One of the key things to know about FreeCAD is that, as an open-source project, it is completely free for all to use. It’s primarily aimed at those working in mechanical engineering and product design, and with its scriptable CAD, there are options for electrical or architectural design too.įreeCAD was released in October 2002 by authors Jürgen Riegel, Werner Mayer, and Yorik van Havre who wanted to create open-source CAD software to work on all platforms.
What is FreeCAD?įreeCAD is a 3D modeler used mostly for designing real-life objects of any size. So let’s get into the details and find out more about FreeCAD and Fusion 360. These are both extremely high functioning software that can be used for complex designs, and many of the features are likely to be used only by those with a background in engineering, however, there is plenty to attract a hobby user, learner, or small business user too. FreeCAD allows you to maintain control of your files, whereas Fusion 360’s files are stored in the cloud.FreeCAD is free to extend, whereas Fusion 360’s extensions and plugins are of an additional cost.FreeCAD is still in development, whereas Fusion 360 is a complete product.FreeCAD has a steeper learning curve, whereas Fusion 360 is relatively user-friendly and intuitive.FreeCAD is open source and therefore will always be completely free, whereas Fusion 360 has free licenses only for educators and students.The main differences between FreeCAD and Fusion 360 are: Main Differences Between FreeCAD vs Fusion 360 Fusion 360: Which One Is Better for 3D Printing? The Alternatives to FreeCAD and Fusion 360.Main Differences Between FreeCAD vs Fusion 360.
It takes some practice, but results have been great.
One particular feature that I found very helpful is the 'involute gear' maker of FreeCAD. I haven't found much that can't be done with it. The learning curve can be steep, but manageable. They started off simple, as in doing some simple geometric items in the Parts workbench, and then doing some actual drafting, again of simple items, using the Sketcher in the Part Design workbench. Those interested might look into if you have a makerspace or community college that has a quickie night course in something like this. I'm a regular reader of MagPi and HackSpace and would recommend those to any and all. I'm also a Pi fan, got into that before I got into 3d printing. A number of years ago when I first got into 3d printing I took a quickie course at our local 'makerspace' on drafting 3d models, and the tool that was used was FreeCAD, since it is free and thus equally available to all participants and also since it was available on all common platforms, and thus equally available as well.
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