SolveSpace
SolveSpace is a free, open source 2D and 3D CAD software for designing and analyzing mechanical designs and assemblies. It has an intuitive user interface with key features like constraint-based sketching, extruding, dimensioning, sectioning, and visualization.
cad
3d-modeling
mechanical-design
SolveSpace: Free 2D & 3D CAD for Mechanical Design
A free, open source CAD software with intuitive user interface and features like constraint-based sketching, extruding, dimensioning, sectioning, and visualization.
What is SolveSpace?
SolveSpace is a powerful, lightweight, and user-friendly open source CAD software for 2D and 3D modeling and design. It is suitable for designing mechanical parts, assemblies, and kinematic simulations. Some key features include:
- Intuitive sketch-based interface for 2D design and constraints
- Advanced 3D modeling with extrude, rotate, loft, sweep features
- Assembly modeling with parts hierarchy and positioning
- Automatic meshing from CAD models for finite element analysis
- Section view generation for detailed visualization
- Kinematic simulation to visualize motion and detect interferences
- Dimensioning, annotations, and full control over styling
- Support for most common 2D and 3D geometries, standard file export formats
- Completely free and open-source (GPL) for Windows, Mac and Linux
With its easy to use interface anchored in geometric constraints and powerful modeling capabilities, SolveSpace provides both beginner and advanced users a capable alternative to mainstream commercial CAD packages.
SolveSpace Features
Features
- Parametric 2D sketching
- 3D solid modeling
- Assembly modeling
- 2D drawing generation
- Boolean operations
- Dimensioning and constraints
- STEP, IGES, and STL export
Pricing
- Free
- Open Source
Pros
Free and open source
Intuitive and easy to use interface
Powerful CAD capabilities
Active development and community support
Cons
Limited compared to paid CAD options
Lacks some advanced modeling tools
Minimal documentation and learning resources
Official Links
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