With the program you can take 2D drawings and draw them in 3D for production.įreeCAD has been around since the early noughties and still has a very active community.

Direct 2D drawing is not the focus of FreeCAD. FreeCADįreeCAD is a parametric modeler aimed directly at mechanical engineering, but can be used in other fields. You can download the program from the LibreCAD website. LibreCAD is a little bit rough around the edges, but it is still a very useful CAD program. The program lets you export the drawing as an image, SVG, and PDF. LibreCAD also lets you switch to an isometric grid if you need to create a 3D illustration of your design. It includes tools found in most 2D CAD programs and is simple to use if you’re familiar with 2D CAD. LibreCAD is an open-source 2D CAD program based off an old version of QCAD.

You can download the program on the QCAD website. Everything works exactly as expected and it provides verbose messages when something is wrong. QCAD is available on Windows, Linux, and Mac. Along with the normal tools, you also have a lot of customization options, including a dark theme. The free version has everything you need for 2D CAD drawings and doesn’t limit you. QCAD has a free and professional version of their software. You can still download SketchUp Make, but they are forcing your hand to use the free browser version instead. In 2017 they decided to no longer update the desktop version of their free software.

Even though the program is simple to learn, you can still use it to design homes, furniture, mechanical parts, and more.Įver since Trimble took over SketchUp, it’s been more and more difficult to use their free version of the program. SketchUp is a popular 3D CAD program due to it’s small learning curve and simplicity. Look into the license if you are planning on using the software for commercial work. In many of the cases, the free versions offer great functionality and many of the same tools, but may limit you from using the software commercially. Some of the options below are free versions of paid software. Below is a list of 2D and 3D CAD programs that you can use for free. Free CAD software is available and many times will work fine in lieu of paid software. For non-professionals, it’s difficult to warrant paying thousands of dollars on CAD software.

Freecad 2d cad software