Since computers began to be used in industry, one of the first applications was in the CAD design of components. Computers allowed for much more practical design than the conventional methods of the time, and also enabled quick modifications, easy copying of designs, and so on.
Today, CAD tools have evolved considerably. The software available now is much more comprehensive and allows for far more than early CAD programs. And with the advent of 3D printing , these programs have become even more practical in industry and architecture.
What is CAD?
CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design. It's a type of software used to design a wide variety of projects across different industries, from packaging design and architecture to the design of mechanical parts, engines, structures of all kinds, vehicles, circuits, and more.
It can also be used to design characters for use in film animation, simulations, and more. Modern CAD software has advanced significantly, enabling even more applications. In fact, programs now allow for 2D and 3D design, the application of textures and materials, structural calculations, lighting, motion, and more.
But to get to this point, many things have changed since the beginning. And to see those origins, we have to go back to the 50s , when MIT began using some graphics programs to process data obtained by the U.S. Air Force's radar systems. This allowed them to display the radar detections on a CRT monitor.
In those same laboratories, Lincoln Laboratory , the foundations of the computer graphics we know today began to be laid. This occurred in the 60s, allowing the use of a keyboard and a light pen to draw images on the screen. Almost simultaneously, other similar projects were developed at companies like General Motors, such as the ITEK project, a PDP-1 computer with a vector display, hard disk refresh memory, and a tablet and electronic pen for data input.
The systems were gradually improved, eventually leading to BDS (Building Description System) by Charles Eastman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. It was essentially a library or database of basic architectural elements that could be assembled to design more complex structures.
An ITEK-based system was launched in 1965, becoming the first commercial CAD system and costing around $500.000 USD at the time. A few years later, aerospace and automotive companies such as General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, and others began using early CAD systems to design their products.
Shortly after, the first CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) system arrived ; that is, a CAD system combined with a manufacturing system to produce the parts designed in CAD. It was pioneered by Lockheed, an aerospace company.
CAD systems in the late 70s dropped in price to around $130.000, but were still expensive. It wasn't until the 80s that cheaper CAD software began to be implemented, coinciding with the founding of AutoCAD (Autodesk) in 1982. John Walker's company has reigned supreme in this sector ever since, offering software for under $1000 and driving its widespread adoption.
In the 90s, CAD systems began to conquer other platforms (beyond the workstations of Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment Corporation, etc.) of less expensive computers, reaching Microsoft Windows and the PC . From that moment on, this type of software has continued to evolve and decrease in price, even giving rise to a multitude of free and open-source projects…
Best CAD programs
If you wonder about CAD design software that you can use today, here you have a good selection of them. And although there are some very important and widely used in the industry such as Autodesk AutoCAD, because it is a blog of hardware libre, we will also focus on free software:
FreeCAD
It's one of the best alternatives to AutoCAD, and besides being free and open-source software, it's one of the most professional programs currently available. FreeCAD offers a great user experience, with a multitude of tools and truly professional results, in both 2D and 3D.
It also supports MCAD, CAx, CAE, and PLM modeling based on OpenCascade , a powerful geometry core developed in Python. Furthermore, it is cross-platform, running on Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux.
FreeCAD
LibreCAD is another excellent alternative to AutoCAD. It's also open source and free, like the previous one. It boasts a large and very active development community and is compatible with Windows, GNU/Linux, and macOS.
It focuses on 2D design (in DXF and CXF formats) and originated as a fork of another free program called QCAD. A great deal of work has gone into making it lightweight and compatible with older or resource-constrained computers, and it allows for quick adaptation if you're coming from AutoCAD, as its interface is similar.
DraftSight
DraftSight is a professional tool designed to replace AutoCAD for 2D design. It offers a paid version for professional use with additional features compared to the free version. Furthermore, it is cross-platform, compatible with GNU/Linux, Windows, and macOS.
The free version allows you to create, open, edit, and save files in AutoCAD's native DXF and DWG formats, as well as export projects to other formats such as WMF, JPEG, PDF, PNG, SLD, SVG, TIF, and STL. Therefore, it offers broad compatibility if you work with files from other programs.
3D printing software
Now, if you're wondering which of those programs can be used to design objects and then print them on a 3D printer , then you should know of some programs you can use for that. I've already mentioned one of them in the previous section, which is FreeCAD. Besides that one, you also have other free or open-source options such as:
- Design Spark Mechanical- is a free CAD software created by RS Components and SpaceClaim Corporation. This project was specially designed for professional use and for 3D designs. In addition, it is very easy to use, with a pleasant graphical interface suitable for low-medium level users. Download.
- Sketch up- It has a very simple free program that is gaining popularity because it allows quick sketching and has great applications in architectural design. Its interface is web-based, so it can be used from various systems, allowing export to STL for 3D printers. Sign in.
- TinkerCAD: It also has a free web app to draw small simple pieces in 3D. Widely used in education due to its characteristics, being able to be used with primitives, such as cubes, spheres, cylinders, etc., to be able to integrate, rotate and position them to create more complex shapes. Of course you can export the models to STL for 3D printing. Sign in.