eagledancer

hey guys, need a inexpensive cad program, i sure dont wanna drop 200-300 for a program i will use maybe 1 or 2 times a year
i do have the old model cad program but if i remember right it used a weird ext to the files and nothing else would open the files
any ideas?

fritzke

My Feedback: (1)

TurboCAD 15, $25.
You can get version 10 for $10.
Dave

Thud_Driver

My Feedback: (1)

http://store.purplus.net/cad3d.html

hank01

Check out DeltaCad (www.deltacad.com). It is a compact but powerful cad program with many easy to use tools and advanced features. It even imports and exports .dwg, .dxf, .dxb, .jpg and .bmp image files. I have been using it exclusively for three years and at $39.95 it is quite a bargain.

Hemikiller

My Feedback: (125)

How about free...

http://www.plm.automation.siemens.co...2d/index.shtml

kestrel0222

My Feedback: (1)

This is what I use also, great program!

ChopperMike

That's what I use. In fact I just got around to installing it on my new laptop a couple of days ago. So far seems to have no problems playing nice with Windows 7. I paid around $50 a year ago, like Dave said, it can be had for a lot less now.



Mike

ALW Phantom

My Feedback: (2)

fritzke, Where can I find a deal like that ?????

ALW

fritzke

My Feedback: (1)

v15 Dlx
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...ingid=65871047
v10 Dlx
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...ingid=66989566

I have never used "BUY.COM" myself.

v15 designer, 2d simple cad program under $10:
http://www.opentip.com/Electronics-C...p-1295466.html

Latest version is v16 is about $70
http://www.provantage.com/imsi-00tcd...1~7IMSI97P.htm



Dave

John 38

When visiting the States, I found Office depot and Home Office good sources of low cost software. I got my turbocad 14 for about $20 after rebates and sunday offers etc.

ChopperMike

Office Depot is where I got my TC15 and TC7 before that. At the time it was the cheapest price around.




Mike

eagledancer

thanks alot guys, i am going to try that free one, got it downloaded. now to just figure out all the bells and whistles

frequent flyer

My Feedback: (6)

Download Goggle Sketch Up 7, its free.

Skinny Bob

My Feedback: (12)

Go to this site, you will find the program you want at a great price. ( http://down.cd/ )

Skinny Bob

My Feedback: (12)

Go to this site, you will find the program you want at a great price. ( http://down.cd/ )

Rodney

Q-CAD is also a free program. It is a 2D program that is quite good but does require a steep learning curve (all CAD programs do that though) for you to become proficient at it. My personal preference as a balance between cost, learning and overall usage is DesignCad which is can be used as 3D or 2D plus has many library items which save a great deal of time for many types of drawings.

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

I use AutoCAD at work ($5k[X(]) and the only one of the low priced programs that I feel comes close is DeltaCAD.

BMatthews

Something to consider is how you'll print out your plans. TurboCAD supports tile printing so that's something to consider. This is a VERY handy feature and I would not settle for a CAD that does not have this feature.

When I design my stuff requires tile printing I work with one big file at first and then split up the fuselage, wing, tail and parts into separate files that can be tile printed in single row stripes of sheets to avoid having to match up and tape together a matrix of paper. This also reduces any distortion and matching troubles.

We all are fanatically faithful to our chosen options. We have to be since it takes so much to learn them in the first place. And on that front I'm no different. But I try to keep an open mind. With that in mind here's the features that I think are super important;

[ul][*] Configurable tool bars so you can set up and save them. Being able to reach for the most commonly used drawing "pencils" for making the different elements is key to drawing fast and in a manner where the CAD program does not get in the way of the creative process. If you need to click more than twice to switch to a new shape or tool then it's too much.[*] Easy to access drawing tools. TurboCAD has toolbar items that allow you group similar functions in one icon with a "flyout" option that when you hover over it shows multiple tools that you programmed in the configuration step. This makes for an easier to use toolbar which is more in tune with the user's thought process and avoids extremely confusing and cluttered toolbars.[*] A zoom feature linked to the roller wheel in the center of the mouse. This has been by far the most useful feature of TurboCAD that I've found. Because in TC this feature is pointed related it allows me to zoom out, move the pointer to a new area of focus and zoom in again in a very natural manner. This one feature alone is worth a LOT as it allows you to move around in the drawing by zooming out and back in without the need for using the scroll bars. It quickly becomes as natural as breathing. And I'm not exagerating this either.[*] Tile printing option. The reasons were mentioned above.
[/ul]

Skinny Bob

My Feedback: (12)

I use Corel Draw to draw my plans, I can then print the plans with my Roland cutter-plotter. Some claim Corel isn't very precise, but that is not true, works very good.

Highflight

My Feedback: (4)

Is DeltaCad 3D?

Skinny Bob

My Feedback: (12)

DeltaCAD is not 3D.

Highflight

My Feedback: (4)

I'm not a big believer in drawing plans in 3D so I'll give it a shot. Most of my experience is with ACAD R14, and I have yet to draw a 3D airplane design. The added learning curve, complexity, and additional opportunities where error can be introduced make drawing planes in 3D less than desireable unless you just want to do it to expand your own knowledge of CAD use.

For those who think that 3D is a "must" for drawing airplanes, ask yourself how many "D's" there are on any set of plans you've ever had the pleasure of pinning parts on top of. The answer, of course, is "two". No matter how you draw the design in CAD, you still can only print up a 2D paper plan to build on.

cougdave

I was just looking at "Viacad" It seems to have some 3-D modeling features, like extrude, lathe and loft. I used to use Solidworks at work, but I don't have access to it now. I know via won't work like Solidworks, but I am wondering if it would be good enough to lay out 3-d wings and fuselages, put my stringers in and then slice my formers off of and print them out. Has anybody used this program? Does it have the "Tile" feature?

I also saw Turbocad on the shelf next to it, but it didn't look like the 3-d features were very strong. Does Turbocad have basic 3-d extrude, rotate and cut features? If so, that may be a fun program to play with.

I used to use modelcad, but now I have Autocad LT. It works well, but it is only 2-d. I would like a cheap 3-d to draw up my basic shapes and structures and slice off the rib and former patterns.

Dave

prgonzalez

What about using this...[link=http://www.devcad.com/eng/devfus_frame.htm]DevFus[/link]

It is similar technique used by Profili.

cougdave

I wrote my post without seeing HighFlight's until I posted. I don't want it to look as if I am challenging his viewpoint.

I agree that 2-d is pretty good for designing plans. I have been doing it for about 15 years and on 2-d paper before I got CAD. His advice is spot on. Plans are 2-d, and we use them to cut out 2-d parts which we assemble into 3-d structures.

I had some solidworks experience through my old job, and now, I have some ideas as to how 3-d could be applied to model airplane plans. It would be more complicated that doing it in 2-d, and the outcome might not be any better, but I have some ideas for using it to lay out formers, stringers, ribs and spars. 3-d is a huge learning curve, but I already have some experience. I figure that any new learning experience is a positive thing. I always try to keep my wits sharpened!

The main advantage of 3-d over 2-d is that it lets the designer double check his 2-d plan to make sure that it is possible to assemble in 3-d. (I used to have the occasional exciting moment while assembling a prototype where I realized that I had drawn an "M.C. Escher" assembly

Dave