FreeCad compared to other platforms

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will tulyfe
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2019 6:42 pm

FreeCad compared to other platforms

Post by will tulyfe »

Hi. I have been using FreeCad for a few months now for fun, and it has been enjoyable. It seems that all of the CAD platforms used by businesses are insanely expensive, so I am wondering if any of what I learn from FreeCAD will transfer into other platforms. Perhaps other have experience with this. Thanks.
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mark1791
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Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:41 am

Re: FreeCad compared to other platforms

Post by mark1791 »

Hi will
will tulyfe wrote: Sat Feb 09, 2019 12:36 am Hi. I have been using FreeCad for a few months now for fun, and it has been enjoyable. It seems that all of the CAD platforms used by businesses are insanely expensive, so I am wondering if any of what I learn from FreeCAD will transfer into other platforms. Perhaps other have experience with this. Thanks.
From a personal point, i've been using CAD for 30 odd years now in the Automotive world working on the Press tooling side, starting with CADDS4/5 from computervision through to CATIA V4/V5, of which i am using today in my real life job, using CATIA V5 to generate parametric tooling surfaces from small brackets to large monoside/bodyside tooling models. This is then exported as iges to run in Autoform FEA package to check the feasiblity of the design from the Body Department, then to check the work of suppliers through to production of pressed parts Cold or Hotstamped.

i have come to FreeCAD recently in the last 4-5months from these and it is the closet thing i have found to the work flow of Catia, the PartDesign workbench with the use of sketches and solid design is very similar to Catia Part design in the way it works and the concepts you learn. The FreeCAD surfacing still needs some work to bring it upto to the GSD(Geometric Shape Design) Workbench of Catia, but again the basic concepts you learn carry over to over larger weight CAD packages. I came to FreeCAD as i want to get into more with 3D printing and want a CAD package that i can use quickly and is similar to what i already know and use at work. Of the ones i tried Fusion360, hated the requirement to be online and others that seemed childish in design and the way they worked. FreeCAD and the community are the big draws with some excellent work being done by some talented people.

Mark
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NormandC
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Re: FreeCad compared to other platforms

Post by NormandC »

I've never worked with high-end CAD packages like CATIA or NX. I've always worked with mid-range packages (Solid Edge mostly, and a little of Solidworks - also tested Autodesk Inventor). I find that once you understand the basics - and they are mostly the same in any CAD program - you should be able to adapt to other CAD systems.
triplus
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Re: FreeCad compared to other platforms

Post by triplus »

Yes. It's like riding a bike. The bike doesn't have to be all that expensive, to learn.

P.S. Note that FreeCAD doesn't come cheap, it instead comes free, there is a difference.
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shiftee
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Re: FreeCad compared to other platforms

Post by shiftee »

MAKE THIS COMPRESSOR-SolidWorks and FreeCAD Side By Side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX8-3rMCbRw

FreeCAD Tutorial for SolidWorks Users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XXnulyKPNI
rstech
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Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 8:30 am

Re: FreeCad compared to other platforms

Post by rstech »

FreeCad is platform independ, which might help if you want to switch to Linux for example. Not much of the main CAD software have a Linux version, I know PTC Creo and Solidworks don't.
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