Everyone who works with Computer Aided Design ( CAD) programs should know that they are not forced (unless business needs are required) to use the large and expensive Autodesk Autocad program. For the uninitiated, the CAD drawing is used for engineering, architecture, graphics and mechanical part designs. The open source community has moved to release a free program that acts as a CAD client for 2D technical drawing . What used to be called CADuntu, has been renamed in LibreCAD (based on QCad) and is available not only for Linux but also for Mac and Windows .
READ ALSO: Free Autocad alternatives to create CAD and DWG drawings
I'm not an expert in CAD drawing but the LibreCAD client seems like a fairly advanced program that allows the control of levels and complex selection processes of the items. Experts will then have their say and better evaluate this software which, however, I repeat, is free for everyone, even for commercial use.
It is based on QCad and can be downloaded from the SourceForge site for Windows and Mac or from Softpedia only for Mac.
For Linux instead
Users who already work with Autocad or other computer drawing programs should not find it difficult to orient themselves with LibreCad which is also available in Italian. There is a basic tools menu on the left, layer options at the top and black drawing space with small guide points. All the typical functions of 2D CAD drawing can be found in the menu bar. There are options for switching to different views, selection and editing tools, drawing options, sizing and information tools, layering and blocking options.
Layer support is vital for creating detailed models and for maintaining large sets of separate information. The selection tools are advanced enough to allow for complex selection. Below the drawing there is a command line, which allows you to enter the parameters and information required by the CAD drawing.
LibreCAD can be used for all 2D architectural engineering drawings, to draw mechanical parts, for construction, simulation, interior design, for creative design and for creating diagrams.
I think it is important to know that the files are saved in DXF format (format supported by Autocad) and that they can be exported to a number of image formats, such as JPG or PNG . This means that, working with LibreCad, drawings can be sent to customers or work colleagues as image files, without any need for the receivers to have LibreCad installed. There is no support for Autocad's native DWG format.
Librecad is the novelty but, remember, BRL-CAD is the historical open source program that acts as an alternative to Autodesk's Autocad.
A program that opens DWGs and is free (for personal use only) for Windows, Mac and Linux is DraftSight which allows you to create and open DWG files.
Finally, remember, referring to another article, that it is also possible to convert AutoCAD drawings (DWG) into PDF files .
