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2D drafting options

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PaulProe

Senior Member
A number of years ago, I switched to Alibre for my design and 3D work. Little bit of a learning curve and I still struggle in some areas. It remains my go-to program for my CAD work.

I kept my copy of AutoCAD 2010 and used it for quick 2D layouts and architectural items. All was fine till AutoDesk announced it would no longer support or authorize the program. I was fine as long as my laptop ran without issues - and then it happened. An update to Windows scrambled the laptop, I had to reinstall Windows to get it corrected - and my copy of AutoCAD 2010 won't authorize now. Looking for alternatives

I find a number of hacks to generate new key codes for the program. I am concerned that most of these are really spam or pirate sites and hesitate to use them. Anyone have any experience with this?

Looking for alternative programs, I really dislike the subscription model most have gone to. And no more than I use it, it just doesn't make economic sense. Can anyone suggest an alternative for 2D work?

Lew, you and I fought the gauntlet with Generic Cadd, then Visual Cadd, then WhoKnowsWhatCadd. Got a good fallback solution for 2D stuff? Free is nice, inexpensive is fine, $500 to use it three time a year is very hard to justify.

? ? ?


Paul
 
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PaulProe

Senior Member
I am looking at LibreCad right now and having issues. Seems it won't open my DWG files. Haven't gotten to the bottom of this

AutoCAD has become pretty much a 2D program for architects and civil engineers. I just don't understand how a company can just throw away customers and think they are gaining ground. When they notified me of non-support, I was politely told they didn't care about my business or any previous commitment they had made to me. Felt sorry for the lowly customer service tech who AutoDesk had instructed them to tell the customer to 'pound sand'
 
wazzu83

wazzu83

Senior Member
Have you looked at DraftSight? I use it to bridge between client or vendor dwg files and Alibre. The standard version was free up until late 2019. Now the annual cost is $99.
 
Hunter

Hunter

Senior Member
PaulProe said:
A number of years ago, I switched to Alibre for my design and 3D work. Little bit of a learning curve and I still struggle in some areas. It remains my go-to program for my CAD work.

I kept my copy of AutoCAD 2010 and used it for quick 2D layouts and architectural items. All was fine till AutoDesk announced it would no longer support or authorize the program. I was fine as long as my laptop ran without issues - and then it happened. An update to Windows scrambled the laptop, I had to reinstall Windows to get it corrected - and my copy of AutoCAD 2010 won't authorize now. Looking for alternatives

I find a number of hacks to generate new key codes for the program. I am concerned that most of these are really spam or pirate sites and hesitate to use them. Anyone have any experience with this?

Looking for alternative programs, I really dislike the subscription model most have gone to. And no more than I use it, it just doesn't make economic sense. Can anyone suggest an alternative for 2D work?

Lew, you and I fought the gauntlet with Generic Cadd, then Visual Cadd, then WhoKnowsWhatCadd. Got a good fallback solution for 2D stuff? Free is nice, inexpensive is fine, $500 to use it three time a year is very hard to justify.

? ? ?


Paul
Click to expand...
I use QCAD
 
NateLiquidGravity

NateLiquidGravity

Alibre Super User
In my search for ditching AutoCAD I tried DraftSight. It is almost a perfect replacement but there are some issues you might find deal breaking for everyday workhorse use.
Here are my thoughts on it compared to AutoCAD:
Code: 
Benefits of Draftsight:
Cheap
Mouse highlight faster
Mouse selection faster
Mechanical toolbox:
   Insert fasteners and holes with callouts
   Weld symbol tool
   Part balloons
   BOM based on balloons
   Revision table with revision indicators
Can select things off screen with drag box
Doesn't select all ordinate dimensions when selecting with drag box

Problems with Draftsight:
Can't edit or create dynamic blocks.
Can't spell check unless Microsoft Word is installed.
Bug prevents fraction format from saving correctly.
Bug makes some user settings reset.
Bug causes reset to none for selected e snaps.
No express tools (convert text to mtext, replace blocks)
Dimension text positioning limited (no move with leader)
Angle dimension text position determines inside/outside so text can't be moved
Different order using grips for move/rotate/...
Sometimes ESC key stops working to deselect all
Menu and toolbars don't use standard windows color settings for background.
Different sort order of dimension styles
Can't use a reference for rotate using grips
Crashes
 
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