I got an email from Dassault announcing a free 2D CAD program. The
only potential downside I see is that you have to re-activate
periodically, which means Dassault could at some point stop offering
the free version, and any installed free software would probably time
out. On the other hand, it reads and writes both dwg and dxf files, so
any files you create would not be orphaned if the software disappears.

I haven't tried it, have no opinion, and my only connection with
Dassault is as a Solidworks customer.

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsig...-cad-software/

--
Ned Simmons

On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:49:08 -0800, mike wrote:

Ned Simmons wrote:
I got an email from Dassault announcing a free 2D CAD program. The
only potential downside I see is that you have to re-activate
periodically, which means Dassault could at some point stop offering
the free version, and any installed free software would probably time
out. On the other hand, it reads and writes both dwg and dxf files, so
any files you create would not be orphaned if the software disappears.

CAD software represents a significant investment in learning how to use it.
Would you put your money in a bank that required you to re-qualify
periodically with no guarantee that you could ever get your money back?

I agree with your point about the investment in time and effort to
learn a software package -- I've become proficient with autocad plus 3
solid modelers over the last 25 years. In fact, I've used the same
argument when urging folks to try Alibre instead of a cheap/free 2D
package. But for some things, 2D is all one needs.

The bank analogy is flawed, unless the bank also matched your deposit
when you open the account; in other words, they're putting up
something of value as well. A gambling analogy would be more on point.


Being able to export to another commercial program that you can't afford
is small consolation.

DXF is a de facto standard format. It'd be difficult to find a program
(cheap, free, or expensive) that doesn't read dxfs.


If it times out, it ain't free.

I haven't tried it, have no opinion, and my only connection with
Dassault is as a Solidworks customer.

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsig...-cad-software/


--
Ned Simmons

On Feb 28, 8:54*am, Ned Simmons wrote:
On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:49:08 -0800, mike wrote:
Ned Simmons wrote:
I got an email from Dassault announcing a free 2D CAD program. *The

CAD software represents a significant investment in learning how to use it.
Would you put your money in a bank that required you to re-qualify
periodically with no guarantee that you could ever get your money back?

I agree with your point about the investment in time and effort to
learn a software package -- I've become proficient with autocad plus 3
solid modelers over the last 25 years. In fact, I've used the same
argument when urging folks to try Alibre instead of a cheap/free 2D
package. But for some things, 2D is all one needs.

The bank analogy is flawed, unless the bank also matched your deposit
when you open the account; in other words, they're putting up
something of value as well. A gambling analogy would be more on point.

--
Ned Simmons

The banking analogy is right on.
They put up the "Bank" which is their free program trap, and you
deposit all of your IP into the trap.
At any time they can hold all of your IP hostage.

You keep making IP deposits into their "bank" and at any time they
can fold the bank and destroy your IP unless you re-qualify.

I think the bank is more representative than the gambler.

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 07:04:09 -0800 (PST), Cross-Slide
wrote:

On Feb 28, 8:54*am, Ned Simmons wrote:
On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:49:08 -0800, mike wrote:
Ned Simmons wrote:
I got an email from Dassault announcing a free 2D CAD program. *The

CAD software represents a significant investment in learning how to use it.
Would you put your money in a bank that required you to re-qualify
periodically with no guarantee that you could ever get your money back?

I agree with your point about the investment in time and effort to
learn a software package -- I've become proficient with autocad plus 3
solid modelers over the last 25 years. In fact, I've used the same
argument when urging folks to try Alibre instead of a cheap/free 2D
package. But for some things, 2D is all one needs.

The bank analogy is flawed, unless the bank also matched your deposit
when you open the account; in other words, they're putting up
something of value as well. A gambling analogy would be more on point.

--
Ned Simmons

The banking analogy is right on.
They put up the "Bank" which is their free program trap, and you
deposit all of your IP into the trap.
At any time they can hold all of your IP hostage.

You keep making IP deposits into their "bank" and at any time they
can fold the bank and destroy your IP unless you re-qualify.

I think the bank is more representative than the gambler.

They may hold you hostage for the time and effort you've put into
learning the software, but your IP (the drawing files you've created)
are portable, and can be be opened and edited on numerous other
systems.

--
Ned Simmons

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:54:54 -0500, Ned Simmons
wrote:
snip
CAD software represents a significant investment in learning how to use it.
Would you put your money in a bank that required you to re-qualify
periodically with no guarantee that you could ever get your money back?
snip
Have you considered a Autocad clone?
I use the CMS version at http://intellicadms.com/site/
but there are several flavors of intellicad at very good
prices
http://www.progecad.us/?gclid=CNq36Y...Fdtx5QodDzdhCQ
http://www.autodsys.com/accelicadhome.html



-- Unka George (George McDuffee)
...............................
The past is a foreign country;
they do things differently there.
L. P. Hartley (1895-1972), British author.
The Go-Between, Prologue (1953).

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:09:24 -0500, Ned Simmons
wrote:

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 07:04:09 -0800 (PST), Cross-Slide
wrote:

On Feb 28, 8:54*am, Ned Simmons wrote:
On Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:49:08 -0800, mike wrote:
Ned Simmons wrote:
I got an email from Dassault announcing a free 2D CAD program. *The

CAD software represents a significant investment in learning how to use it.
Would you put your money in a bank that required you to re-qualify
periodically with no guarantee that you could ever get your money back?

I agree with your point about the investment in time and effort to
learn a software package -- I've become proficient with autocad plus 3
solid modelers over the last 25 years. In fact, I've used the same
argument when urging folks to try Alibre instead of a cheap/free 2D
package. But for some things, 2D is all one needs.

The bank analogy is flawed, unless the bank also matched your deposit
when you open the account; in other words, they're putting up
something of value as well. A gambling analogy would be more on point.

--
Ned Simmons

The banking analogy is right on.
They put up the "Bank" which is their free program trap, and you
deposit all of your IP into the trap.
At any time they can hold all of your IP hostage.

You keep making IP deposits into their "bank" and at any time they
can fold the bank and destroy your IP unless you re-qualify.

I think the bank is more representative than the gambler.

They may hold you hostage for the time and effort you've put into
learning the software, but your IP (the drawing files you've created)
are portable, and can be be opened and edited on numerous other
systems.

Probably the main risk is having to learn another program, which with
2D isn't all that big an effort. I might give it a try, and I'll make
sure that my licensed copy of Solidworks can open the files properly.