Free cad software is available from all the major CAD vendors. AutoCad, SolidWorks and many others offer fully functional versions of their software for a 30 day trial period. This gives you enough time to learn the basics and get an idea if the software is right for you.

Many people find ways to get a free cad program through illegal copies made by freinds, or by purchasing such copies on sites such as ebay and craigslist or file sharing sites. These methods come with risks of their own. You can have problems with viruses and you can also have difficulties loading and configuring the software. If you use the software for business, you are at extreme risk of being discovered and fined. This is not something you want in the back of your mind when trying to develop new business with a client. Especially if the new client get sdragged into your legal problems.

One of the major benefits dealing with a major cad vendor is having their experts on call when somethings not working and deadlines need to be met. A non functional piece of software at a crucial time can cripple a buisness. Having experts on call to mitigate the problem can be worth the subscription cost. Users of free cad software dont have this protection.

Many who use free cad software point to the expensive way that cad software is sold. Selling software on a per seat basis means many businesses have to pay for the same software many times over. There are quantity discounts when multiple seats are involved, as well as escalating levels of service. But there is a long downline in commercial software, and many people have to take their cut before the software gets to end user.

In addition, paying subscription has to be done on a yearly basis. Not every customer wants to upgrade to the latest version every single year. Many autocad users for example like to wait several years before upgrading. After all, the rules of drafting dont change that often. It's true the new versions of software have new features, but those features are usually not vital to contract completion.

Using the latest version of software is often problematic, especially if there are software bugs. Better to remain a year behind to ensure those issues have been resolved. Their needs to be flexibility in subscriptions to accomodate those who want ot stay with the software but not participate in evry release. Many cad vendors penalize customers who do not renew subscriptions by charging them extra when they finally do need to renew

Despite the pricing many local cad vendors get excellent value for money and provide their customers with excellent technical support as well as assitance in many other areas.

Some cad companies have taken to selling their cad software directly to the end user. Unfortunately there usually no saving passed on to the consumer when this happens. The lack of a local support person is also important. Many who purchase software over the web cannot even get proper phone support.

At the other end of the spectrum are open source porgrams which are as close to free as you can get. Open source developers usually ask for a small donation if you found the software useful.

There are some difficulties with becoming dependant of open source software. If you find a bug, its unlikely there will be anyone to fix it. You never know when the developer will decide they dont want to support the software anymore. After all building software for free is not a sustainable business model. If the developer is not getting paid, they are not going to want to spend countless hours supporting the software.

A more recent development is the popularity of web based software. Perhaps the most popular free cad program is Google Sketchup. The program got its start as an add on for Google maps but has become embraced by the architectural coomunity. The free download version has few restrictions and is strongly backed by Google and has a very active support base. There is also a professional version which for a modest price allows the importing and exporting to major cad formats. You can also download the 30 day trial of the professional version and test out these capabilities.

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