Anyone who has worked with CAD will know just how integral the software is to various industries—ranging from architecture, to engineering and even gaming. CAD gives us the ability to create designs for a range of purposes, from electrical drawings to house plans. This high demand, however, has meant that professional CAD software has become very expensive—particularly for those who just enjoy CAD as a hobby, and therefore don’t want to commit to an expensive package (for instance, this is ). With that in mind, Scan2CAD has created a list of the top 14 CAD freeware packages, so you can enjoy CAD without having to spend a single penny. We’ve included operating systems, supported file types and even a list of extra packages that didn’t quite make the list. Read on We’ve separated this list into two sections:. Image Source: is a professional 2D design and drafting program that lets you create, edit and view any kind of 2D drawing.
It’s a rather simple and minimal program, so it’s easy to make the transition from another type of CAD application to DraftSight. The only requirement to use the program is to activate it via an email address.
This CAD freeware program does have an AutoCAD feel to it—in fact, it even uses AutoCAD’s native file format. It comes with a range of drafting tools to help you create professional plans, with a number of vector entities available including lines and polylines, dimensions, layering capabilities and text. Image Source: is a free, open-source application for CAD in 2D. It can be used to create technical drawings such as buildings, mechanical parts or diagrams.
The software was designed with modularity, extensibility and portability in mind, and it comes with an intuitive user interface. QCAD is simple to use, so you don’t necessarily need any CAD experience to start with QCAD immediately—which is a great advantage.
It also comes with a variety of useful features including layers, blocks, 35 CAD fonts and a library with over 4800 CAD parts. Image Source: is a 2D system, which is primarily most useful for people who are just starting out with CAD. It has no 3D and/or modeling capabilities, so you shouldn’t be expecting anything too complex. It’s essentially a system that is useful for creating plans and diagrams. That being said, some of its features are disabled in the free version, e.g. Layering and polylines.
To be able to do more, you would have to upgrade to the Plus or Pro version. So, if you’re looking to do serious, detailed work you might want to consider other software. Image Source: is a 3D modeling program that covers a range of applications such as architecture, interior design, civil engineering and even video game design. It comes with an open-source library of models and a 3D warehouse which is the world’s biggest library of free 3D models.
The software is incredibly easy to use, and the SketchUp website provides extra help with tutorials and videos. You can even customize your SketchUp with extensions, or by upgrading to SketchUp Pro.
If you’re interested in creating more advanced projects, you will have to upgrade to the Pro version, which gives you access to features like simulated film cameras and solid modeling tools. Image Source: is a force to recon with when it comes to making 3D modelling more accessible to the masses. If you’re not new to CAD, you’ve probably heard of the leading 3D modelling CAD software, OnShape was started by SolidWorks CEOs Jon Hirschtick and John McEleney, plus their founding team and they continue to carry the torch of SolidWorks’ innovation and quality. OnShape is unique to many other options in that it runs in your web browser. But don’t be fooled into thinking a browser-based solution is limited. The software boasts a list of enterprise-level manufacturing companies as users so if their features are enough for these companies it will likely be enough for most entry-level users.
Although OnShape offers a premium solution, they also offer a free plan with limited features, but be warned; everything you store in OnShape under the free plan is automatically open source. Image Source: is a 100% open sourced 3D parametric modeler. It’s predominantly aimed at mechanical engineering and product design users because its features are adapted to mechanical engineering. However, it can be used by anyone interested in creating 3D models—in fact, you don’t even need to have had any CAD experience to use the program comfortably. As with other 3D modelers, it does come with 2D components, but direct 2D drawing is not its focus.
It has a variety of features ranging from 3D solids, to support for meshes, to a robot simulation module that allows you to study robot movements. If you’re comfortable with, you’ll find FreeCAD easy to use. Operating System: Windows, Mac, Ubuntu File Formats: DAE, DXF, Fcstd, IFC, IGES, OBJ, OFF, NASTRAN, STEP, STL, SVG, VRML Interested? 8. Sweet Home 3D. Image Source: is a free interior design application that gives users the chance to draw floor plans, arrange furniture and look at the final results in 3D. Users can change color schemes, use models from the catalog and even create a movie of the 3D model to be exported to SVG. In addition, any changes made to the 2D plan are simultaneously reflected in a 3D view.
These models can then be looked at from an aerial view point, and from a virtual visitor view point. Operating System: Windows, Mac, Linux File Types: JPEG, OBJ, PDF, PNG, SVG Interested?
Open Source 3d Cad Mac Os X
Image Source: is a 3D design and 3D printing application. It’s used to create everything from toys, to prototypes, to home decor and even jewelry.
