DraftSight no longer free

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Just to go back to the original comment for a moment. My copy of Draftsight is copyrighted 2012 and, as far as I know, has no connectivity to Dassault Systems. It is a 2D only version. I don't expect this to disappear. Time. of course, will tell.

Rod

[mgnbukParticipant @mgnbuk]

My copy of Draftsight is copyrighted 2012 and, as far as I know, has no connectivity to Dassault Systems. It is a 2D only version. I don't expect this to disappear. Time. of course, will tell.

The "Important Notice" I received says "all free versions of DraftSight will cease to run after 31.12.2019", so you could be disappointed come the end of the year – that statement doesn't leave much room for misunderstanding, though maybe not if your copy of DS can't "phone home" ?. I couldn't copy & paste the contents of the message box & have yet to find a way of saving a screenshot as a picture to be able to upload it here, unfortunately.

The reason given for the change to a charging model is due to DS2019 having been "extensively re-written to provide 3D functionality and investing in other technologies including a Cloud based version" – Solidworks Lite, maybe ? It seems a bit mean to me to disable the 2D versions, many of the users of which (me included) would not be interested in the "robust 3D capabilities" for the 2D drawings they produce.

Nigel B

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by duncan webster on 28/03/2019 12:29:01:

I was using that as an example, the point I'm trying (unsuccessfully) to make is that in DS and AC you can draw a line from a point in a set direction and a set length with 2 clicks and a command line. To do it in QCAD it seems to be 5 clicks and 2 lots of filling in boxes.

I've also tried LibreCad which is very seems very similar to QCAD but doesn't handle dwg at all well, at least for me, it is very clunky if I open a dwg, and won't save in that format

Ah with you. QCAD doesn't seem to support command-line control in that way. Rather it assumes most users will use the mouse, and that advanced users will use a combination of the command line with coordinates selected by mouse, not typed. Although you can enter coordinates by typing them, qcad doesn't let you do entire command and coordinates like 'line 0,0 20,20' in one go. Instead, after you type in a command like 'line', it prompts for 'First Point', then 'Next Point', collecting coordinates one at a time.

The desire to type coordinates may be due to what you are used to : I haven't had to type CAD commands manually since about 1995!

I'm not sure it's helpful to expect packages to compare at this level of detail, QCAD isn't a Draftsight or an AutoCAD clone, and I don't think it's reasonable to expect it to be functionally identical AND to work in the exactly the same way as anything else.

LIbreCAD is a fork of an earlier version of QCAD. It's true Open Software but isn't as up-to-date or functional as QCAD-Pro, which also includes better support for formats like DXF. A shortcoming – last time I looked – LibreCAD didn't have quick command switching or some of the go-faster commands that make QCAD-Pro more productive. Certainly not rubbish, LibreCAD can produce much the same drawings as QCAD but the operator has to work a little harder.

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 28/03/2019 13:52:09

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

My copy is 2018 sp3 and works without an internet connection but comes up with a notice to say that news and community features will not be available. I bet it will stop working though!

It does seem very unfair as, although Qcad will read and work on simple drawings some of my drawings are virtually unuseable in Qcad as it confuses layers and uses different font styles and sizes for dimensions. Perhaps it will be worth exporting all my drawings in various dxf versions before Draftsight goes tits up.

On the other hand perhaps some kind hacker will come up with an unlocked version that will keep working.

Russell

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 28/03/2019 13:51:12:

Posted by duncan webster on 28/03/2019 12:29:01:

The desire to type coordinates may be due to what you are used to : I haven't had to type CAD commands manually since about 1995!

But it's so much faster, my #2 son who uses 3D modelling in his day job uses loads of command line stuff, clicking icons might be 'easier', but it's a lot slower. I suppose I'll just have to get used to it.

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

I'm a total beginner at QCAD and have only read the first few pages of the e-book, but this worked for me to draw line by line a hexagon with 20 unit sides:

LA30 20 (I would like to be able to enter this, and probably can)

90 (it snapped automatically)

150

210

270

330

What surprised me was that I didn't at any point have to hit , and what pleased me was not having to type "@" or "<" (as in "@20<30" ). I wonder if there is any way to make each line spring from the end of the previous one (perhaps I should read the section on polylines?).

