FreeCAD

Vorteile

What I like the most is that it has the ability to recognize the CAD environment and learn the commands. You can make a plan and complete a 3D model, for a better visualization. Additionally, new complements can be adapted, through the programming to generate added value to the works to be delivered

Nachteile

Because I have several years working with CAD programs, editing the elements of the drawings are not very polished and differentiation of the layers is a must because it can emphasize certain aspects more than others, especially for the plans and final 3D models

Vorteile

This is a software that I can use it in any computer without restriction and without paying anything, because is free and do many things that do a private software, for me is very useful because I can modeling the pipelines and see them in 3D to know if exist a trouble or mistake with the design, or we just have to implement it.

Nachteile

It needs to implement a set of tutorials in the official website, because in the beginning was very difficult to me to understand the processes of modeling with this software, but once I manage them everything was very easy.

Vorteile

It’s free and a lot of information on internet

Nachteile

There is a lot of tool but to understand how they works is so Much time

Vorteile

FreeCAD shows 3D drawing in different angels and projections.The most liking thing is it's being free for user. I fine everything i want to do in this software. I like its all programs which are easy to use.And this is one of the best software which work on every system instead of creating problems like some other softwares in market.

Nachteile

There are no cons for me but it was a little hard to know about the all programs in it .they took time and it is also obvious for every one to learn a new software after some practice it gets easier then easier..

Vorteile

Free CAD is open source software. User can easily sketch, constraint a geometry, draft a models from 3D into 2D. The user interface is user friendly. Easy to install and run the software.

Nachteile

The open privacy for free versions make visible of a user project to all. Free version have limited features. Not suggesting for professional designers.

Vorteile

Easy to learn, similar to other main design software like Creo, NX or Catia.

Nachteile

It is still being developed. Not all the functionality you're used to designing with other software is already implemented.

Vorteile

It has a lot of features to manage and modelling, you haveparametric model, modular architecture, drawing sheets, rendering, robot simulation, and so many other features, you can use all or one that fits on your needs, it is very powerful and manage the models with a lot of details and precision.

Nachteile

For me was difficult to start using the software, because the only manual that I can find was in the main page, I think that the amount of people who works with FreeCAD is very short, and sometimes is difficult to find tutorials of explanation of how to make models.

Vorteile

For small design projects it is a very complete tool that helps you solve problems effectively without having to invest a penny.

Nachteile

It is evident that being a free software lacks modules that other programs do have, however it seems to me that I have no complaints to make.

Vorteile

It has a lot of features to make a 2D drawing or plans, to model in 3D or even use BIM in your workflow.

Nachteile

Because of its complexity, it is confusing at the beggining.

Vorteile

The Path Module is awesome I can see how the mecanichals process of the cars and electricity circuits works and know how I need to add to modify some aspects make them to work betters, this module has tools for dressup, commands and modifications, very useful to modelling with precision all the processes of a machine.

Nachteile

In the beggining ii ts very difficult to handle, becuase you have so many tools available and you do not know where to start, but with some practice you can manage all the features easily.

Vorteile

FreeCAD is a customized open source SoftWare, ideal for experts, students and beginners. The easy, efficient and cross-platform tool such as Linux, Windows and Mac, with modules for the most complex 2 and 3D design representations, with import and export options, as well as allowing general accessible coded integration with SoftWare Python, making it a complementary tool when it comes to solutions and extreme designs.
We simply have a formidable SoftWare that is complemented by the varieties of its functionalities that make work become a hobby or pastime when designing. it's great...

Nachteile

The Interface can generate brief difficulty when navigating without representing major inconveniences.
You may experience some unstable installation especially on Mac.
Difficulty anchoring 3D objects, so rotation could move them to another location on the screen.

Vorteile

Free, parametric design. Valuable mesh to solid features. Scripting and programmatic interfaces are useful

Nachteile

Feature references regularly break (fixed in 0.19)

Vorteile

This free software does not skimp on features. Everything you could even need it there for you. This software can be used by professionals, hobbiests, and students. With on going development new features are always being added and it easily runs on any system no matter old or new the system.

Nachteile

The interface can have a bit of a challenging learning curve. This is not the fault of this software but of all CAD software. Often times people take classes to learn CAD. This software can be easily learned but be prepared to invest some time.

Vorteile

the best solution if you have to manage a project from A to Z and you don't want to spend a 5 zeros figure !! Sheet metal features and mechanical stress simulation tools are a great and wonderful thing! You can create professional documentation and edit problem files imported from other formats saves your life. Works great!

