Open Source Autodesk AutoCAD Alternatives
The best open source alternative to Autodesk AutoCAD is FreeCAD. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Autodesk AutoCAD and ten of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Autodesk AutoCAD are LibreCAD, OpenSCAD, BRL-CAD and CAD Builder.
Autodesk AutoCAD is mainly a CAD Software but alternatives to it may also be 3D Modelers or Interior Design Apps. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Autodesk AutoCAD.Autodesk AutoCAD
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- Paid • Proprietary
- Mac
- Windows
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- FreeCAD is a general purpose parametric 3D CAD modeler. The development is completely Open Source (LGPL License).
FreeCAD vs Autodesk AutoCAD opinions
I use Freecad to design my 3D printing models.Very good app, has many workbenches for different branches of engineering. It has a very helpful community forum. I really recommend trying it before looking for any other alternative.Freecad is (as mentioned in the description) for 3D parametric CAD, and has no drafting functionality worth speaking of. Not a bad program, but certainly not an AutoCAD replacement. It has much more similarity to SolidWorks than AutoCADFreeCAD is a 3D parametric CAD whereas AutoCAD is more oriented for 2D drawings. On the other hand, FreeCAD is still buggy and lacks of important workbenches (whereas others like a robot simulator are available even if they are not suitable for a professional use)Autocad is a 2d cad mostly. Freecad is a parametric design software. Different purposes different design paradigm.eduardoortiz1 Because is an user friendly software and is free to use.Autodesk Autocad is very expensiveAutoCAD is a 2D drawing program, mostly used for architecture and structures. FreeCAD is 3D and aimed at mechanical engineers. They do different things. - LibreCAD (originally QCad then CADuntu) is an open source 2D CAD application for Windows, Apple and Linux. It is based on Qt, which is a leading cross-platform application and UI development framework.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- PortableApps.com
LibreCAD vs Autodesk AutoCAD opinions
If you know Autocad, you will learn librecad lightning fast.No blockeditor or creating dynamic blocks.LibreCAD can't reliably open .dwg files, which are an industry standard in construction. This means it is not a viable alternative for many people. LibreCAD does not support XRefs, although fewer people use that functionality.No open AutoCAD files, say need permissions.umix A lightweight, AutoCAD-like 2D CAD program. Feature set is smaller than AutoCAD, but is sufficient to work with 2D drawings. A command line is available, as well as a built-in scripting language. If you have experience in AutoCAD, then there will be no problems with working in LibreCAD. There is a support forum and wiki.Autocad is based on text command usage. But librecad totally lacks it. And in addition, Librecad cannot open dlg files, only native cad files.Ideal for preparing 2D drawings. Better than AutoCAD LT in some ways but can be a bit flaky. - OpenSCAD is a software for creating solid 3D CAD objects. It is free software and available for Linux/UNIX, MS Windows and MacOS.
- BRL-CAD is a powerful cross-platform open source solid modeling system that includes interactive geometry editing, high-performance ray-tracing for rendering and geometric analysis, image and signal-processing tools, a system performance analysis benchmark suite, libraries for...
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
BRL-CAD vs Autodesk AutoCAD opinions
BRLCAD doesn't even have mouse support... and CSG through commandline is awful, can't even fillet an edge. - For more than 20 years being always at the forefront of 3D, Open Cascade has gained considerable expertise in geometric modeling. In order to demonstrate software developing capabilities the company decided to come up with a sample of parametric CAD modeler — CAD Builder.No screenshots yet
- MakerSCAD is a web-based parametric 3D design software with a block-based programming language to create objects for 3D printing, animations, games and websites.
- Freemium • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Chrome OS
Discontinued
Site certificate expired. Software itself hasn't been updated in a very long time, is incomplete, and doesn't function
- Varkon is a very powerful parametric 2D/3D CAD, modeling and application development tool for engineering, design, architecture, etc. It does 2D drafting, 2D and 3D modeling, sculptured surface modeling, and even animations.
Discontinued
The project seems no longer developed. Last version, 1.19E, released in November 2012, can be still downloaded from SourceForge.
- Archimedes is a free and open source CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. It is a robust system built over Eclipse’s Rich Client Java Platform fully based on plug ins.
Discontinued
The project seems no longer developed. Last version, 0.66, released in June 2012, can be still downloaded from SourceForge.
- gCAD3D is a 3D CAD CAM application that features an integrated 3D OpenGL viewer, a program interpreter for geometry and NC-commands in 3D, an integrated NC-processor, and a programming interface for user programs.
- ImplicitCAD is a programmatic CAD program, implemented in Haskell. Unlike traditional CAD programs, programmatic CAD programs use text descriptions of objects, as in programming. Concepts like variables, control structures and abstraction are used, just as in programming.