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And I doubt you being a Mechanical Engineer but if you really are and havent used VectorWorks, then your really far behind everyone else. http://www.nemetschek.net/ I'd learn it, its your future if you go to any real firm. Only idiots and 60 year olds use AutoCAD.

This is going to sound tautological, but that's because Mac users don't use AutoCAD. We use VectorWorks. The common mistake PC users make is forgetting that if a Mac won't run a particular application, there are always alternatives to that application. Oftentimes the alternative is superior. And when it is, it's usually Mac-only.

AutoCad won't run on a Mac

Have you checked out VectorWorks? I was surprised to find AutoCad didn't run on OS X because an architect a friend of mine knows uses a Mac for work, and I thought AutoCad was all there was for the profession. I later found out he uses VectorWorks. I don't know much about it, but apparently SketchUp works with it.

Well, I was going to start off this post the various other products that you could use instead of those product names. But I realized that I don't know enough about any of those products.

What might have been more Informative (moderators, note) is to do a little research and see what Macintosh products might replace these. As a person who, I assume, does industrial work, this might have been quite valuable.

You see, it's easy to throw out application titles and say, "See? You can't CAD on a Mac because there's no AutoCAD!" But what about VectorWorks, VersaCAD, or the products from Ashlar-Vellum? A trip to Apple's database gives me those three.

Of course, you have to look for them. I remember being told that Macs couldn't do accounting because there was no QuickBooks. There was plenty of other accounting software available for the Mac. But the only accounting software that this person knew was QuickBooks and if that didn't run a Mac, well, you couldn't do accounting.

Check out some of the Mac solutions. You might be surprised.

It would be like a comparison between a bicycle and an airliner. One you get as a hobbyist, learn things about, and use it to achieve certain targets. The other takes a large investment of cash and time, you need to learn it pretty in-depth, but then it will pay for itself. They are expensive pieces of software that are not for the hobbyist.

VectorWorks 11 for example will set you back $995, and after that you won't be able to use it for what you would Inkscape because it's an architectural tool that handles vectors, and not an artistic/media tool.

Programs like Inkscape are perfect for their purpose, and from what I've seen of it, it's on its way to being the next GIMP - a renowned quality program that suits the common users needs.

However, you say "this separation is completely artificial and serves to belittle". This is not the case. If you are serious about learning graphic design, and becoming familiar with the staple tools of the trade, you'll be using at least one of Adobe Illustrator, or Corel Draw. If you cannot honestly prove to a prospective employer that you are familiar with those, you'll reduce your chances of getting the job - because why should they pay you, and wait for you to stop making silly mistakes, when they could get any other graphics artist who has used the software for years?

I don't agree with your perspective here because I think it's fair to judge each piece of software on its merits, but also to categorise using a league system based on price so that you aren't looking at the top of the line when deciding on what program you should get to either get started, or make something quick and easy like a UML activity diagram.

The separation is the same as considering InDesign and Quark as different from TeX, Pages, MS Publisher etc.: no one buys InDesign or Quark unless they are using it professionally, so why should they be judged the same way? If you're paying hundreds of dollars as an investment in your livelihood you're entitled to expect more than something that was perchance bundled with your last distro.

But there are better options:
Microspot Interiors, etc
Sketchup
VectorWorks 11.5
Form*Z
PowerCADD
VersaCAD
Cadintosh

But there is no current Mac version of AutoCAD, Pro/E, or Microstation. Bad news if you're planning on designing a new aircraft carrier on your new Mac Mini...

...then how the hell are you going to create realistic 3D meshes?

Sure, you could use some that somebody else made. But then it's hard to say what part of the result is actually your work.

Or you could take a 3D scan of some objects. But you may as well just take a snapshot of the objects then, and maybe trace the photo.

No, this sort of software is actually much more useful for people who _can_ draw and/or sculpt, or who at least have a well-developed sense of proportion. Architects have been using this kind of software for years to produce drawings that appear hand-drawn from CAD drawings.

It's hardly a new idea.

There is no professional CAD software for Mac. Think Unigraphics, Solidworks, AutoCAD. There are some cad programs, but these have more in common with the Gimp than Photoshop.

Check out VectorWorks

Check out VectorWorks for a good Mac CAD program. Opens and saves to ACAD file formats pretty well too.

I've not used it, but I've heard a lot of people rave about VectorWorks. It looks good, albeit perhaps overkill for simple floorplans.

You could always try Microspot's MacDraft package. Its history dates back to the very first Macs and it is now a true native Mac OS X application (Carbonised). It is fairly powerful for a budget CAD package.

Microspot MacDraft - it even loads AutoCAD files :-)

Higher end CAD users should look towards Nemetschek's VectorWorks.

None to be found anywhere.

Certainly no links to be found about Mac CAD.

What a shame.

It's not violence if nobody gets hurt... well I might be biased, the company I work for actually Sponsors a BattleBot (Go Ronin Go Ronin!!!!)

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It's not violence if nobody gets hurt... well I might be biased, the company I work for actually Sponsors a BattleBot (Go Ronin Go Ronin!!!!)

Shot 1
Shot 2