- 2d Drafting Software For Mac
- Best Drafting Software Free
- Open Source Drafting Software Mac Download
- Architectural Drafting Software For Mac
- Open Source Drawing Software
- Open Source Drafting Program
BRL-CAD is a free, open source software. This software will give you every feature you will expect from a drafting software like raster images, hatches, circles, ellipse etc. A most dominant feature of this software is the open source code, giving it a high rate of development over other software. You can also see Landscape Design Software. Apr 10, 2020 LibreCAD is a free, open source CAD drawing program for Windows, Mac and Linux. A complete tool that is proposed as an alternative to Autocad. LibreCAD can be used for all 2D architectural engineering drawings, to design mechanical parts, for construction, simulation, interior design, creative design and diagramming.
Have an idea in mind about a new project? Just drag your mouse and create a graphical view with these best drafting software. Drafting software is used to draft your idea on the paper. Be it a Mechanical or Electrical or Architectural plan. For an organization, having a good drafting software is a must to save the time of getting the idea from mind to paper. Following are some best drafting software available for use.
Apr 14, 2020 FreeCAD is a serious Open Source offering that supports parametric 3D modeling, which means you can modify your design by going back into your model history and changing its parameters. The target market is mostly mechanical engineers and product design, but it's got a lot of functionality and power that anyone would find attractive.
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2D Drafting and Drawing Software
The 2D drawing and drafting software from Autodesk will help you create your new drawings as well as annotate them. The software features customizable templates to have quick and easy drawings. As these templates can also be customized, you can store for quick reuse any part which you prefer to use several times in a drawing. Sending or sharing drawings is simple as Autodesk uses DWG™ format.
Smartdraw Drafting Program
Drafting program software from smart draw has enough features to impress you, including smart formatting, templates, cloud backup. This software is designed for a very simple GUI but has advanced features enough to please you as an expert. This software works on any platform, available majorly, Windows, Mac, Linux. It helps you to align drawings automatically. You can try this software freely before spending on it.
Easy Drafting Software – Edraw
Edraw is a simple yet powerful drafting software having rich templates, ready to use designs. Worried about the time required for learning the software? You get free, in-depth tutorials with this software, which help you learn and create drafts easily. The whole plan is stored, made readily available as a template, on which you just have to drag and place objects wherever you want. You can get a 30-day, a full featured demo of this software for free.
QCAD for Linux
If you are looking for open source drafting software, QCAD is for you. QCAD is available for Linux. The main features are 35 CAD fonts included, layers, blocks or grouping, object snapping, over 4800 standard predefined objects, hatches, fills, raster images. You get the software for free, also, you can contribute to the community by adding more features to the already available large list of features.
CadStd for Windows
CadStd is a drafting software specially designed for windows. This software is designed for simplicity and is available in two versions, pro and lite. You get lite version for free but has limited features. The pro version can also create an isometric view from orthogonal views. With the lite version, you can only export files as DXF, but pro version gives you the flexibility to send as DXF, SVG, HPGL. This software will offer a simple GUI features as offset, trim, fillet, chamfer.
Brics CAD for Mac
Brics Cad offers most features, advanced and basics, which you will expect in a drafting software. For students and Academic institutions, this software is completely free. You can also download a free 30-day trial. You can have direct 3D modeling instead of going for 2D and then 3D. Features include snapping cursor, cloud connectivity, clean and intelligent environment.
Most Popular Software for 2016 – BRL CAD
BRL-CAD is the most popular drafting software among professional drafters. BRL-CAD is a free, open source software. This software will give you every feature you will expect from a drafting software like raster images, hatches, circles, ellipse etc. A most dominant feature of this software is the open source code, giving it a high rate of development over other software. You can also see Landscape Design Software
What is Drafting Software?
A drafting software is designed for creating mechanical or electrical or house (architectural) plans with considerable ease as compared to hand drawing. Pre-defined templates, ready integration with available formats are features of drafting software which speed up the process of drafting. You can also see 2D CAD Software
Each drafting software listed here has some outstanding features. It is just the matter of personal preference on the GUI when it comes to selecting a best one of the above-listed software being the most popular and open source software, is the first choice of many drafters, but other listed software also have some outstanding features to try before purchasing.
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2d Drafting Software For Mac
If you’re looking for CAD software for Mac, you’re not without options. We’ve found some standout Mac and cloud-based CAD platforms for you.
You’re likely to hit a wall if you’re searching for computer-aided design (CAD) software designed for Mac. There are plenty of CAD software options for Windows—you’ll see many of them in our list of the top AutoCAD alternatives—but only a handful offer support for Mac.
Best Drafting Software Free
And, if you think you’ll bypass the issue by using a cloud-based CAD tool, you’ll quickly find that CAD vendors haven’t embraced the cloud as much as other types of software vendors have, so the offerings are still largely on-premise. According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle for IT Evolution (full content available to Gartner clients), cloud-native CAD applications still have five to 10 years before they reach mainstream adoption.
But fear not, Mac users. We’ve done some digging and have put together this list of the top-rated CAD software for Mac. Read more about our methodology at the bottom of this article.
5 Best CAD Software for Mac (presented alphabetically)
Jump to:
CorelCAD
FreeCAD
Fusion 360
LibreCAD
Onshape
1. CorelCAD
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126375478/375814924.png)
CorelCAD offers 2D drafting and 3D design capabilities, such as the drawing constraints feature for creating different geometric shapes faster and the push and pull feature for 3D direct modeling.
3D modeling in CorelCAD (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analyses of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of CorelCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- The short learning curve: Users mention that the tool is easy to use and beginners don’t have to spend a lot of time learning it.
