What are the linux mechanical design software?

Linux mechanical design software includes: 1. FreeCAD software, which is a general 3D CAD modeling under Linux; 2. LibreCAD software, which is used for geometric structures; 3. OpenSCAD software, which is a 3D CAD software; 4. BRL-CAD software, which is one of the CAD tools; 5. DraftSight software, etc.

#The operating environment of this tutorial: linux5.9.8 system, Dell G3 computer.

What are the mechanical design software for Linux?

Computer-aided design (CAD) is an essential part of many engineering processes. CAD is used in professional fields such as architecture, auto parts design, space shuttle research, aviation, bridge construction, interior design, and even clothing and jewelry design.
-- Aquil Roshan (Author)

Computer-aided design (CAD) is an essential part of many engineering processes. CAD is used in professional fields such as architecture, auto parts design, space shuttle research, aviation, bridge construction, interior design, and even clothing and jewelry design.

Some professional-grade CAD software, such as SolidWorks and Autodesk AutoCAD, are not natively supported on Linux. So, today, we are going to look at the top CAD software available on Linux. For preview details, please see below.

CAD software available for Linux

Before we look at this list of CAD software for Linux, you should keep one thing in mind, not all the applications are here All are open source software. We will also include some non-free and open source CAD software to help the average Linux user.

We provide installation instructions for Ubuntu-based Linux distributions. For other distributions, you can check the corresponding website for installation procedures.

This list is not in any particular order. A CAD application in the first position cannot be considered better than one in the third position, and so on.

1. FreeCAD

For 3D modeling, FreeCAD is an excellent choice, it is free (free and free) and open source software. FreeCAD is built with the goal of building mechanical engineering and product design. FreeCAD is multi-platform and available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

freecad

Although FreeCAD has been the choice of many Linux users, it should be noted that FreeCAD is still version 0.17, therefore, Not suitable for critical deployments. But development has accelerated recently.

• FreeCAD

FreeCAD is not focused on direct-2D drawing and real-shape animation, but it is excellent for mechanical engineering related designs. Version 0.15 of FreeCAD is available in the Ubuntu repository. You can install it by running the command below.

sudo apt install freecad

To get the new daily build (currently 0.17), open a terminal (ctrl alt t) and run the following commands one by one.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:freecad-maintainers/freecad-daily
sudo apt update
sudo apt install freecad-daily

2. LibreCAD

LibreCAD is a free and open source 2D CAD solution. Generally speaking, CAD is a resource intensive task, and if you have a fairly modest hardware, then I would recommend using LibreCAD as it is really lightweight in terms of resource usage. LibreCAD is an excellent candidate for geometric structure.

librecad

As a 2D tool, LibreCAD is good, but it does not work on 3D models and renderings. It can be unstable at times, however, it has a reliable autosave and it won't let your work go to waste.

• LibreCAD

You can install LibreCAD by running the command below.

sudo apt install librecad

3、OpenSCAD

OpenSCAD 是一个自由的 3D CAD 软件。OpenSCAD 非常轻量和灵活。OpenSCAD 不是交互式的。你需要‘编程’模型，OpenSCAD 来解释这些代码来渲染一个可视化模型。在某种意义上说，它是一个编译器。你不能直接绘制模型，而是描述模型。

openscad

OpenSCAD 是这个列表上最复杂的工具，但是，一旦你了解它，它将提供一个令人愉快的工作经历。

• OpenSCAD

你可以使用下面的命令来安装 OpenSCAD。

sudo apt-get install openscad

4. BRL-CAD

BRL-CAD is one of the oldest CAD tools. It is also popular among Linux/UNIX users because it is consistent with the *nix philosophy of modularity and freedom.

BRL-CAD rendering by Sean

BRL-CAD started in 1979 and it is still active development. Now, BRL-CAD is not AutoCAD, but is still an excellent choice for transportation studies like thermal penetration and ballistic penetration, etc. BRL-CAD forms the basis of CSG, not the boundary representation. You may want to keep this in mind when choosing BRL-CAD. You can download BRL-CAD from its official website.

• BRL-CAD

5. DraftSight (non-open source)

If you are used to working on AutoCAD. Then DraftSight would be the perfect replacement.

DraftSight is an excellent CAD tool available on Linux. It has a fairly AutoCAD-like workflow, which makes migration easier. It even offers a similar look and feel. DrafSight is also compatible with AutoCAD's .dwg file format. However, DrafSight is a 2D CAD software. As of now, it does not support 3D CAD.

draftsight

Although DrafSight is a commercial software starting at $149. A free version is available on the DraftSight website. You can download the .deb package and install it on Ubuntu-based distributions. In order to start using DraftSight, you need to sign up for your free version using your email ID.

• DraftSight

Honorable Mention

• With the huge development of cloud computing technology, cloud CAD like OnShape Solutions have become increasingly popular.
• SolveSpace is another open source software project worth mentioning. It supports 3D models.
• Siemens NX is an industrial-grade CAD solution available on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, but it is ridiculously expensive, so it is omitted from this list.
• Next, you have LeoCAD, which is a CAD software in which you use Lego bricks to build things. What you do with this information is up to you.

My thoughts on CAD on Linux

Even though gaming has become popular on Linux, I always tell my die-hard gaming friends to stick to Windows . Similarly, if you are an engineering student using CAD in your course, I would recommend using school-mandated software (AutoCAD, SolidEdge, Catia), which typically only run on Windows.

For advanced professionals, when we talk about industry standards, these tools simply don’t measure up.

For those who want to run AutoCAD in WINE, although some older versions of AutoCAD can be installed on WINE, they simply do not perform the job, and glitches and crashes severely impair these experiences.

Having said that, I highly respect the work of the developers of the software on the above list. They enrich the FOSS world. It's great to see software like FreeCAD accelerating development in recent years.

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