5 Free CAD Software Packages Worth your Time

CAD, or Computer Aided Design is an essential part of product development, architecture and anything that requires a three dimensional product, plan, model or outcome. CAD allows the designer to experiment with shapes, sizes, spaces and ideas digitally without having to spend time and resources building one for real.

More recently, 3D printing has increased the requirement for CAD software. To print something in 3D, you first need a 3D file. To create a 3D file, you need some CAD software and the expertise to create something printable.

If you’re a professional designer, you will likely have professional CAD software. As this can run into thousands of dollars, it isn’t ideal for those of us who like to play around or just want to experiment a little with modeling. That’s where free CAD packages come in.

Free CAD packages are fully working CAD programs with fewer bells and whistles than the professional platforms. Each of the five I mention here are fully featured, easy to use and simple to get to grips with. Ideal for playing with a 3D printer or for building those essential skills for a potential career.

3D Slash

3D Slash apparently used Minecraft as inspiration when the creator, Sylvain Huet saw how his child engaged with the creation side of the game. Using the same block logic of Minecraft, 3D Slash makes it simple to create 3D models for printing or just for fun. It isn’t as serious as some of these other CAD programs but is an excellent first foray into design.

By gamifying design, 3D Slash makes creation simple and a little fun. The program has a simple UI, makes it easy to build a basic construct and then modify, color and shape it into something completely different. Sure it won’t help you create the next iPhone but it is an excellent introduction into the world of 3D design.

Download 3D Slash for free here. (Needs registration).

Sculptris

Sculptris is a more serious CAD offering created by Pixologic. You can create rich, realistic designs, characters, shapes, creatures and just about anything you can think of with this program. The UI is approachable and once you know where everything is, can be a breeze to use. While more involved than 3D Slash, it is more capable too so rewards your efforts with much higher levels of design.

While you can create anything with Sculptris, it lends itself very well to character modeling thanks to its paint and sculpt tools. Other refining tools make creating models for 3D printing easy too.

Download Sculptris for free here.

AutoCAD Student Version

AutoCAD is the daddy of all CAD programs and the standard at which all others are judged. So it may surprise you that you can get a fully functional version of the most powerful program around for free. As long as you are a student, veteran or previous design employee, you could qualify and as long as you don’t mind a watermark on each 3D file, you’re good to go.

AutoCAD Student Version is a full app and can generation the highest quality designs but demands you master quite a steep learning curve. You can of course play but you won’t get the best out of it until you put some serious time into learning how the program works. The reward is in mastering a professional-standard platform that could genuinely lead to a new career!

Download AutoCAD Student Version for free here. (Needs registration).

FreeCAD

FreeCAD is an accomplished, fully functional CAD program that costs nothing as the name implies. It is open source and works well for architecture and engineering as well as hobbyist 3D printers. This is because it uses Parametric modeling which lends itself well to a variety of uses and is relatively easy to pick up.

The UI is straightforward and doesn’t take long to get to grips with. It supports 3D solids, meshes and 2D drafting which should be enough for any user. There are also optional upgrade packages should you require more advanced tools. That’s unlikely unless you want niche designs as the base package has most things built in.

Download FreeCAD for free here.

Blender

Blender is a very well-known CAD platform. It is renowned for both its power to create some pretty amazing stuff and for its steep learning curve. It certainly isn’t a CAD package for a beginner or the faint of heart but once you get to grips with it, you really are ready to design. Optimized for 3D animation and rendering using polygonal modeling techniques, this package can really take you places.

The UI is straightforward and no more complicated than other graphic or animation interfaces. There are also lots of tutorials online and example models to help you get started. Blender demands a lot from you to tame it but once you do, you can create truly professional-level designs with this free package.

Download Blender for free here.