- Compatibility with multiple file types: Users like the fact that the tool is compatible with DWG, PDF, ACIS, DXF, STL, CDR, and other file formats.
What users think could be improved:
- Software reliability issues: Some users mention that the software tends to crash at times.
- Better dimension functionality: Some users would like a better dimensioning feature for more accurate drawings of angles and proportions.
Who can use CorelCAD
CorelCAD can be used by construction businesses for collaborative editing on multiple devices. It offers native iOS applications, which makes it easy for field crews to add annotations in graphics and share files using their iPhones and iPads. Additionally, the tool allows team members to leave recorded messages and instructions for colleagues embedded in the graphics using a voice note tool.
2. FreeCAD
FreeCAD is an open source CAD tool that works on Mac as well as Windows and Linux. It reads many common file formats such as STEP, IGES, STL, SVG, DXF, OBJ, IFC, and DAE.
It offers different modules, including a drawing sheets module that converts 3D models into 2D views, a rendering module that can export 3D objects, and an architecture module for a BIM-like workflow.
3D model of a building in FreeCAD (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of FreeCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- Feature-richness for a free tool: Users mention that, although it’s free, the tool comes with a full set of features.
- Reliability: Users mention that the tool does not demand a lot of CPU power and works well on devices with low RAM.
What users think could be improved:
- Steep learning curve: Users mention that the tool is not the most user-friendly solution and can be difficult for beginners to learn.
- Dependent on community for updates: Users mention that modules ignored by the community tend to become outdated quickly.
Who can use FreeCAD
FreeCAD appears to be best for hobbyists and home users. It’s also good for users who don’t have a high budget for software but still want to tinker with CAD modeling.
FreeCAD could also be a good choice for businesses on a budget looking for a free and open-source option.
A hosts file can be used on your Mac to override default DNS (Domain Name System) information. Mac os x host file app.
3. Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is a CAD tool from Autodesk with design functionalities such as sketching and 3D modeling. It also supports project management with features such as task management, document management, and collaborative image editing.
Document management in Fusion 360 (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of Fusion 360 they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- Comprehensive design features: User mention that the tool offers all the functionalities necessary for 2D and 3D designing.
- Availability of training resources: Users like the fact that the tool comes with ample documentation and tutorials.
What users think could be improved:
- System crashes: Users mention that the tool tends to crash, especially when designing and rendering large files.
- Steep learning curve: Users mention that it can take a lot of time to learn the advanced functionalities of the tool.
Who can use Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is part of the Autodesk ecosystem designed for the AEC industry. This makes the tool suitable for construction businesses that are already using, or intend to use, other Autodesk solutions. Using a software vendor that offers multiple solutions will especially benefit larger businesses that invariably need software that can scale with their growing requirements.
4. LibreCAD
LibreCAD is an open source CAD tool that supports Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. The tool comes with 2D drawing features such as a snap tool, dimensioning, and annotations. It also supports multiple file imports and exports.
2D drawing in LibreCAD (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of LibreCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
Open Source Drafting Software Mac Download
What users like:
- Ease of use: Users mention that the tool offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
- Lots of tutorials: Users like the fact that there are ample video tutorials that help them get started with the tool.
What users think could be improved:
- Software speed: Users mention that the software tends to lag, especially when trying to print designs.
- Add support for 3D design: Users would like to see functionalities for creating 3D designs.
Who can use LibreCAD
LibreCAD is an exclusively 2D CAD tool for drawing and designing blueprints of buildings, layouts of parks, and the like. As a free tool, the solution can be used by small and midsize businesses across different industries, including manufacturing, engineering, architecture, and construction.
5. Onshape
Onshape is a cloud-only CAD solution that comes with features such as document management with version control, collaborative design creation/editing capabilities, and reporting dashboards to understand project status.
Importing documents in Onshape (Source)
Common user feedback trends
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of Onshape they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
- Document version control: Users like the document management features of the tool, such as version history.
- Intuitive interface: Users mention that the tool comes with an intuitive interface for easy image editing.
Architectural Drafting Software For Mac
What users think could be improved:
- Performance issues: Some users mention that the tool does not function well on non-Chrome browsers and has file loading issues.
- Lack of features: Users mention that the tool should improve certain features such as 2D drawing and 3D surfacing.
Who can use Onshape
As a fully-cloud based tool, Onshape is ideal for businesses that need to manage design documents collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. The tool’s collaboration functionalities include document sharing, document editing, comments, and file downloads in multiple CAD formats, such as Parasolid, ACIS, STEP, and IGES.
Next steps
This report offers a mix of Mac CAD solutions—from free tools that can help you with basic 2D drawing to advanced solutions offering extensive 3D modeling functionalities.
If these tools don’t meet your needs, expand your search and check out more options. To help you, we’ve created a CAD software comparison page where you can explore products using different filters, such as features offered and pricing options.
If you’re looking to understand the CAD software market better, we also recommend that you read the articles listed below: |
Methodology
To be shortlisted, products had to fulfill the following criteria:
- Products had to be compatible with Mac and offer core CAD software capabilities, such as:
- 2D drawing or 3D modeling features
- Collaborative editing of drawings
- Products needed a minimum of 20 user reviews on Capterra (published in the last two years).
- Products had to have a high overall rating (an average of at least 4 out of 5 on Capterra).
Open Source Drawing Software
Note: The content in this piece that provides opinions and points of view expressed by users. It does not represent the views of Capterra.
Open Source Drafting Program
Looking for Construction Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Construction Management software solutions.