The Best Free CAD Program - DesignSpark Mechanical

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This is DesignSpark Mechanical, and it is the best free CAD program that I have personally used. Many of the free CAD alternatives are clunky and hard to use, DesignSpark is the first one that truly impressed me.

So download it, and give it a try!

I want to know what you guys think about it, let me know in the comments below!
-Christopher Hoffman
#HoffmanEngineering #3DPrintingHoffman #MakeCoolStuffHoffman #3DPrinting #DIY #FDM #Makers #Making #ResinPrinting #Engineering #Patreon #CAD #3DScanning #Awesome

[anonymouse]

Are you kidding me? A 7 year old video does a better job at introducing and teaching how to use the program than some of the newer videos - all in 10 minutes. GREAT JOB Hoffman Engineering. And thank you.

[TheDrewker]

Wow, this video is like someone tossed out a lifesaver when I was drowning in bad freeCAD tutorials

[dabooge]

It sure is nice to have a voice explaining what's going on in a tutorial ! Thanks!

[markpurcell]

Be aware that this is actually a restricted version of a Spaceclaim commercial package. It won't export STEP files or any files with decent resolution so if you want to drive a CNC machine or export to other CAD packages you'll have to pay for the export module which isn't cheap (~$795). There are apparently some assembly features missing too. It's fine for hobbyists doing 3D printing using STL files though.

[alexl]

My cousin is a CAD designer this program gives me help in seeking this as a career

[oBseSsIoNPC]

Hell yeah, this thing is right up my alley. Intuitive designing, I think in shapes and with addition and subtraction, I am in fabrication. So I can imagine quite well, how to use shapes to create or manipulate other shapes, VERY NEAT! Thanks for the exciting video and great find!

[DigiLab]

Oh man, I can’t agree more. I’ve done 10’s of designs using Design Spark Mechanical, most in under 30 mins, and then 3D printed them. I honestly thought there was something wrong with me because I like the program more than Fusion 360, and it’s much easier to master.

[magnuswootton]

love free cadders - they are so good these days, really is different from back then.

[DVDM]

I have been using the program for a little over a year, and I've been very impressed with it. So much so I ended up buying a seat of the full Spaceclaim to give me 3D export options (along with a few of the Spaceclaim tools) to fit in a workflow together with DesignSpark, as well as Inventor for parametric design and detailing.
DesignSpark is also a very good STEP file viewer, and the measure tool is excellent as well.
What makes it even better is the fact you can actually unlock STEP files with a little workaround, and make them fully editable within DesignSpark:
- Open a STEP file (the import dialogue will warn that it will be read only)
- Draw a rectangle anywhere in the model, and switch to 3D edit mode; the rectangle will become a surface.
- Right click on the top level of the assembly in the structure tree, and you can now untick the 'lock' that was placed on the entire assembly.
- The model is now unlocked and fully editable, you can delete the surface created earlier as it is no longer required.

[willwagener]

Holy crap, you do not know how great this is helping me. This is amazing. Seriously, thank you.

[kocbilo]

I started working with Solidworks which is actually a pain in the ass but everything I would like to do intuitively in a CAD software, I found here. This is great, thank you!

[tomluque]

Compared to many other CAD programs, this one is not only very powerful tool, it is very intuitive to learn. What it lacks, is good video tutorials. Your presentation here has taught me features I did not know how to use till now. This program is based on the professional CAD by SpaceClaim, but cost about $10k for a license and $50 for a student license. Thank you so much.

[darinschnetzler]

Thank you!!! FreeCAD is killing me - buggy and painful to use. I'm desperate for something that actually works and this is looking like the answer! Thank you again!

[TheMilohemlock]

The most intuitive interface since Rhino 3D.
I'm impressed.

[daos]

i'm not familiar with cad software but this has a lot in common with sketchup in terms of usability, with the accuracy of cad. very nice

[ELECTROMECHANICSDiy]

i have just started to use “freecad” modelling program but this is looking far better than the any others.

[joetke]

3 years later this video is still instructive. Thank you! I just run across your wonderful channel.

[CharlesVanNoland]

Another cool handy feature with DSM is that when you're sizing something you can enter simple arithmetic into the dimension. For example, if you are setting the radius of a hole or circle and you know the diameter you can type the diameter and then '/2' and when you hit enter it will perform the division and use the result as the radius for the circle.

[ThedjAwesome]

I am loving this software. As an electrical engineer that just wants a quick, easy-to-learn software for producing a model for at-home projects, I am so happy you made this video. Thanks.

[dougalan]

This vid made me say "wow!" out loud where people could have heard me. This is one of the few cad programs I haven't yet tried. I will now.