FreeCAD

Free Askoh Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista Version 0.16 Full Specs

Average User Rating:

18 User Votes

2.4

out of 18 votes

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Publisher's Description

From Askoh:

FreeCAD is a basic 3D CAD with advanced motion simulation capabilities. It is suitable for anyone interested in learning 3D CAD and motion simulation for free before using more sophisticated packages. Educators, students, and new engineers will find it ideal for the teaching and learning of geometry, kinematics, dynamics, vibrations, mechanisms, linkages, cams, machine design, and physics.

FreeCAD allows users to create and manipulate assemblies, which are collections of parts. The parts are simple 3D solids, which can be connected by joints, constraints, contacts, motors, actuators, springs, dampers, forces, torques, or gravity.Both open and closed 3D loops are permitted. FreeCAD performs full multibody dynamics analysis on the assembly to predict the motion according to Newton's Laws. Animation using the simulated data produces realistic dynamic behavior of the system.

Version 8 adds spline function of user data for motion and force inputs.

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Publisher's Description

From Askoh:

Version 8 adds spline function of user data for motion and force inputs.

User Reviews

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2.4
out of 18 votes
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1 stars

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"Not the real FreeCAD"

tomascg September 12, 2011 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2011-09-12 11:18:03 | By tomascg

Pros

On CNET. CNET is awesome.

Cons

Not the real FreeCAD.

Summary

FreeCAD is great, but I'm talking about the one developed by Juergen Riegel, Werner Mayer, and Yorik van Havre. The most recent version is 0.11 (release date 2011/05/03). Don't let the version sway you, it is a powerful CAD program. Look for it. It is way better than this one. Another powerful open source CAD program is BLR-CAD, but it is much harder to use and not compatible with other CAD programs.

4 stars

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"A very simple and easy to understand program."

snoopzx1 May 03, 2010 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2010-05-03 12:09:56 | By snoopzx1

Pros

Easy to use, did not use alot of disk space.

Cons

Not state of the art, engineering design level.

Summary

A simple to use program.

2 stars

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"Does not come up after the "run" pop-up in XP SP 2."

indrajit_p May 19, 2009 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2009-05-19 08:30:26 | By indrajit_p

Pros

ould not use it.

Cons

could not use it.

1 stars

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"Could not construct cube in seconds as with other CADs"

asawho March 09, 2009 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2009-03-09 10:52:41 | By asawho

Pros

Pros? I uninstalled it, wasn't worth the hassle !

Cons

Reminds me of 80s programs!

Summary

I have simple test for ease of use,FreeCAD8 failed,I moved on. :)

1 stars

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"Lame"

Tahuyahick August 16, 2008 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2008-08-16 10:36:55 | By Tahuyahick

Pros

It doesn't crash my computer. It actually runs, and seems to do what it's said to do, which is to run animations of mechanical assemblies.

Cons

Odd interface, menu bar seems to be a mix of menus and command shortcuts. Help and tutorials are even weirder, with a minimalist approach in all of the documentation that requires that you already know how to use this particular program to understand it. Non-intuitive drawing interface. I keep getting the feeling that I'm in the presence of a long-winded science teacher who does not care so much about results or getting work done, but would rather spend all day teaching abstract concepts using flow-charts. Non-intuitive. Using this program is like dragging fingernails across a chalk-board. It looks like this is really geared towards importing a 2D *.dxf sketch of each component you need to animate, as the first FreeCAD tutorial emphasized the extrusion of 2D objects to get 3D shapes. I didn't wade through it enough to see if there was a way to import 3D shapes, which if there is should be advertised up front. Basically, you will need to use some other drawing program that can export dxf files. Considering the drawing limitations of FreeCAD, I would recommend drawing your entire model using other software. I'm thinking I should just purchase Autodesk's Inventor and just get everything done right to start with.

4 stars

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"Met my needs."

OldReds May 19, 2008 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2008-05-19 08:44:05 | By OldReds

Pros

It is a straight forward program, easy to figure out how to use it. The program was easy to install and did not cause any conflicts or programs to hangup.

Cons

This program would be great if some plug-in were offered.

It would be nice to have a floor plan plug in and furniture, cabinets etc. that could placed in the rooms and adjusted for size based on dimensions of the room.

1 stars

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"not much of a program"

alburyants January 23, 2008 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2008-01-23 22:43:20 | By alburyants

3 stars

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"OK for kinematics(4-bar mechanisms, etc), NG for dynamics"

mikedwy September 27, 2007 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2007-09-27 01:00:51 | By mikedwy

Pros

Basically, the author says do the examples OR forget about it. That's the only way to figure out the weird structure and the "tree view".

I like the kinematic aspects, but the dynamics are really weird except for gravity loading. The author uses notation for the dynamic loads that is unreasonably complex, especially for an older engineer.

This is NOT a Cad program for modeling or drafting, it is a kinematic and dynamic simulation and analysis program for mechanical engineers.

But, if you can't afford Pro-E Mechanica, then spend $35 and buy Cadsm which is the colorized version with dxf import. Works fine on XP.

Cons

If you find out how to use his dynamic loading notation, please let me know.

1 stars

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"was hard to use, advertisements in the program were annoying"

jalapanopepper September 22, 2007 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2007-09-22 08:20:30 | By jalapanopepper

4 stars

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"good"

ambuin October 11, 2006 / Version: FreeCAD 8

2006-10-11 05:02:53 | By ambuin

Pros

easy

Results 1–10 of 18

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Full Specifications

General
Publisher	Askoh
Publisher web site	http://www.ar-cad.com/
Release Date	July 18, 2017
Date Added	July 18, 2017
Version	0.16

Category
Category	Graphic Design Software
Subcategory	3D Modeling Software

Operating Systems
Operating Systems	Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista
Additional Requirements	Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/Vista

Download Information
File Size	204.09MB
File Name	FreeCAD.0.16.6706.f86a4e4-WIN-x86-installer.exe

Popularity
Total Downloads	273,841
Downloads Last Week	2

Pricing
License Model	Free
Limitations	Not available
Price	Free

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