Free Autocad alternatives to create CAD and DWG drawings

Autodesk by Autodesk is the technical drawing program used by engineers and architects from all over the world to create drawings of three-dimensional objects on the computer and to design buildings and 3D products . The high cost of this program, however, can be a problem for those who want to learn, for those who want to start their own business or for those who want to open a design studio and for enthusiasts. In addition, Autodesk no longer offers perpetual licenses for AutoCAD, but requires you to renew your subscription and pay every year, becoming a substantial fixed expense. For this reason, over the years, several alternatives have been created at significantly lower prices and also free alternatives for Autocad, so that you can do the same type of work, that is, to create 3D CAD drawings, with free software.
The challenge is to find AutoCAD alternatives to create 2D and 3D drawings that are worth trying, which are actually complete and not limited software, which have the functions of Autocad generating the same type of file (DWG files).
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1) SketchUp (free)

Formerly known as Google SketchUp, this free tool is an excellent choice for CAD professionals. As already written several years ago, SketchUp is a 3D modeling program that can be used to draw 3D objects, graphics and three-dimensional animations, also excellent for interior design, architectural, civil and mechanical engineering projects, video games and film design. The program works with different types of files including DWG, DXF, OBJ, XSI and others and can export projects in HD animations and PDFs.
Being born from a Google project, it is an easy to learn and use program with a large library for uploading or importing and downloading designs. Compared to Autocad, it does not allow you to create NURBS.

2) LibreCAD (free)

LibreCad, to which I dedicated an article some time ago, is the best free alternative to Autocad, which tries to imitate it in the main features and which today is also used by many professionals all over the world. LibreCAD is a high quality open source 2D modeling software, born from QCAD (later known as CADuntu) and which resembles AutoCAD in features. LibreCAD, available for Windows PC, Mac and also for Linux, is a free CAD tool that also reads DWG files. The main limitation is the lack of support for 3D design.
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3) Nanocad

Those who think that there are no free alternatives to Autocad that are up to a professional job, have perhaps never tried the Nanocad program, one of the best free and unlimited solutions to create 3D CAD drawings .
Its most important feature is native support for the DWG format which is that of Autocad. This means that a DWG file created with nanoCAD can be sent to other people who can then open it with Autocad without the need for conversions.
In order to use the program (only for Windows), you only need to enter your name and email address. Experts will be able to use the comparison chart on the website to check what are the differences between the free and paid versions. The interface is very similar to that of the original Autocad, with almost all the same commands and tools for drawing.

4) FreeCAD

FreeCAD is a free open source program for Windows, Mac and Linux PCs, and is designed especially for 3D drawings of mechanical engineering and also of architecture. FreeCAD describes itself as a parametric 3D modeler for designing real life objects of any size. Parametric modeling allows you to easily modify the project by returning to the model history and modifying its parameters.
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5) DraftSight

Draftsight is a professional alternative to AutoCAD, designed for users looking for better ways to read, write and share .dwg files.
Through its user interface, which makes DraftSight easy to use and learn, it has a huge design library from which you can use existing projects, batch print, access macro recording and save DXF and DWG files .
The 2D CAD software (does not have 3D capabilities) is based on an advanced architecture with all the tools necessary to create technical drawings. DraftSight is available you can download it for free for a 30-day trial, then you have to pay a subscription starting from 120 Euros per year.

6) BricsCAD

BricsCAD is a high-level program, not free, which can be used on Windows, Mac and Linux.
This CAD platform is known for its integration with third-party software and has several characteristics familiar to those who have already used Autocad, with the ability to read, edit and save DWG files. BricsCAD has an interface similar to the Autocad 2008 version, offers powerful features for 2D drawing and also in direct 3D modeling. Despite being a paid software (which does not come cheap) such as AutoCAD, BricsCAD is much more convenient with perpetual licenses and three editions: Classic, Pro and then the Platinum version which also includes tools that are not found in AutoCAD.
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