On 11/21/2013 12:39 PM, Gordon Shumway wrote:
On Thu, 21 Nov 2013 00:09:04 +0000 (UTC), John Doe
wrote:

Things I want to draw...
...wood boards
...aluminum flat bar, square tube, round tube, rod
...holes through materials
...bolts, washers, and nuts
...wheels
In other words, I want to draw things you might make at home.

Is 2-D CAD appropriate for drawing three-dimensional objects, like
boxes? Do they typically allow you to enter a third dimension when
placing an object? I don't mind having limited views, like a front
view and a side view, but most of us work with three-dimensional
objects...

Thanks.

2-D Cad is exactly what 2-D says -- it is two dimensional, period. But
if all you want to do is draw, not design, you will have more
functionality than you need with pretty much any 2-D package.

On the other hand, if you want to DESIGN in 3 dimensions, a 2-D
package is about as useless as a screen door on a submarine. Others
have mentioned AutoCAD and SketchUp and I have heard they work well.

Personally, I use Pro-Engineer for the simple reason that I didn't
have to take the time to learn it. It was what I used as a design
engineer before I retired. The power of Pro-E for designing
woodworking projects is like hitting a thumb tack with a sledge
hammer. But it sure is easy for me!


I did a lot of 3D work on a drafting table, so I disagree with what you
said here. A LOT of drafting was done before computers evolved to help out.