It’s a web-based application, so no downloads are necessary. It’s predominantly used for simple projects—it comes with 3 basic tools to create basic shapes. Its biggest advantage is that it can create 3D models for immediate 3D printing—with its CSG (Constructive Solid Geometry) feature, you can get a 3D model in 10 minutes! Users can design models from scratch, or use ready-made models. The application is limited, however, as it cannot be used for complex projects. Operating System: Browser-based File Formats: OBJ, STL Interested? Check it out!
Open Source 3d Cad Format
Image Source: is an intuitive, real-time 3D modeling and animation freeware program. It incorporates a drag-and-drop approach to 3D modeling.
It can create complex models from simple 3D primitives or by using its shape building tools. The program can also be used to create animated scenes, which can be viewed in real time and recorded to a video (AVI) file. While it has many capabilities, you might need to upgrade to 3DCrafter Plus or Pro for more advanced features. Operating System: Windows File Formats: 3DMF, AC, ASC, COB, DXF, GEO, LP, LWO, NFF, OBJ, MA, RAW, RBS, RWX, STL, VRMLL, XGL, ZGL Interested? Image Source: is a 3D modeling freeware program created by industry expert. It’s not a general-purpose drafting program; instead, it was designed for 3D sculpting.
It was created with the intention to be accessible for every type of artist—from beginner to expert. The program comes with a professional user interface, alongside two main navigation methods: right-click navigation and free moving navigation. Not only that, but it comes with a number of sculpting tools such as symmetry mode and dynamic tessellation. There’s also a variety of sculpting brushes that draw, grab, smooth and flatten. Needless to say, there’s a lot to take advantage of!
Operating System: Windows, Mac File Formats: OBJ Interested? Image Source: is a 3D modeling CAD freeware platform. Unlike most 3D modeling software, it doesn’t focus on the ‘artistic’ aspects of 3D modeling. Instead, it’s more suitable for creating 3D models of machine parts, and working as a 3D compiler that describes the object and renders a 3D model from a script file. It gives the designer full control over the modeling process to make designs that are designed by configurable parameters. However, while the software is very intuitive, it’s still too limited for complex projects—so you might have to go elsewhere if you want more advanced features.
Operating System: Windows, Mac, Linux, Ubuntu, Fedora File Formats: AMF, CSG, DXF, OFF, PNG, SCAD, STL, SVG Interested? Image Source: is a free and open-source 3D modeling program. It’s more of an artistic 3D modeling program than a general-use drafting program. It comes with a wide set of capabilities ranging from photo-realistic rendering, to fast modeling, to realistic materials.
Blender even allows designers to make use of an extensive animation toolset to turn still characters into animations. And if that wasn’t enough, the program also comes with simulation capabilities and video editing. While it is a steep learning curve with Blender, it is worth it. Operating System: Windows, Mac, Linux File Formats: 3DS, BVH, DAE, DFX, FBX, LWO, OBJ, PLY, STL, SVG, VRML/97, x, X3D Interested?
Image Source: is a CAD freeware program used for creating virtual LEGO models. While you might think that the software is geared towards children, you would be very wrong. This piece of software allows users to create anything from the simplest to the most complex of projects—the above screenshot is a model of the Tower Bridge with over 4,000 pieces! It comes with an intuitive interface, designed to make the process of creation easy and time-efficient. Plus, it comes with over 6,000 different pieces to create 3D models from—so there are no limits to what you can create! Obviously, the LEGO angle is very niche, but it’s perfect for those wanting to create something a little bit different. Operating System: Windows, Mac, Linux File Formats: LDR, DAT Interested? Honorable Mentions There’s a huge variety of CAD freeware available, so there are many that didn’t make our final list—but that certainly doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check them out!
Take a look at our list below for even more free software applications to take advantage of:. As an added bonus, the following 3 picks are only free for students—but they include some of the most well-known programs on the market:. I have a little exposure to SolidWorks so FreeCAD was attractive.
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However, I got an error message while editting preferences to change the units from mm to inches. Set a constraint distance to 23 (inches) and it might be displayed as 1.92 feet, or 7.67 yards.Maybe there is some other place to set the units. It froze or became non-responsive three times in 30 minutes. This was the stable, Windows 64 bit version 0.16.6712 on Windows 7. I also tried various version 0.17’s, on Linux and Windows. They have the same problems with inches.
The Linux version has an Assembly “workbench”, but it is just a placeholder with no functionality. The Windows 0.17 version doesn’t have this. At best, it will be a lot of you-tube tutorial watching and without assemblies, I won’t be able to see how things fit together, which to me is the real Aid in CAD.