CAD on a Mac

[petek]

The only professional CAD software for the Mac that I'm aware of is from Ashlar. They were pioneers in parametric design and I've used their 3D drafting software for about 10 years, first with Ashlar Vellum and now with Graphite. Their current offerings are Mac OSX and Windows native. Unfortunately, their prices are larger than their following and I think Cobalt, their solids package, costs about the same as Inventor.

I have Graphite (a 3D wireframe app) loaded on my Tibook, though I use Inventor on my desktop PC. I use Graphite to sketch concepts for work and FIRST as well as for home construction plans, but Inventor is a much better application for engineering design.

File import and export are a little dodgy with Ashlar - I can generally export dxf and iges successfully, but they've never put much effort into their import functions.

Ashlar's programs are extremely easy to learn and use effectively, but they've never really made it into the majors, though according to Ashlar, "The Scaled Composites design team confirmed that they designed the majority of SpaceShipOne and its companion aircraft, White Knight, in Cobalt." Rutan has figured heavily in their ad campaigns over the years.