I get the feeling that with practice it will be as quick as anything else, and it is probably faster to learn, but it is going to take a while to get used to it as I have been using the same AutoCAD/DraftSight interface since taking my C&G on AutoCAD R14.

Brian

EDIT: to remove accidental winky

Edited By Brian G on 28/03/2019 14:28:33

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Is it 'fair' to make something freely available, then withdraw it?

It seems to be a frequent thing these days. A program I use has shifted to a yearly subscription model, but (a) it's only £10 and the (b) 'free' version has been 'frozen' rather than withdrawn – it just tempts you with all the extra goodies in the 'pro version'. This does seem 'fairer' to me me.

I do think that not making it clear a program you might invest a lot of time and data into could cease to be free is unfair. I particularly worry about programs that push their free version hard but use evasive language when asked a direct question, like this example:

"While I can't necessarily make any promises that ********* will indefinitely have a free tier, or who meets the guidelines for a free tier (current entitlements here), please know that we are extremely committed to serving the enthusiasts, hobbyists, startups and smaller businesses."

Neil

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by Brian G on 28/03/2019 14:27:32:but it is going to take a while to get used to it as I have been using the same AutoCAD/DraftSight interface since taking my C&G on AutoCAD R14.

I'm with you there Brian. I've been using Autocad and then Draftsight since 1984, Autocad version 1.4 I think. It's difficult for this old dog to learn new tricks!

Russell

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Anyone looking for a good free 2d CAD programme should check out Siemens Solid Edge 2d. I used it a lot before I went to 3d Solid Edge.

[Rod AshtonParticipant @rodashton53132]

Try FreeCad 0.18 with the workbook DRAFT selected. Stick with the drawing approach for a bit and you will find a very useful tool. If you wish you can convert instantly to 3D or just save your file as 2D.

Here is brief overview of 2D :- **LINK**

[egaParticipant @ega]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 28/03/2019 14:44:30:

Is it 'fair' to make something freely available, then withdraw it?

Interesting to compare the behaviour of the "evil empire" in relation to its popular program MS Money which was always paid for until Microsoft discontinued it but made a perfectly usable "sunset" edition available free.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Just had a quick look at FreeCAD and see it has an architect mode that seems to make drawing connected walls easy. Could be good for designing sheds

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 28/03/2019 14:44:30:

Is it 'fair' to make something freely available, then withdraw it?

.

Ahh … The old "MEW Digital Archive" question

MichaelG.

[Eric SinclairParticipant @ericsinclair96776]

Posted by Russell Eberhardt on 28/03/2019 14:15:33:

My copy is 2018 sp3 and works without an internet connection but comes up with a notice to say that news and community features will not be available. I bet it will stop working though!

It does seem very unfair as, although Qcad will read and work on simple drawings some of my drawings are virtually unuseable in Qcad as it confuses layers and uses different font styles and sizes for dimensions. Perhaps it will be worth exporting all my drawings in various dxf versions before Draftsight goes tits up.

On the other hand perhaps some kind hacker will come up with an unlocked version that will keep working.

Russell

Russell, what problems have you find with layers when reading Draftsight dwg files in Qcad?

Eric

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

My apologies, I hadn't considered that my use of angle brackets to show keyboard commands would be processed as empty HTML markups. The real operations to draw a hexagon were slightly longer as below:

LA30 [TAB] to angle box 20 [CLICK] on start point (I would like to be able to enter this, and probably can)

90 [CLICK] on end of previous line (it snapped automatically)

150 [CLICK] on end of previous line

210 [CLICK] on end of previous line

270 [CLICK] on end of previous line

330 [CLICK] on end of previous line then [ESC] to end command

So far I have found that multi-line text from DraftSight is coming out as a single (very) long line, and that some linetypes haven't worked. Layers seem to be OK, but although it looks like QCAD can support multi-line text, and if not I can simply go back to the old way of entering one line at a time).

