Rathores blog

If you’re an engineer or a designer you know that some of the most important trade tools don’t come cheap.  Software programs in engineering are often readily available for free or for cheap online, but those programs using the CAD or Computer Aided Drafting technology are much harder to come by.  The possible reason for this is because creating a quality, industry-accepted, and versatile CAD product is so complicated.

There are, however, three free programs that use CAD and available for download.  These programs aren't cheap “layout design” knockoff versions of CAD – they are legitimate quality products developed by some of the major designers who sell commercial 3D CAD software.  The motivation for offering these great products for free is the hope that the user will decide to purchase the commercial software after trying out the free version.  Fortunately the companies offering these products aren't offering substandard snippets of a program to hook you.  The programs are actually really good quality.

The first free program is called IronCAD Compose.

Pluses:  this program allows the user to import files from other CAD programs for editing, 3D composites, rendering, and even animation. 

Minuses:  while it is a great program, it requires you to already have access to CAD files.

IronCAD Compose is specifically useful for the creation and presentation of 3D models that can be used as a sales piece or used within your own organization for training or partnering.  A drawing, for example, can be produced by one person and passed on to another who can then use the program to explore the assembly or product. 

The catch to the IronCAD Compose “free” deal is that it takes existing drawings and makes them viewable, editable, and printable, but the design aspect of the program is not accessible.  There are other aspects of the program that aren’t accessible using the free version with the hopes that the user will choose to purchase it after seeing all that it has to offer.  As a standalone product, however, IronCAD Compose is still a quality product.

The second free program is called AutoCAD Inventor Fusion. 

Pluses:  this program is offered by Autodesk – one of the leaders in CAD programs.  This program uses cutting edge technology and is being offered free of charge to draw interest from Autodesk’s current client base as well as its competitors’. 

Minuses:  this program is only free for a short period of time and also requires the user to have access to 3D CAD program files.  Inventor Fusion essentially takes 3D CAD files from a wide variety of formats and, in an incredibly user-friendly way, turns them into models to be used in planning and engineering.

The third free program is called Sold Edge

2D Drafting and is offered by Siemens and it is a solid good-quality 2D CAD program that is most useful in situations where a 3D model isn’t required.  Solid Edge has been an industry leader in mechanical drawing since it was developed by the space program in the 60’s.  Currently Siemens interests lie in selling 3D CAD programs.   They offer the 2D program for free hoping to gain the loyalty of users who would be paying competitors for similar programs.  Solid Edge is everything a designer or engineer would expect from a 2D drafting program.  It is compliant with a number of industry drafting standards and is compatible with other 2D and 3D CAD programs.

If you’re interested in trying out these great products follow the links below.  There is no better opportunity to get your hands on some quality CAD programs than now.

For IronCAD Compose visit: www.ironcad.com

For Inventor Fusion visit:  http://labs.autodesk.com/