Top 7 CAD Programs Available for Linux

Top 7 CAD Programs Available for Linux

Computer Aided Design (CAD) is an essential part of many streams of engineering. CAD is professionally used in architecture, auto parts design, space shuttle research, aeronautics, bridge construction, interior design, and even clothing and jewelry.To get more news about CAD Installation, you can visit shine news official website.

A number of professional-grade CAD programs like SolidWorks and Autodesk AutoCAD are not natively supported on the Linux platform. So today we’ll be having a look at the top CAD programs available for Linux. Let’s dive right in.Installation instructions for Ubuntu-based Linux distributions have been provided. You can check the respective websites to learn the installation procedures for other distributions.

The list is not in any specific order. The CAD application at number one shouldn’t be considered better than the one at number three, and so on.

  1. FreeCAD
    For 3D modelling, FreeCAD is an excellent option that is both free (beer and speech) and open-source. FreeCAD is built with mechanical engineering and product design as its target purposes. FreeCAD is multiplatform and is available on Windows and macOS as well as Linux.Although FreeCAD has been the choice of many Linux users, it should be noted that it’s not a full-fledged solution. However, it’s good to know that it’s being actively developed and you can find the latest releases on GitHub as well.
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    FreeCAD doesn’t focus on direct 2D drawings and animating organic shapes, but it’s great for design related to mechanical engineering. FreeCAD version 0.15 is available in the Ubuntu repositories.

  2. LibreCAD
    LibreCAD is a free and open-source 2D CAD solution. Generally, CAD tends to be a resource-intensive task, and if you have rather modest hardware, then I’d suggest you go for LibreCAD as it’s really lightweight in terms of resource usage. LibreCAD is a great tool for geometric constructions.As a 2D tool, LibreCAD is good but it doesn’t work on 3D models and renderings. It might be unstable at times but it has a dependable autosave that won’t let your work go to waste.

  3. OpenSCAD
    OpenSCAD is a free 3D CAD program. It’s very lightweight and flexible. OpenSCAD isn’t interactive: you need to ‘program’ the model and OpenSCAD will interpret that code to render a visual model. In a sense, it’s like a compiler. You cannot draw the model – you describe the model.

  4. BRL-CAD
    BRL-CAD is one of the oldest CAD tools out there. It’s also a favorite of Linux/UNIX users as it aligns itself with the *nix philosophies of modularity and freedom.The BRL-CAD project started in 1979, and it’s still developed actively. Now, BRL-CAD isn’t AutoCAD, but it’s still a great choice for transport studies such as thermal and ballistic penetration. BRL-CAD uses CSG instead of boundary representation. You might need to keep that in mind if you opt for BRL-CAD. You can download BRL-CAD from its official website.

  5. QCAD
    The free community edition is open-source and its source code is available. The professional version contains add-ons for advanced DXF support, DWG support and many extra tools and features.

In other words, the free community edition is restricted to certain features.

QCAD may not be the best CAD software there is, but the UI and the options it provides are good for many uses. So if you’re interested in trying open-source CAD software, you can download the trial version to test-drive it.
6. BricsCAD (not open-source)
This may not be a free and open-source solution. However, you will find it available for Linux when you purchase it.

It’s a feature-rich CAD program available for Linux users. If you are curious, there’s a comparison chart with AutoCAD on its official website that lists its capabilities and features.
7. VariCAD (not open-source)
VariCAD is another decent CAD program for 2D and 3D designs. Even though it isn’t free, you get a 30-day free trial version to test it out.

For Linux, you can download Debian and RPM packages to try it out. It’s actively maintained and supports most of the latest Linux distributions. It also offers a free VariCAD viewer, which you can use to convert DWG to DFX and similar tasks.


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