The biggest loss seems to be in dimensioning, as QCAD doesn't appear to support alternate (mm/inch) units, but instead requires the alternate dimension to be entered manually by editing the dimension. All drawings from DraftSight only show the first dimension when viewed in QCAD.

I think QCAD will be able to satisfy my needs but my first action will be to print all my existing drawings to PDF so I have a reference copy that I will be able to check if I need to edit them later in QCAD.

Brian

[simondavies3Participant @simondavies3]

Posted by Raymond Anderson on 28/03/2019 14:50:56:

Anyone looking for a good free 2d CAD programme should check out Siemens Solid Edge 2d. I used it a lot before I went to 3d Solid Edge.

+1

I suggested it in this thread too along with a link.**LINK**

(its the first post today, not sure how to link down to individual post level)

BR
Simon

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Russell Eberhardt on 28/03/2019 14:15:33:

…

It does seem very unfair as, although Qcad will read and work on simple drawings some of my drawings are virtually unuseable in Qcad as it confuses layers and uses different font styles and sizes for dimensions. Perhaps it will be worth exporting all my drawings in various dxf versions before Draftsight goes tits up.

…

Russell

I think Russell is seeing format mangling due to QCAD and Draftsight not conforming identically to AutoCAD's DXF format. DXF is owned by AutoCAD, they change it periodically, and it exists in multiple versions.

It's worth checking which versions of DXF QCAD and Draftsight support, and exporting drawings in a version they both support. Alternatively, it's usually safer to export from a low version to higher, and risky to export from high to low.

Fonts are similarly variable and there is no guarantee that a font used by one package will be available to another. When importing the receiving package will usually substitute a font it does have (a guess), so the data isn't lost, even though it may look wrong.

Draftsight may be hoping transferring to another package will be so painful that most users will cough up for a Draftsight license instead. Fusion360 might pull the same trick at some point in the future. Not necessarily because they're evil: offering a free version has one set of commercial advantages, making people pay has another. As managers and results change over time it would be a poor organisation that failed to manage their product; nothing in this world is solid.

Dave

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I've imported a dwg from Draftsight into QCAD, it has over 50 layers, the only issue I've spotted is that the dimscale is too big, but hide all layers apart from dim and follow this link

change dimension settings

I'm warming to it, as others have said it does let you do command line, and for the most used actions it won't take long to learn the commands.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by duncan webster on 29/03/2019 13:50:56:

I've imported a dwg from Draftsight into QCAD, it has over 50 layers,…

…

Blimey, I thought using more than 20 layers in a drawing made me an extremist! I'm guessing yours is a big Assembly Drawing, or is there another reason for using a large number of layers?

Dave

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

It's got every part of a 5"g loco, but I will agree I went a bit overboard

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Duncan Webster you have a PM

[LimpetParticipant @limpet]

Am I missing something or am I just "special" but my version of Draftsight is still fine even after having to re-download it about 2/3 months ago after a big PC crash ( total reload of everthing). No problems at all and no messagesasking for money.

[Graham MeekParticipant @grahammeek88282]

I had an email from DraftSight saying they will stop free usage after the end of December 2019. I re-registered about 4 months ago.

Regards

Gray,

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I would up an old laptop with DS 2012 on it yesterday to get some old files off and try them on another program. It wasn't connected tot eh internet but had a message 'your 30 day trial is over" that I had forgotten it did. An old version of Progecad 2009 seemed to fire up without nags but I seem to remember it wasn't as good as DS and the current version is 30 day only.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

For anyone having problems with translating .dwg files to .dfx there is a very useful utility called "ODA File Converter". It is a free download for Linux, Mac, or Windows.

**LINK**

https://www.opendesign.com/guestfiles/oda_file_converter

It will translate your .dwg or .dxf files to any .dwg form at from Autocad R12 to 2018 and to 21 different versions of .dfx.

Russell

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