Nevertheless, they both have an important place in the world of CAD drafting and design.Īnother changing trend is the shift from on-premise CAD software to cloud-based solutions. However, as the world moves towards 3-dimensional experiences, 3D CAD designs are starting to gain traction and companies see many potential advantages of using 3D CAD over 2D designs.

For many years, 2D drafting services have been the primary service offered by CAD designers. Frequently Asked Questions About CAD SoftwareĬAD is a process that involves product development engineers, CAD designers, and several design tools.The company no longer develops Sketchup Make, its free desktop software, but you can download it from Trimble's archives. The SketchUp website offers a really impressive array of video and self-paced training options to help you along the way. Of course, if you're looking to put out detailed designs with accurate sizing and tolerances, you'll need to spend some time learning the ins and outs of the program. Even if you've never done any CAD work or 3D modeling before, you can pull together some really nice presentations in minutes. The interface makes it easy to get up to speed on the basics. SketchUp's free web-based version has plenty of power, but if you need additional functionality, you have to buy SketchUp Pro-and pay a hefty price tag.

Trimble has enhanced it and developed it further and now offers a slew of related products. In 2012, Google sold the product to Trimble. SketchUp was originally developed by Google and was one of the greatest free CAD packages ever put on the market. Free feature is web-only with many important features hobbled.

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