Best Open Source Cad Software

CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design. CAD systems consist of a combination of hardware and software. For utilizing CAD system needed quality graphics monitor, mouse, light pen and printer. It is mostly used by engineers, drafters, architectures, artists to create accurate technical illustrations and drawings. By using CAD software we can design anything like furniture, toys, automobile, airplanes, houses, circuit boards, etc. It allows you to create two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) graphical representations of physical objects.

CAD software provides best practices, lowers development costs, increases productivity and product quality. It provides good visualization of products and allows you to see it before final the product. CAD software enhanced documentation of the design by using geometries and dimensions and allow the facility of bills of materials. A lot of CAD software are available in the market but my focus in this article is to discuss a few open-source CAD software. Let's see some of the comprehensive open-source CAD software.

FreeCAD
FreeCAD is an open-source parametric 3D modeler for CAD, MCAD, CAx, CAE, and PLM. It is mostly used in mechanical engineering. It is a comprehensive software tool, highly customizable extensible, and scriptable. By using FreeCAD you can easily customize your design and change parameters in model history. It is written in C++ and Python language and supported cross-platform (Windows, Mac, and Linux). It released under the LGPLv2+ license.

< font="4">Features

It supported both 2D and 3D modeler component.
It can be exchanged in the following formats DXF, SVG, STEP, IGES, STL, OBJ, DAE, SCAD, IV, and IFC.
It is a complete graphical user interface-based application.
It can be run through the command line.
It can be imported as a Python module.
It provides parametric associative document objects.
It has a built-in scripting framework and a built-in Python console.
It provides full macro recording & editing.

Blender
Blender is a free and open-source CAD software solution. It is mostly used for the creation of animated films, 3D models & interactive applications, visual effects, artistic applications, rigging, animation, simulation, motion tracking rendering, video editing, and game creation. It supported cross-platform (Linux, Windows, and Macintosh) and released under GNU General Public License (GPL).

< font="4">Features

It provides support for a wide range of geometric primitives like polygon meshes, fast subdivision surface modeling, etc
It provides integration support.
It has plugin support.
It used Python scripting for tool creation and prototyping, game logic, and importing.
Provide Node Support for full customization.
It offers a range of rigging tools weight painting, mirror functionality, interpolated bones.
It provides 20 different brush support for sculpting.

BRL-CAD
BRL-CAD is an open-source CAD software solution. It based on constructive solid geometry (CSG) modeling. BRL-CAD consists of an interactive geometry editor, path tracing & ray tracing support, geometric analysis, rendering analysis, frame buffer support, performance analysis benchmark, embedded scripting, geometric representation, and analysis library. It is written in C, C++, Tcl and released under BSD, LGPL. It also supported cross-platform.

< font="4">Features

It provides real-time ray tracing and collision detection.
It has extendable modeling tools.
It has an interactive 3D world editor.
It provides APIs for the creation of geometry via code.
It provides CSG and meshes objects in geometric.
Easy to use network transport library.