Nachteile

I would like it to have automatic annotation management such as higher level cads. I wish you had a cfd simulation module and the ability to simulate assemblies of multiple assembled parts. ( A dream!)

Vorteile

This software is free and can be used by anyone. There are a lot of tutorials online.

Nachteile

A lot of bugs could occur during FEM simulations and software often crashes.

Vorteile

As an architect I always looking for new options to see how my designs come to life, and I found it a free option with FreeCAD, because I can create my model in the software and see how buildings, houses, park and other types of construction come to life, all this with high precision and detail.

Nachteile

Is not as powerful as a private software so the process of rendering are always the same, and the results are always so similar.

Vorteile

This is the best software for working with CAD programs since it is available on all operating systems (even Linux, which is hard to come by). I love all the features it has for a completely free and open environment.

Nachteile

The controls can be frustrating at times. It's also a bit lacking in the amount of features. (either that, or I cannot find them!)

Vorteile

Very good 3D tool and perfect for anyone who needs to review 3D models and does not own a commercially available solution. Backed by a dedicated group of skilled knowledgeable developers.

Nachteile

The tool has capabilities far beyond what I am currently using it for. It is somewhat difficult to learn how to perform new tasks as more focus is placed on functionality improvements at the expense of how-to documentation.

Vorteile

It was free, one of very few 3dD modeling packages with no cost.

Nachteile

Developing a model in this is somewhat straightforward once you have the logic understood (which is an odd form in itself). However, don't try to modify an existing model, it will begin shifting pieces in random fashion. I had extrusions change sketch planes and a change in a base sketch for an extrusion will cause all attached sketches to lose their associated planes. Within a sketch, form can also move randomly in illogical fashions. If I make a line from another line end and then change the length, it moves the first line, there is no prioritization built in so I need additional lines and constraints to fix design locations. A real pain.

Vorteile

It is free and great for messing around.

Nachteile

It has very limited functionality and is weak on 3D CAD.

Vorteile

FreeCAD, as the name suggests, is free and considering alternatives on the market available for free right now, this is the only CAD with so many functionalities, which I consider another great advantage. The possibility of having a parametric CAD together with FEM analysis are great.

Nachteile

It is really complex to use, very little user friendly and the documentation is most of the time not that helpful. I have experienced some bugs with elementary features as well, making modeling even simple parts very tiring

Vorteile

FreeCAD has everything and more that you could ask for from a free modeling software. I needed to model a backyard project and this software has been perfect for a project that size. I have a little bit of experience with other modeling software, and FreeCAD seems to follow a similar structure making it not difficult to find what I am looking for most of the time.

Nachteile

I am using FreeCAD on a Mac OS. Most of the limited in-software help info is Windows specific, making it difficult because tools can be in different places. I have had to turn to the user forum for a few items which is very helpful.

Vorteile

The best thing about FreeCAD is, it's free. If you need a drafting tool, get this one. It’s also great to learn what CAD is, and how it can help you draft.

Nachteile

So the only bad thing about this software is the good thing about this software....it's free. It just doesn’t have all the tools you need.

Vorteile

Robot Simulation, Sketcher features are quite good.
If you know python, its python in-built interpreter allows you to explore lot of things.

Nachteile

Interface could be improved a bit. Apart from that, its good.

Vorteile

Always updating to improve and simplify the usage. Easy to use for beginners. Can easily use what is the workbench to upload it.

Nachteile

There is no load analysis in it. There is no motion analysis . some workbenches is tooo heavy to work in the device.

Vorteile

Estremamente versatile e adatto a progettazione BIM, CAD, FEM, 3D, ecc. con la possibilità di creare rendering e tavole. Con gli addons e con le macro, si possono espandere le possibilità e velocizzare il lavoro.

Nachteile

Ci vuole un po' di tempo per imparare ad usarlo professionalmente, ma la vasta community fa un ottimo lavoro di aiuto e assistenza.

Vorteile

-Open source
-Easy to use
-Many different workbenches
-Many file formats supported
-Preferred to Solidworks

Nachteile

-Near no customer service and sometimes sub-par tutorials
-Getting the right install location can be difficult
-Some operations fail unexpectedly
-Hard to use with sheet metal fabricated parts

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu FreeCAD

Vorteile

I use freecad to design high power rockets. I also teach it to our STEAM club students at our local library. It is a great exposure for them to using a parametric 3D modeler and with addons provides a simple way to develop rocket components (e.g., nosecone, fin-can, etc.)

