Is AutoCAD too expensive for your company? Consider these seven alternatives instead. Autodesk is a juggernaut in the drafting industry—and they know it. While they tend to produce sleek, full-featured products, they come at a high cost. Original post at http://blog.capterra.com/top-7-autocad-alternatives/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=slideshare&utm_source=linkedin

1. The Top 7 AutoCAD Alternatives

2. Autodesk is a juggernaut in the drafting industry—and they
know it. While they tend to produce sleek, full-featured
products, they come at a high cost.

3. In a market filled with terrible AutoCAD knockoffs, it can be
tough to distill which products are worth your time—and which
aren’t. Luckily I’ve done that work for you and found the top
seven AutoCAD alternatives.

4. Originally published by Rachel Burger on Capterra’s
Construction Management Blog

5. I chose these alternatives using four criteria:

6. - They read the same kinds of files that AutoCAD does
- They integrate easily with AutoCAD itself
- They’re intuitive to learn
- They won’t break the bank

7. By whittling down the options from our comprehensive list
of engineering CAD software products, I’ve come up with the
below options that meet all four criteria.

8. 8. nanoCAD

9. nanoCAD is an entirely free AutoCAD alternative–and its fully-
featured version, nanoCAD Plus, is only $18. Talk about a steal.

10. When comparing nanoCAD to AutoCAD, there are some notable
differences. nanoCAD doesn’t offer dynamic input, associative
hatches, library objects with behavioral properties, or
operations with solid 3D objects.
However, it offers many features that AutoCAD doesn’t have.
These include raster manipulations, an Excel-style table editor,
and a linetype editor.

11. 7. Sketchup

12. Formerly known as Google Sketchup, this is a great option
for CAD professionals.
Starting with a very basic version and moving up from there (the
construction version is $590), Sketchup is compatible with many
file types (including DXF, DWG, FBX, OBJ, XSI, and VRML) and
export images (including PDFs and HD animations).

13. Sketchup is known for being easy to use—its website boasts, “If
you want to be productive after just one day of training, you’ve
come to the right place.”

14. While Sketchup seems like a great package, it does lack some
features.
It doesn’t let you use NURBS surfaces, it only supports texture
files that are labeled with less than eight characters, and there
are sometimes compatibility problems with importing images
from other CAD programs.
They also do not offer wall tools.

15. 6. ProgeCAD

16. ProgeCAD is for people who want AutoCAD but can’t afford
it. Running for $499, ProgeCAD boasts over 11,000 2D symbols
and an intuitive interface that’s relatively easy to learn.

17. Want to make a new file using ProgeCAD? It automatically saves
as a DWT file. CAD technicians can also save in DWG or DXF
formats, and all three file types sync well with AutoCAD 2012.

18. Some critics say that ProgeCAD is a direct AutoCAD knockoff.
The program also struggles to read 3D geometry because it has
to go through a proxy.

19. 5. BricsCAD

20. If you’ve used AutoCAD before, BricsCAD’s interface will seem
familiar. It doesn’t have the ribbon, but otherwise it’s almost
identical. The developer claims that it supports “hundreds” of
third-party applications.

21. BricsCAD integrates into the cloud and recognizes XREFS, has a
robust rendering engine, and is largely customizable.
The functionality is almost identical to AutoCAD; it has 2D
drafting (ex: floor plans and technical drawings) and 3D
modeling in .dwg format.

22. There only major drawback to BrisCAD V15 Pro is that its
document management tool is difficult, though not impossible,
to learn.

23. 4. TurboCAD Pro Platinum

24. While a bit of a pricier option than other AutoCAD alternatives
at $1695, TurboCAD Pro Platinum is a full package.
It has more features than AutoCAD 2014, including a smart
dimension tool, 3D terrain modeling, and Ruby scripting.

25. TurboCAD stands apart from AutoCAD 2014 because it has more
3D modeling features—it particularly excels at creating detailed
and complicated images.

26. Because this behemoth of a software has so many features,
some users have noted that it can be difficult to learn.
Their support is decent—they have email and phone lines to
call—but there isn’t much support within the application itself.

27. 3. DesignCAD 3D Max v24

28. Want a CAD program that won’t break the bank? DesignCAD is
probably your best option. Costing only $99, DesignCAD 3D Max
v24, made by the same people who make TurboCAD, is a
versatile tool that will fit (most) of your CAD needs.

29. This CAD software is very easy to learn and great for 3D and 2D
architecture.
It allows users to add texture and hatching and it can produce
photorealistic models (for example: furniture).
It has over 10,000 symbols to choose from and the navigation is
easy. DesignCAD is customizable, and when help is needed,
their phone and email help team, beyond their video tutorials,
is free to the user.

30. Where DesignCAD fails is in its compatibility. It’s compatible
with DWG and DXF files, but it does not support STL, DGN, or
SKP files.
That means that if you want to use your CAD program for 3D
printing, look elsewhere.

31. 2. DraftSight

32. If you’re a student or individual looking for CAD software, this is
your best option (because it’s free!).
If not, DraftSight offers two reasonable options: DraftSight
Professional (for small and medium-sized businesses) for $299,
and DraftSight Enterprise (prices vary).

33. DraftSight is good for 2D modeling. It doesn’t run LISP routines
and offers no express tools.
That said, it can save and open DXF and DWG files, do batch
printing, offers macro recording, and a huge design library.

34. The free version of DraftSight doesn’t offer much—it’s good for
quick calculations and drawings. As you scale up, DraftSight
begins to compete directly with AutoCAD.

35. 1. VectorWorks

36. Are you a BIM programmer?
VectorWorks directly competes with AutoCAD and is particularly
popular among Apple users. The program is straightforward to
set up and use, and has OpenGL rendering.
It is fully compatible with DWF/DXF/DWG files, and can easily
exchange files with AutoCAD and Revit. VectorWorks costs
$2,595.

37. VectorWorks offers the complete package. This intuitive
program allows users to move around their BIM files without re-
rendering. VectorWorks 2014 and 2015 offer Sketch Mode for
simple and conceptual drawings.

38. Find more about BIM, AutoCad and Construction Management
Here