Do you want CAD, or drawing? You can use a dwg package to generate simple "engineering drawings" but it won't have the bells and whistles that real CAD has.

While my endlessly-delayed project to learn proper CAD takes shape I continue to use Open Office Draw which does lots of good things like dimension lines and stuff. It's part of the OpenOffice suite and can be downloaded for free:

**LINK**

You also get a capable spreadsheet, word processing and other stuff.

How old are you? May seem daft & impertanant but its relevant as if you're an 'oldie' I would stick to pencil and paper as it takes a hell of a time to get even basically competant with any CAD (as I found out). If you've plenty of years in reserve – ok, but I agree with John Haine – if its dead simple engineering drawings you're after us a drawing package as he suggested – will run on any PC.

If you still want to run with CAD, do a search of this site (use the search box halfway down the home page, not the one at the top here – it's better) and search for 'Basic' CAD , simple CAD etc and you'll find plenty of suggestions as this has been aired many, Many times before.

What you will find though, is there a hundred and one different suggestions and preferences to the point of confusion. Doesn't help much I'm afraid – but there are truly 'Free' ones (limited performance usually) like LibreCAD which work ok.

Best of luck Mike

Alibre Atom might be worth a go. It is paid for software but you can get a free trial it is a full CAD package not just drawing. There are tutorials on the forum and quite a few threads here about it. Try this thread to start with.

John

Edited By Journeyman on 14/12/2022 09:57:48

Trouble with Alibre Atom is that the free trial is only for 30 days. So if one gives it some intense effort one still would not get overly profficient in that time. I must admit that having looked at the tutorials I did think of giving it a go. But when I emailed the UK distributor & was quoted £269 + VAT I decided that it was just a silly price to pay for the amount I would use it. I have been told by others that this includes £70 + VAT support but that does not sweeten the pill much. So it was not even worth playing with the free trial.

25 years ago I was lightening fast with Auto sketch, but that skill has long since gone & I am not sure if it will run on my current platform. But if it is obtainable it is good if one can use it enough to get used to using the key presses to speed up the operations.I expect it has been superceded by much better programmes . Trouble is they often get harder to learn..

I am currently trying Freecad. I am having difficulty getting started. But at 75 years of age that is hardly surprising. I expect that I will crack it over the winter though, as there is little else to do. It is a case of finding the right set of You Tube tutorials. I did try one & it was not so good. I am on another & find it much better.

So I think that one has to decide how far one wants to go & how much effort one wants to put into it. If the answer is not a lot, then one has to go for a simple sketching one & be aware that it will not do much more than pencil & paper & not much quicker. But it will rub out & alter things easier.

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 14/12/2022 10:25:17

What are you hoping to achieve? 'Simple parts' like sleeves barely justify the time spent on a dimensioned sketch, let alone a drawing.

The real reason for CAD is not the final drawings, but to simplify the design stages of parts that do justify more than a dimensioned sketch. That will require a considerable amount of time and effort to learn the principles and whatever software you decide upon. And as you've probably noticed, advice for the 'best' CAD system is just like asking five people which is the 'best' beer.

I use QCAD (community edition is free) for 2D-drawings when they get beyond squared paper complexity, or are going to be shared with someone else. QCAD-Pro is paid for, but adds some useful features. LibreCAD is a fork of QCAD-community edition.

3D-CAD is more difficult to choose. I have:

• FreeCAD – for single parts. It's free and open-source – no licence or other restrictions.
• SolidEdge Community Edition – for multi-part assemblies. It's free, almost full-function, and runs locally on your computer but has licence conditions. They're not onerous for a hobbyist, but that might change! I found SE harder to learn compared with Fusion 360, partly because I was used to FreeCAD and Fusion's way of doing things.
• I used Fusion 360 for over a year. Also good for multipart assemblies, and being a relatively new product, the ergonomics are good. I like it. Unfortunately being a cloud product brings privacy and control issues, and the owners have taken to disabling features in hope of nudging users into buying a full licence. I don't blame Autodesk for wanting to earn money, but my hobby interests don't justify the cost of a full licence.

Learning 3D-CAD is non-trivial, almost a hobby in itself. Not everyone can do the mental gymnastics needed to think in 3D and drive complicated software, but once mastered 3D-CAD is wonderful if anything complicated is afoot.

Dave

A few years ago SOD posted this nice tutorial on this forum for FreeCad. Just follow it in stages and you will find it quite easy.
Fusion was the tops for hobbyists but got messed around with as they try to pressure amateurs into buying it,
Alibre looked good when they offered a free trial for ME readers but then asked silly money for the amateur version (and twice what the USA got it for)
Solid Edge is getting a following but has in the last few weeks got an update and the tutorials are only for the older version and tend to be aimed at more advanced users.

SO stick with start off with FreeCad and the tutorial at least to dip your toes in, (possibly the wrong metopher given the weather).

I don't think age should come into it, more aptitude. I've answered a couple of queries from a guy on HMEM forum who was using the Atom 3D trial and this is what he was getting upto in less than two weeks – modelling parts, assembling them and producing 2D working drawings. BTW he is 86 and not used any 3D package before.

Edited By JasonB on 14/12/2022 13:58:08

I don't think 3D has to be the domain of CNC and 3D printer users. I was using it a long time before I got the CNC to design engines and I still only make a very small percentage of parts on the CNC.

The ability to assemble the 3D parts and have them move in their correct relation to each other is the biggest bonus as that is not something you can easily do with 2D drawings unless you want to start cutting out bits of card or paper. Even then if you need to make a change it's out with the scissors again after having redrawn the item, with a 3D package it's just a couple of clicks to alter the individual part and then the whole assembly will update.

My off-the-cuff comment about age was only meant to light hearted – you're never too old to do / start anything. Saw Pru Leith (of 'bakeoff' fame) on the TV last night, she's 82 and was chatting on about her upcoming one-woman show tours of the UK and USA next year! Made me ashamed sitting idly in front of the box.

Its just that sometimes it can be very disheartening to start something and struggle, time is precious (more so the older you get) and its useful to be pre-warned I think. Everyone learns at different speeds so one chap may well become a reasonably competant user after a few weeks others will not. The forum members have ,as usual, provided a wealth of suggestions and useful comments to assist in choosing a possible route. It would be interesting to hear what the OP decides to do and how he progresses. Any chance you could do that Peter?

regards Mike

I think it is false economy to go for a simple CAD package in terms of time and effort. In every system the basics are simple to do irrespective of the capability of the software as a whole. If you are on a PC then solid edge community edition is a good choice. If all you want is simple sketches then stick to pencil and paper but if you want to switch to CAD then you should go the whole hog. It’s up to you then how much of the more complex features you use. If you are paying for a system then maybe there is an argument for simpler less expensive software but if it’s free then go for full functionality.
regards Martin

Thanks, Pete, I can fully agree. But it is a shame that many people don't even try Onshape, because it is 'in the cloud'. It would cost them only a few clicks, and if they don't like it, just forget it (no deinstall necessary).
My oldest 'designs' (which I didn't delete), go back to 2016, and all is still there.
The help I got from them, when I also had some troubles in the beginning, can't be bettered.
I still consider Onshape the easiest CAD on the market just now, and I tried a lot since I attended an Autocad course back in 1989 iirc.

Season's greetings.

Hans