Nachteile

Freecad has one major bug that needs to be fixed before I can generally recommend it. That is the infamous "topological naming problem". This issue is not unique to Freecad. Most parametric modelers have to deal with this issue in some way. In a nutshell, when you add, remove or slice sections of a model that has other sketches extruded from it, then all the surfaces get renamed. This causes the point of attachment of new sketches to be changed, so an extrusion may suddenly come out from the side instead of the top of the model. The Freecad development team is working on this issue, but as an open-source project developed primarily by volunteers progress is slow. Development work on this problem has recently picked up though. Once this is solved, I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone need a parametric 3d modeler.

Vorteile

Tous les ateliers sont faciles à prendre en mains

Nachteile

Quelques ateliers sont à améliorer par la communautée

Vorteile

That it is free. In theory it is easy to use.

Nachteile

Snap function work very bad, dimensioning won't work and things go into error what ever you try to do.

Vorteile

Claerly It's a simply and easy Viewer software, and you can read a lot of different cad file type.

Nachteile

The possibility of creation are really like a CAD software are pretty bad.

Vorteile

I think some Pros could be: supports the creation of 3D parametric components, which is essential for designing complex objects and assemblies; is available on multiple platforms; is designed to be modular and extensible

Nachteile

Some Cons: has a learning curve, especially for users new to parametric 3D modeling. The interface may not be as intuitive for beginners; some users have reported stability issues, such as occasional crashes; some specific workbenches in FreeCAD may not be as actively developed or as feature-rich as others

Vorteile

the strength of the program is the free license. With this premise everything is given away. It also works well and interesting projects can also be created

Nachteile

it is not comparable to high-end programs, on a professional level it is not yet usable

Vorteile

The software interface is simple and easy to use. Very convenient for quick CAD design with a very quick learning curve. Free and powerful tool.

Nachteile

It is clear that this software is inferior compared to other more fancy paid options but it gets the job done. The graphs are simple and not that high quality. It may not be the best option for more complex projects.

Vorteile

This is a good software for 3D design. It is for free and there is a great community that can give support to you, with a lot of tutorials in Youtube. Since I am a contributor of other free and open software like KiCad, it's great to have a 3D design tool like FreeCAD. Also it has many integrated tools to work with 3D and 2D designs, you can review models, import many file formats and convert some meshes like STL to a solid.

Nachteile

FreeCAD has some bugs and some of the functionality is not very intuitive. From my point of view, the bugs are its worst disadvantage and some of them are the next ones: the third-party components are sometimes not imported properly, that could be because the design is broken, but I experimented it several times, so I suppose there is some bug or incompatibility; the mesh-to-solid conversion sometimes fails; when you are designing a 3D part that has some features like chamfers or edge roundings, if you changes the previous steps and it makes the number of faces varies, the part will break down, so its important to keep this bug in mind and do those conflictive features in the last steps of the part design.

Vorteile

Primeramente que es una herramienta gratuita y de código abierto, permite incorporar plug ing realizados por terceros. Fácilidad para el manejo de herramientas 3D.

Nachteile

Su interfase es muy básica, podría mejorar en sus represtentaciones 3d y también a la hora de imprimir.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu FreeCAD

Vorteile

Price (free), functionality: solid modeling (not just a collection of lines, arc and circles) , features, (eventual) ease of use, ability to create .stl files for 3D printer. The software is parametric meaning you can adjust dimensions and update the model, ability to create assemblies.

Nachteile

Steep learning curve but thankfully with YouTube... I haven't looked for awhile but the documentation was lacking when I first got into it. I haven't had to use the forum for help so I can't speak to that but in searching the forum it seems to be very active with volunteers answering questions.

Vorteile

As its name implies, the software is free. The active community has done a lot of great work in creating a fully-functional CAD program, with many industry-standard drafting tools and a plethora of optional add-ons.

Nachteile

Unlike other modern free and open-source programs (for example, KiCad), the focus has not been on the user interface. As a result, many operations are awkward and perhaps even tedious to perform. Additionally, the native rendering capability isn't great; the displayed objects look like they're stuck in the 1980s

Vorteile

Il est complet, gratuit et une communauté permet d'avoir le support nécessaire aux question qu'on peut se poser. Ce n'est pas Soliworks non plus, mais le rapport qualité prix est sans correspondance.

