog.cometdocs.com/10-great-free-alternatives-to-autocad

 

[scottyhazzard]

Thanks, Fyrstormer. That's a bunch of sights and programs to experiment with! Free is right on budget. Much appreciated. The google cad program is pretty but the challenges I'm having that program make's me feel like an old man trying to figure it out. They say it's easy... Maybe if I already had some cad certification/ training already.

 

[Mattaus]

I was going to suggest SketchUp. I taught myself to use it so it has to be easy Lol. NFI how good it is for sending to machining companies though as I always send 2D drawings I do in Visio.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[subwoofer]

I'm using DraftSight after finding a lot of positive reviews for this. On CAD forums it seems to be the best regarded free package and the most powerful. It needs a decent computer though as I've had it run like a dog on one machine and fine on another.

 

[SemiMan]

I'm using DraftSight after finding a lot of positive reviews for this. On CAD forums it seems to be the best regarded free package and the most powerful. It needs a decent computer though as I've had it run like a dog on one machine and fine on another.

I use DraftSight for 2D CAD as well. It does most of what AutoCAD does in 2D.

Not sure what is out there is anything for tolerable 3D CAD which would be nice for CNC.

 

[scottyhazzard]

Thanks guys! DraftSight and Visio, will play with those next. Mattaus, of course you taught yourself sketchup! I already thought you were sharp, that's just another quantification of how smart.

 

[Mattaus]

Thanks guys! DraftSight and Visio, will play with those next. Mattaus, of course you taught yourself sketchup! I already thought you were sharp, that's just another quantification of how smart.

Plenty of swearing and Googling was involved!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2