Best Cad Software Free And Independent

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You also wont have access to specialist toolsets for architecture, mechanical design and so on.

Depending on your chosen CAD software, you can design and work with anything from architectural drawingsgraduating onto BIMto electrical drawings to mechanical schematics.

While it can be easy enough to find CAD software for PC, however, it can get a bit difficult with the Mac OS.

As with other types of applications, many CAD packages are unavailable for Mac.

We even discuss whether its worth using Mac with CAD, or whether you should stick to PC.

Now, there are many CAD software packages that run natively in Mac.

Unfortunately, however, many high-end packages are unavailable for Mac.

CAD giants Autodesk and Dassault, for example, are primarily PC-based.

Before you start forking out for a PC, there are steps you can take.

Best Cad Software Install And Run

With Apples Bootcamp utility, you can install and run Windows applications within the Mac OS environment.

The second option, is to use Parallels desktop, allowing you to use both Mac OS and Windows simultaneously.

In either case, you can use any CAD software package on your Mac.

The main issue is that running Windows on Mac can take up a lot of storage.

For heavy CAD users, like engineers and architects, this is problematicspace is precious, after all.

Most major CAD software packages arent compatible with Mac OS, meaning you have to run Windows on your Mactaking up a lot of storageand the ones that are compatible, more often than not, come with limited capabilities.

Before you make up your mind, however, check out our list of top 14 CAD software for Mac.

Initially a 2D design software, it has built up 3D capabilities over the years.

With AutoCAD for Mac, users can create and edit 2D geometry, along with 3D models with solids, surfaces and mesh objects.

Its also possible to annotate drawing with notes, dimensions and even tables.

To ensure the UI is familiar for Mac users, its design is practically identical to other Mac applications.

Best Cad Software Full Screen Mode

Autodesk has also included additional features to take advantage of Apples Trackpad capabilities and the full screen mode in OS X Lion.

Additional specialized Mac features include coverflow navigation, multitouch gestures, multiview split screen and touch bar support.

Youll find that some versions miss features like advanced rendering settings, a feature finder or DWFDGN underlays.

Best Cad Software For Mac Free