Nachteile

La prise en main au début est très lourde. Et des fois, il y a des problèmes de conceptions qui ne sont pas clairement expliqués. Il faut chercher pour savoir ce qui en est à l'origine. Enfin, si vous placer un chanfrein, et que vous modifiez des calcul précédent, il se peut que le chanfrein disparassi et aille se placer ailleurs... Alors oui je comprends que les calculs "font que"... mais ça aurait été chouette qu'il le comprennen seul ou au pire, propose la vérification des chanfrein. Car quand il ne se montrent pas, on ne peut pas les sélectionner et du coup on ne peut pas les enlever.

Vorteile

The 3d design/ modelling is quite exciting. Freecad is easy to use. And it integrates well

Nachteile

They use different (but similar) names than what I am used to in their 3d comands but I could understand them right away. And they are all working fine.

Vorteile

In comparison with other AutoCad softwares,it is one of the different version software. We can make 3 D drawing through this software at different angles of projection which is is indeed the most fantastic feature. This software is used by everyone whether students or professionals but proved to be helpful to everyone.

Nachteile

Sometimes when we are updating modules, at that time some of the modules are not updated. So we feel that they will update in next versions of software. The learning curve of this software is quite difficult for the new users. For this sometimes some users have to take CAD classes in order to have good command on the usage of this particular software.

Vorteile

Can create any part you can imagine, exports to 3d printing friendly formats, sketching and part design workbenches are relatively easy to learn.

Nachteile

There are some software quirks on of them is you can not attach sketch to surface and modify the body that the sketch is attached it will mess up the part, while there are ways around that I wish they would fix it in the next iteration of the software. Also if downloading official release the UI is outdated.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Warum FreeCAD gewählt wurde

Zuvor genutzte Software

Gründe für den Wechsel zu FreeCAD

Vorteile

I loved everything about this software,the ease of use is just too easy for me.

Nachteile

Absolutely nothing,this is perfect software for 3D designs.

Vorteile

The price is so easy and you can use all the Features in the software for a Basic Draw

Nachteile

The simulations are not always allowed in all the computers I think that is something to improve

Vorteile

Excellent tool for designing structures in detail, elaborating analysis parameters for deformation and strength calculations. And it's still possible to do it on less powerful machines, so to speak.

Nachteile

Transferring the drawing to paper with a level of detail is already a little more difficult, it has a lot of loss, also if you need to make a large and detailed structure, only with FreeCAD it is very complicated, for that you would need some other tools, making a more complex job.

Vorteile

The most attractive feature is that it is free to use I am not very good at designing 3D projects but Free Cad seems to be for me a good platform to teach myself. There are other free design software out there but this one seems to have a lot of features for a free version I like the ease of use for a free open source program the menu items are well layed out

Nachteile

There are some limited features but for free open source it is not bad. Python scripting I think takes a little patience getting used to but once you catch on it goes pretty smooth for a beginner.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Warum FreeCAD gewählt wurde

Zuvor genutzte Software

Gründe für den Wechsel zu FreeCAD

Vorteile

Digital drawing has been made very easy with the use of the extensive features of the software. It helps students like me to understand the 3D drawings and their meaning in a very subtle way. One can easily learn the software and could try creating 3D images in the very first week.

Nachteile

The recent software that I used, requires some minimal hardware configurations to render the images. So, buy a new system or else it is not for you.
The snap options sometimes is adamant and won't let you decide what point you may want to take. One of the 3D functions I think is irrelevant.

Vorteile

A different version of software compared to other softwares such as AutoCAD and its very nice 3D drawing in different angles of projections. I am blessed to see my great work in this software.

Nachteile

some modules isn't it updated and It seems they are going to update in next versions of software updates.

Vorteile

Its very user-friendly and on top of all its free, and also does not use too much system memory. With an average PC you can easily run multiple tasks while working on this software, without worrying about usage of system memory. The program is simple and not too much complicated and has all the great tools, so many people can take advantage and use it with more ease.

Nachteile

The features of this software are too limited and selection of add-ons can also be improved. But as its for free so one can live with these little flaws. But if new features can be added, it will make this software perfect for work.

Vorteile

I like the simplicity of his workshop Parts . Which thanks to known shapes allow to realize new shapes.

Nachteile

What I hate the most are the bugs of this software, usually it leads to start the design from scratch.