Shapr3D CAD Program

[Mark J]

I heard about this new (to me) CAD program.  The 30 min video is worth the watch if you're interested in CAD. 

The program looks like it would be easier to learn than Fusion 360.  It is not parametric, but somewhere between SketchUp and F.360.  I'm told, but can't confirm, that it will draw true circles. 

The free version is pretty limited, so if you like it you're looking at $300/year.

[wtnhighlander]

That looks to have some nice features, and seems like it would be simple to use, but no Linux, and too rich for my blood. I don't care much for subscription plans, either. 

[JohnG]

$25 per month is pretty cheap if it’s something you use a lot. A good bit cheaper than the paid version of Sketchup.

Subscription software gets a lot of hate but can result in a better product. Some certainly take advantage of the trend though. 

[Chestnut]

15 hours ago, JohnG said:

$25 per month is pretty cheap if it’s something you use a lot. A good bit cheaper than the paid version of Sketchup.

Subscription software gets a lot of hate but can result in a better product. Some certainly take advantage of the trend though. 

That adds up fast $300 a year sounds expensive when perpetual license CAD software can be obtained for not much more. In a business environment where updates are somewhat important i get subscription but for shop use it seems unnecessary.

Also the whole cad software is stuck in the stone age. Every company appears to want you to work with a local reseller. Why? just let me order strait from the company why make me talk to some local guy that doesn't respond and just skims money off the top?

[JohnG]

I just noticed that Sketchup changed their pricing structure, their Pro version is now $300/yr. It was $7-800 last time I looked at it.

Not sure what other CAD software still offers perpetual licenses and are any good, it's been a while since I looked at what's out there. Solidworks still does, but that's $4k. And yes, it seems very outdated that they make you go through a reseller. Autodesk sells licenses direct, but they are subscription based. I have an LT subscription for another reason, but do occasionally use it to figure out an angle or check some dimensions.

Of course, FreeCAD is free, and for personal/hobby/small business I think you can still legitimately use the free version of Fusion360. I still some of my older perpetual licensed software installers, but last time I used one it took quite a while to get it working on current Windows versions.

[BonPacific]

The only 3d modelling software I use these days is OpenSCAD, but that's really programmer focused and not terribly user friendly.

[wtnhighlander]

FreeCAD uses OpenSCAD libraries, I believe. If you want to try out the more tradtional user interface, its probably worth a try.

My rather limited experience with FreeCAD 0.20 has been pretty good for the core software. Can't say as much for some of the add-on "workbenches" supplied by others. A lot of them aren't caught up to current development.