Anybody here have any experience with CAD programs running under Linux?
There sure are many. Any favourites? I will need 3D capability and export in .dxf and/or .dwg I won't need much of a rendering engine.
Any and all help will be much appreciated.
Robatoy wrote in news:1193973730.449359.107260 @k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:
Some distros let have "Design" or "CAD" subsections in their package managers. You can take a look there for something you like.
Also, if there's a CAD program on Windows you like, you might be able to get it going on Linux with Wine.
Puckdropper
I don't have any favorities--CAD under Linux is a pretty dismal scene with something "good" being that which sucks less than something else. That said . . .
BricsCAD (note--you want the Linux-specific version) for 225 bucks is probably your best bet in terms of utility per dollar--it doesn't do anything the Windows version doesn't, and it runs under WINE but it's reasonably stable and it does most of what AutoCAD does using pretty mucht he same interface. It will export DXF and DWG nicely--importing on the other hand isn't always very clean. It was designed originally as an AutoCAD clone and you can learn it from an AutoCAD text.
The various GPL projects are all either still in early development or very limited in capability. The other commercial products that have free trials available don't seem to work any better and tend to be pricey.
If you've got big bucks and want a full CAM solution, Catia V.4 runs on Linux. If you don't know what Catia is you probably don't need it.
Did you look at VeriCAD? It seems to have good press, but it is somewhat expensive. Less expensive, though, than Pro-E. Looks like WildFire has been ported to Linux.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I've been drilling deeper into the net and there sure are a lot of options I wasn't aware of.
I have been a happy Vectorworks user for a looong time. Now that Leopard is out for the Mac, they have decided not to support older versions ( not THAT old either). That disturbs me as I have been paying for upgrades since Version 1 (MiniCad) As Leopard and my MacPro, allow me to run XP-Pro or Linux via Parallels at no loss of speed (Intel chips now), the whole CAD business can be evaluated rather than dropping a $ 1000.00 for an upgrade to a company which only seem to understand loyalty in one direction only.
For $ 1000.00 US (That's about $ 950.00 Can) what are my other options?
It is obvious from all the replies, that there's a whole lot more going on in CAD for other platforms that simple DAGS will cough up. (Us Mac users sometimes have our head up our snob-asses.)
Some people wonder why I just don't go to an Intel box...well.. I did and I have a lot of money and learning in Mac software already invested. 7 years of MYOB for instance and Strata, PS, Illustrator and so on... not to mention Logic music stuff.
Have you ever played with Ashlar-Vellum? 3D wireframe is more or less within your budget and you can add other capabilities later if you want them.
There's a 30 day free trial.
Given your budget, VariCAD is certainly worth a look. You may also want to seriously investigate PRO-E Wildfire (the PTC link on the link page that was previously posted). PRO-E is an industry standard and used in multiple applications. However, I'm not sure what the going price for a low-end (most likely sufficient for woodworking needs) is.
Whatever you decide, please post your findings. Others of us who have leapt from the jaws of MSoft are looking at our alternatives. At this time, there are two applications for which I have not found good substitutes:
Yep, when you are invested in the platform, changing everything would be painful. Not that Windows has much to offer other than more restrictive Digital Restrictions Management and phone-home software as MSoft tightens the screws.
The ARGON V8 version has all the bells and whistles I will ever need and then some.
Many moons ago, 3 guys were bouncing ideas off each other where to go with CAD on the Mac. That would be 1986-1987-ish. One went with ArchiCAD, another went with Microstation, and I went with Diehl's MiniCAD (Now Nemetchek Vectorworks). The Microstation guy became a city planner and tossed the whole thing out because where he went, it was all AutoCAD. The ArchiCAD fella, a local architect, spend bezillions of dollars and hours trying to do what I was doing with Vectorworks and Strata. We all had looked at Vellum at the time, and found it awkward, expensive (for what it did at the time) and limited in capabilities. Just big bad MacDraw. I, for one, thought they had simply disappeared.
After your tip, and I thank you for that, I was very surprised to see what had become of them. I mean, talk about a Who's Who of designers who use it. The learning curve can't be all that bad, a NURB is a NURB, right?
WAIT! There is MORE!. Ashlar offers a competitive upgrade and I am well within range for that. ALSO, something I had bugged Vectorworks about for years, Ashlar allows both a Mac and a Windoze version on the same license. Wintel at the shop, Mac at home..same price...go figgur. (Always made sense to me, but nooooooooooo... you can only be at one machine at the time.) And, with my Kanuckistani dollars, I'm out the door for less than my budget. I will call them in the morning.
Again, thank you.
rYou just can't even take a nap anymore in this business...lol
I looked at those, but found out that Ashlar Vellum is all growed ups..*G*
I pretty much made up my mind about Ashlar Vellum. Thanks for the input though...
Now THAT looks pretty cool. I will investigate further.
r
Google "mind mapping mac" and you'll find a variety of similar applications. I've always found that sort of thing to be awkward compared to using a piece of paper (or Painter and a graphics tablet) but maybe I've just never stuck to one long enough for it to become transparent.
Some of the freeware is pretty slow. To use Robatoy's words, MindManager is "all growed up" and is very fast, intuitive and lets one organize thoughts and plans much faster than drawing with paper and most especially faster than graphics programs. It is especially faster when you want to re-organize things.
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