Draft it

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

Hi, I was looking for a free easy to use CAD 2D tool to do some drawings for laser cutting out locomotive frames. I came across Draft It which looks very easy to use and doesn't need monthly payments. The basic version is free and the Pro version costs £24 one off payment. It looks very basic but easy to use. Has anyone used it and can comment please?

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

John,

For the drawings that you want to produce, I would recommend QCAD. It will do everything you need and more and is free to download and use. It's not restricted in any way as some are and you can pay for the Pro version if you want to, though there'd be no point for simple drawings. You can try the Pro extras for a limited period after installation to see if it provides any useful features.

John

[Pete WhiteParticipant @petewhite15172]

Qcad had done it for me for longer than I can remember.

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

Hi, okay thanks , i'll take a look at that one.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Dunno about Draft It, but can recommend QCAD. Does more than I need for 2D and isn't too complicated.

The Pro and Community editions are in the same bundle. The licence covers Windows, Mac and Linux on several machines if wanted.

The free trial allows the Pro functions to be used in 15 minute slices. If the extra functions are needed Pro is switched on permanently by paying once, which got me 3 years upgrades as well. Otherwise trial-mode is switched off and although some commands and features disappear, it's essentially the same software.

I happily used the Community Edition for several years before paying for Pro. Though the Pro additions are all useful, my main reason was to get the Break Out Segment Tool. Saves a lot of time by deleting bits of line with a single click. The Community edition can do the same job, but it's more effort.

Dave

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

ok, I've downloaded it onto my windows 10 . I want to remove the plugins so I have the free version. Can anyone tell me how to do this please?

[John RutzenParticipant @johnrutzen76569]

Hi, I think I've done it.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I seem to remember there used to be a section that dealt with that on the web site but can't find it now. I believe that it's just a matter of clicking a button within the UI window. However, there's no need to remove them, your access to them automatically ceases after the trial period and you carry on using QCAD "lite", if I remember correctly. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. It's been quite a few years since I started using QCAD.

John

Well done, then!

Edited By John Hinkley on 28/07/2022 15:29:42

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

QCad for me too.

Regards

Brian B

[Author]

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