High end CAD software for cheap (And legal too!)

[Durandal]

Just in case anyone didn't know, most of the high end CAD/CAE packages are available for cheap to anyone enrolled in a accredited program, so if you or anyone you know is currently in school majoring in engineering you could get Catia, NX, Solidworks or Solidedge each for less than $200/year.

Solid Edge is free!

http://academy.3ds.com/software/student ... rkbenches/
http://www.journeyed.com/item/Siemens/NX+/1557742
http://www.novedge.com/products/2928?AF ... MgodBHUAjQ
https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/ ... wnload.cfm?

Get $85000 of software for less than those architectural suites cost.

Note, these licenses are for non-commercial purposes, but as long as you don't start flooding the market with parts made in them you should be good.

[geneb]

I'd go with Inventor - AutoDesk doesn't play those stupid "one year license" games. Their product development suite covers AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical, Inventor, and a pile of other AutoDesk products. Perpetual license, single machine install and is $150 for educational pricing.

g.

[kbob]

A semester's tuition at most state schools is cheaper than most of these packages. Why not enroll and get yourself an engineering degree along with your CAD software? (-:

It's a joke, but I very nearly used it as rationalization for going back to school a couple of years ago. But I decided I was learning enough on my own.

[JohnStack]

Anyone try Solid edge yet? I'm liking QCAD and 123dsign for quick stuff. QCAD lacks real great 3D but it's ok.

[Flateric]

I like the approach of modellers such as Bonzia3D (formZ little brother), skip into about 2 mins in on this video too see what I mean for easy of creating objects.

http://youtu.be/KrVL_5cJd5s?t=1m39s (I have linked to the begining of the easy modelling part of the video for ya. Skipping the begining)

The STL files from this program are super clean and free from errors, unlike many modellers.

Has a 30 day free trial that is fully functional. MAC and Windoze versions as well.

Here is a very useful link that has a well sorted list and links to many stl producing packages.

http://www.digits2widgets.com/3dprintingsoftware.html

[Durandal]

Anyone try Solid edge yet? I'm liking QCAD and 123dsign for quick stuff. QCAD lacks real great 3D but it's ok.

John, I don't have any first hand experience with Solid Edge, but it's built on the same Siemens 3D modeling kernel as Solidworks, MasterCAM, GibbsCAM and UG/NX, so you can feel confident that it produces crisp clean parametric geometry every time. It's STL export algorithms are probably comparable to UG/NX since they're from the same company, and everything that I've built in NX and exported to STL is error free.

[Durandal]

Well, I downloaded Solid Edge and have watched a few tutorials, haven't really played with it at all yet, but soon, soon.

[edward]

I feel that FreeCAD doesn't get enough love. http://www.freecadweb.org

I was tought 3D modeling on Catia, then moved to Pro Engineer, which is my current pick. I've used Solidworks and have never really liked Autodesk software. I *cannot* understand why the community thought that OpenSCAD was a good idea for non-engineers to do CAD.

I find that more and more I use FreeCAD instead of messing around with my Windows-in-a-VM to run ProEngineer. Well, for single part designs, that is. FreeCAD's assembly module is currently in development and should take its functionality through the roof when included. Also, FreeCAD does an excellent job of importing STL files and converting them into useful solids that can be modified, which highlights another huge failure of the early 3D printing community: picking a file type that is inherently un-editable.

Plus, did I mention it is totally and completely, 100%, free?!

[Batteau62]

I have been using Inventor Fusion, available on the app store for Mac and now I think you can grab it on this link for windows: http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/fusion The Technology preview has ended, it looks like the Windows version is available for free also.

[carolynwilson706]

What you have posted here is an additional input to me, you can also try ArchiCAD it's also great and useful to any architecture.

[Durandal]

While just about any CAD will get you going, nothing can really beat out a good mechanical part design suite for making good, clean and accurate models needed for small part design, so I don't know who would pay for architectural CAD packages when FreeCAD is free and powerful.

In other news, Solid Edge is pretty awesome, the drag and drop extrusions are at once intuitive and kinda confusing for an NX user who's used to opening my extrude command and then typing or dragging my arrows to place. With the school year in full swing I haven't had much time to play with it though.

[jmick]

Why not get a better one for free: http://www.designspark.com/eng/tutorial ... activation

[jmick]

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Z9K6mtnV2Q


This is an awesome CAD 3D does everything DesignSpark Mechanical

[jmick]

Now watch the best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Z9K6mtnV2Q

[geneb]

While I can appreciate your enthusiasm jmick, there's no need to keep posting the same video link.

g.

[teoman]

I am hunting for software for mac. I just tried fusion and sketchup. I find that once i draw a circle or such theere is no way to edit it afterwards. Or atleast not in an evident way.

[teoman]

Thanks for free cad!

I have been using it for only 15 minutes now, and i have gotten further than sketchup. I don't feel so mentally constipated using it.

[heathenx]

I am hunting for software for mac. I just tried fusion and sketchup. I find that once i draw a circle or such theere is no way to edit it afterwards. Or atleast not in an evident way.

Fusion 360 keeps a history stack if you turn it on. I think it's the little gear icon in the lower right of the screen while you are in model mode.