FREE 2D CAD

DASSAULT SYSTEMES are now offering a FREE 2D CAD drawing package which will let you draw, read write and share DWG files and the place to do it as well as connect with the 3DSwYm Draft sight community members.

The DraftSight 2D CAD Product. (Public Beta Now Available), is a professional-grade, open 2D CAD product. DraftSight is available for professional CAD users, students and educators to download and activate for free. DraftSight has a small footprint, should take less that a few minutes to download, and runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows XP®, Windows Vista® and Windows® 7.

If your looking at a FREE application this is worth checking out all of its features some of which are listed below, there are many more!

User Environment & Features
Layers & layer manager
Command line input
Property manager
Traditional toolbars and menus
Freeze, lock or turn off layers per ViewPort
Blocks & reference files
Menu files
LineStyle files
Hatch pattern files
Templates

Interoperability
Read and write support for DWG/DXF files*
Save DWG/DXF files back to previous versions*
Print to file (.plt, .jpg, .pdf, .png, & .svg)
Attach image files (.bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, & .tiff)
Attach external reference drawings
Save as .wmf, .jpeg, .pdf, .png, .sld, .svg, .tif, & .stl file formats
Multi-page PDF creation

Productivity Enhancers
Quick print
Context sensitive help

Setup and Administration
Support for Windows®, Mac & Linux operating systems
Customizable interface: command aliases, double-click actions, menus, right-click menus, shortcut keys, toolbars, etc.
Quick and free to download, Fast “one-click” installation

Entities
Arcs, circles, & lines
Solid & gradient Fill
Notes & SimpleNotes
Dimensions: Arc length, radius, diameter, baseline, linear, ordinate, etc.
Tables
Blocks and BlockAttributes
Ellipses & elliptical arcs
ISO, ANSI & Traditional Hatch patterns
Tolerances, Leaders & CenterMarks
RichLines, PolyLines, 3D PolyLines, & Splines

Drafting Tools
Snap & Grid, Double-click editing
Select entities using filters, SmartSelect, or by window, crossing window, crossline, polygonal window, etc.
Chamfer & Fillet
Undo/Redo
EntityGrips, EntitySnaps, Entity
Get area, distance, or coordinates information
InfiniteLines, Rays & Reference Points

Drawing Setup Tools
Customizable coordinate system
Points format, Multiple layout
RichLine styles, Text Styles, Dimension styles, Table styles,
Layer manager, Named page layouts

Edit Tools
Move, scale & rotate
Edit blocks in-place or isolate for edit
Modify Hatch and fill pattern, origin, etc
Stretch & change length
Mirror, copy, offset and pattern copy
Open reference drawings from within the base drawing
Edit note properties: direction, justification, line spacing, text height, TextStyle, etc.
Trim & extend, Split & weld
Clip references and images

*Uses DWGdirect™ and the OpenDWG® specifications

SKETCHUPLINK : DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Project COOPER by AutoDesk

Project COOPER

Simple, Hassle-Free 2D Drawing Software
Ideal for quick design work, Project Cooper* sketching software enables you to draw accurate, detailed plans and layouts to scale using simple 2D drawing tools, predrawn symbols, and sample drawings. Because the software produces files in one of the most widely used design formats, it’s easy to share your drawings with clients, architects, and other project partners.

Free to download from AutoDesk, it works much the same as Layout does from Google SketchUp. At this point has the advantage of being free and user freindly. Application exports to jep, pdf and dwg. I downloaded Project Cooper (requires 1GB) and gave it a quick whirl. Seems like its easy to use but does have a way to go before Id consider it better than Layout. Although very good for Free.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=14039474

DoubleCad - Free 2D CAD application

DoubleCad - Free 2D draughting software
http://www.doublecad.com/

DoubleCAD™ XT is .DWG compatible, as you would expect.

What you may not expect is a DoubleCAD™ .DWG file, containing ADT-compatible walls and self-aligning blocks, can be brought into AutoCAD® or AutoCAD LT® and designs retain their self-healing properties.

DoubleCAD™ XT:

Imports all SketchUp™ geometry, layers, and components,

Converts all SketchUp™ components to DoubleCAD™ blocks to optimize drawing performance,

Creates a paper space from each SketchUp™ scene,

Allows you to visualize 3D models, even with hidden line and perspective, giving you a printable 2D drawing from the moment you import a modelDoubleCAD™ lets you develop construction documents quickly from SketchUp™ models.

AutoCAD® and AutoCAD LT® don't come close.

This all sounds great, so if you give the interface a try, please leave comments back here.

CADware under $1000

CAD software for less than $1000 - see chart by Cadalyst here. (note dated Jan 2008)
http://images.questex.com/Cadalyst/PrintEdition/2008/1cad_CV-Budget_table.html

Quick links to software homepages here.
http://www.alibre.com/
http://www.versacad.com/
http://www.datacad.com/
http://www.cadvance.com/
http://www.generalcadd.com/
http://www.intellicad.org/
http://www.solidedge.com/
http://www.softsource.com/

Free CADware

Doublecad - (nice website - please list your comments if you try this applications interface)
http://www.doublecad.com/

Draftit - by CadLogic (Draft IT is a FREE 2D CAD software application).
http://www.cadlogic.com/products/draftit/

Solid Edge - Free2D by Siemens
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/velocity/solidedge/free2d/index.shtml

Dietrichs AG - 3DCAD/CAM "D-CAD-L" (Free learners CAD)
http://www.dietrichs.com/english/service/download/