FreeCAD is a customizable, open-source paramentic 3D CAD and BIM software with FEM support, built on the Opencascade geometric kernel. It was created primarily for product design and mechanical engineering, but it can be used in a wide range of industries, such as electrical engineering, or architecture. It runs on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
FreeCAD is made to craft real-life objects of different sizes and is perfect for a home user/amateur, programmer, experienced CAD software user, or educator. This software provides tools similar to those of SolidWorks, Catia or Autodesk Revit.
AutoCAD is a software application for CAD and drafting built on Autodesk’s proprietary kernel named Shapemanager. Developed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first to run on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers. As it is available on thirteen different languages, AutoCAD is widely used by architects, project managers engineers, graphic designers, city planners and other professionals all over the globe.
AutoCAD enables professionals to draft and edit 2D geometry and 3D models with solids, surfaces and meshes, annotate drawings with text, leaders, dimensions and tables, customize wit add-on apps and API.
There are different versions of AutoCAD. AutoCAD LT is the lower cost version, with limited capabilities. AutoCAD 360 is an account-based mobile and web application. Its users can view, edit and share files via mobile device and web. To add to it, students can use free student versions of AutoCAD, which are almost identical to the full commercial one.
A CAD file is an output of a CAD software, containing key information about the designed object: its geometry and topology representation, 3D model hierarchy, metadata, and visual attributes depending on the format of the file.
Read moreRead how Holo-light, a leader in the XR market, has integrated CAD Exchanger into its platform to provide flawless CAD file reading for XR applications.
Read moreIn the sixth part, we are going to get a closer look at exploded view mode.
Read more