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Bringing CAD to Linux

Posted by Roblimo on from the long-overdue-applications dept.

Christopher Cashell writes "I've often heard it said that linux has the potential to be an ideal CAD platform, and the only thing holding it back is the lack of commercial quality CAD software (a la AutoCAD). Enter QCad, an easy to use 2D CAD project that began as a splitoff from CAM Expert. It was initially released with a 'free for non-commercial use' license, but this has recently been changed to the GPL. It's an excellent program, and earned 5 out of 5 Penguins on Tucow's Linuxberg review." CAD could/should be a "killer app" for Linux on the engineering desktop. I had a conversation a few months ago with an editor at Machine Design magazine about Linux - and how a good CAD app might set off a wholesale migration to Linux by design engineers.

2 of 189 comments (clear)

  1. AutoCAD may be too entrenched... by jtosburn · · Score: 4

    The uses for professional level CAD extend to all forms of engineering, and into all kinds of related fields. I use AutoCAD nearly full time for an Architecture firm (w/Linux servers). This kind of demand is primarily what makes Autodesk, maker of AutoCAD, the fourth largest software maker in the world (last time I checked), and combined with AutoCAD's $3k price tag, make it the most pirated piece of software (though you'd think Windows would actually be higher...)
    While I'm excited at the prospect of a GPL CAD program, and I'll definitely be checking it out, I have doubts as to how well it would fit into a production environment. The lack of 3d capability limits its use as a design tool, as well. And with an entrenched market leader like AutoCAD, every company that uses it has an enormous investment in existing data; they can't just toss it. So .dwg file format compatability would be needed, but that's probabaly the most un-open file format there is.
    What I'm really interested in is the existing professional UNIX CAD programs, particularly MicroStation and Arris (for which the purchaser even gets the source code), and their plans re. Linux. Many people are unhappy with the lack of stability using AutoCAD (which is sometimes the fault of AutoCAD and sometimes Windows), and that combined with Autodesk's spotty user response rate leaves this market vulnerable.
    Anyway, kudos to QCAD for putting that first foot forward.

  2. 2D CAD important by SiliconShaman · · Score: 5
    After working as a sysadmin in CAD shops for 5 years, I can say with certainty that 2D CAD is still used quite extensively and 3D CAD is often looked on as needlessly complex for many tasks.

    The biggest barier to Linux CAD solutions being deployed in existing shops is not the lack of acceptable CAD programs (there are a few) but rather the lack of compatibility. File compatibility is achieved through native DXF and DWG tralation, but must AutoCAD shops have thousands of custom AutoLISP programs to automate various tasks. I've never seen a Linux CAD prog. that even had a scripting feature much less any degree of compatibility to AutoLISP. My current shop certainly wouldn't switch. Sure it costs us $2,000+ per seat of AutoCAD, but our LISP routines make customizing, editing, marking-up, plotting, etc. a snap and save us hundreds of man hours -PER PERSON- a year. Until a linux CAD prog can do that, it won't be replacing AutoCAD.

    Note: Microstation -is- available for Linux, but only as the Student Version (not available to biz.) I know. I talked to them personally.

    Here is a list of the Linux CAD progs/projects that I've come across:

    http://www.qcad.org/index.php3
    http://www.cycas.de/
    http://www.microform.se/index.htm#VAR
    http://ftp.arl.mil/brlcad//
    http://www.fpa-engineers.com/OD/
    http://pw2.netcom.com/~iamcliff/FREEdraft.html
    http://www.octree.de/

    peace favor your sword