Favorite CAD programs?

FIRST General Forum
#1

What are y’alls favorite CAD programs, either singular favorites or rankings? I’ve got some pretty good experience in 3, and they (in order of my preference) are:

  1. Onshape
  2. Fusion 360
  3. Inventor

What are your favorites?

4 Likes
What CAD software does your team use?
#2
  1. Onshape
  2. Onshape
  3. Onshape
7 Likes
#3

Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape, Onshape. ONSHAPE!

5 Likes
#4

Solidworks…

20 Likes
#5

Solidworks
Onshape

4 Likes
#6

Discourse has awesome polls…

Favorite CAD Program
  • Onshape
  • Solidworks
  • Inventor
  • Fusion 360
  • Creo
  • Catia
  • NX
  • AutoCAD

0 voters

Poll allows you to pick your top 2.

Yes, I know a team who designs robots in AutoCAD (or at least they did 10 years ago or so (am I old?))

3 Likes
#7

Arguably, this is more likely to measure used software than actual software.

Case in point: we use Inventor and I’m comfortable with it; my experience of Onshape is opening up public CAD models but since I have no real experience it’s confusing. Hence, Inventor is an easy win (for my perspective).

It’s also probably (?) rare to use different softwares a lot. Not sure how this would be solved, though.

1 Like
#8

Not sure what you are trying to get at. Favorite often means the one most familiar to the user. Favorite is also an opinion, meaning it is, by definition, subjective.

#9

NX needs love. The learning curve is steep but it’s so insanely powerful. I only wish I had a way to use it for personal projects.

5 Likes
#10

what makes it different from SolidWorks or any other CAD program?

2 Likes
#11

Onshape
Solidworks
Inventor

2 Likes
#12

For personal projects, as well as introducing people to CAD for the first time, I’m a big fan of Solvespace.

  • free/libre open-source software
  • available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux
  • very easy to download and install. It’s one ~10-megabyte file, no accounts or license keys needed.
  • Has only about 10% of the functionality of a more complex program like Inventor, but it’s the functionality that I need to do 90% of the time (especially for my own projects: woodworking, 3D printing, project planning…). The documentation fits on a single, searchable or readable web page. I can teach 100% of the program in a day. Other people have done it with tutorials that fit in a single reasonably-long web page.
  • Uses the same sketch-extrude-assemble workflow as more complex CAD programs.
2 Likes
#13

Of the programs I’ve used:

  1. Inventor
  2. Inventor, but in bold
  3. OnShape
  4. Solidworks
  5. Fusion 360
  6. Pause for dramatic effect
  7. Nope, still not ready yet
  8. CREO belongs down here
8 Likes
#14

OpenSCAD

3 Likes
#15

Im seeing a distinct lack of discussion on what is the Best CAD program on the market right now

8 Likes
#16

Doesn’t get better than that.

#17

mspaint

7 Likes
#18

Sketchpad – written nearly 60 years ago, formed the basis/inspiration for basically all GUIs and OO programming.

4 Likes
#19

You can pry my 2009 install of Lego Digital Designer from my cold, dead, laptop harddrive.

17 Likes
#20

I’m not seeing Minecraft anywhere.
Otherwise, Solidworks is my favorite. Yes, I’m biased.
I do wanna try a couple higher end programs as well just to learn them.
I hate Onshape, but I think mostly cause of the mating system.

1 Like