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LibreCAD is an open source 2D CAD application for Windows, Mac and Linux. The app is great for industrial designers, but anyone who wants to learn how to make 2D CAD drawings will like this program.
For a free software, LibreCAD gives you a lot of tools to work with. New users will be able to create basic drawings, while advanced users can make engineering plans with the software. Layers can be added, ideal for complex drawings. The provided tools are sufficient for producing high precision drawings. You can start drawings from scratch. But it is also easy to put in splines, ellipses, arcs, lines and circles. A single item can have several iterations. For instance, you have 4 modes for a rectangle parameter.
The different shapes can be combined easily. LibreCAD also has a powerful zoom tool that lets you look at models at different distances. This is essential for designers who are going to make life-size copies of a drawing. There are three tabs above the working area. The first tab is for changing color, useful for layer definition. The other tab is for changing size and the third for workspace customization.
LibreCAD also has grids which are extremely useful for those new to CAD. Once you have made the basic object, you can customize it in many ways. Scaling is particularly easy here. Also worth mentioning here is the “Explode text into letters” effect. It is a special feature that will come in handy presentations.
LibreCAD allows you to put horizontal or vertical restrictions on completed models. Relative zeros may be locked, useful for ending and starting points. All in all, it is powerful, free CAD application.
Related Links:
LibreCAD Official Website
LibreCAD Video Tutorials
- Written by Mel
- Published on August 18, 2012