QCAD.org Forum

Pro version here.

Using i primarily for plant installation drawings and also for cleaning up dxf files for cutting with laser or plasma cutters.

Also great for prototyping before going 3D.

We also have Autocad, but I rarely use it, it has become too bloated for a 2D Cad tool IMO.

Hi there,

in the meantime I now use QCad Pro also for model railroad track planning and there wrote some scripts (with help of Andrew, thank you). See
viewtopic.php?f=109&t=3348
for the current work-in-progress state.

Märklin H0 C-track example:

I use QCAD to draw 2D architectural plans, mainly houses and flats in north east spanish coast.
I'm also starting learning Blender for 3D models and rendering.

I'm thinking a lot about developing my own and local "BIM" system. I'ld like to create building components databases and work with this data in my building conception and design. Then I would use QCAD to plot dxf plans according to this data and also to make drafts and corrections. But maybe that's a lot of work.

Now QCAD is great as a 2D drawing application for me!

Hi David, good to hear what you are using QCAD for, thank you for sharing and best wishes for your work ahead.

Regards

Clive

I am using QCAD Pro mostly for anything I used to sketch on a paper before.
Floorplans, sideviews, electrical line drawings.....
It's fast, it's easy, it's intuitive and the sketch is correctable and can grow to a final state.
Beside that I love to (ab-)use it to verify algabraic and trigonometric functions. Open, testout, trash.
I did not yet tried out the isometric capabilities. What is not, can become.

Beside that I use it the last three years as 2.5D dxf input for my router/engaver driver.
A flatbed engraver is as a router with a low Z, as this is a trade off between height and stability.
The driver software has a quite good CAM function but is pretty stubborn on the dxf input regarding self intersecting lines or null lines and so on....
QCAD's output is mostly correct or there are functions to correct it or they can be made. Editing manualy any dxf of various origin is straightforward.

Many thanks to Andrew to swiftly correct bugs.
Especially with fonts and exploding these and for the CXF font standard I use as single stroke fonts.
I've allready constucted some CXF fonts from Gravograph fonts. (Sorry, can't share them because of the copyrights).

I am awaiting the CAM part to exits its puberty.
Spiral pockets is one of the major hurdles because engraving points are conical and are far more demanding of the paths then mills.

Recently I am attacking the flaws that QCAD has with curved lines and scaling.
Again for the engraving use.

Kind regards

linnemann wrote: We also have Autocad, but I rarely use it, it has become too bloated for a 2D Cad tool IMO.

I think the same linnemann. Since I got used to QCAD I don't want to go back to any other 2d cad software!

linnemann wrote:
I think the same linnemann. Since I got used to QCAD I don't want to go back to any other 2d cad software!

Great to hear that, thank you.

It's really good to read about what other people are using QCAD for these days.

What do you use QCAD for - any more interesting projects out there?

Hi,

I've installed QCAD because Draftsite now wants hundreds of dollars from me (each and every year) to use their product. I tried LibreCAD but it's just not Autodesk-y enough for me.

My ambition is to use QCAD for residential design, construction drawings and permit applications.

I do various projects using a waterjet.

Cool, thanks

Hello

I use QCAD for my railway modelling/model engineering in 7/8ths scale (1:13.7).

Mainly for preparing drawings to be used for etched brass construction, as well as some water cutting and laser cutting.

I have also produced elevations for some 3D components, which I will get 3D printed when I have learnt how to use 3D CAD

Kevin

Prior to retiring I was using 3D modelling software for steel structures called Tekla Structures, prior to that I used AutoCAD combined with Lisp routines that I had written myself to prepare structural steel fabrication drawings.
Since retiring I use cad for any projects around the house that need a bit of planning, I used Draftsight until they pulled the free version, then I came across Librecad, but it was a bit quirky, then I came across Qcad, which I believe was on offshoot of Librecad, but Qcad had all the quirkiness removed, and in many ways is a lot like using AutoCAD.
The latest project is a replacement garden storage shed.

Thanks for your introduction.

petevick wrote: ↑

Sat May 23, 2020 11:23 am

then I came across Qcad, which I believe was on offshoot of Librecad, but Qcad had all the quirkiness removed

It's actually the other way around: Librecad is a fork of QCAD version 2. Such forks are an unfortunate side effect when using an open source license.

QCAD itself goes back to 1999 and started life even before that as "CAM Expert", the predecessor of QCAD/CAM.

andrew wrote: ↑

Sat May 23, 2020 5:06 pm

Thanks for your introduction.

petevick wrote: ↑

Sat May 23, 2020 11:23 am

then I came across Qcad, which I believe was on offshoot of Librecad, but Qcad had all the quirkiness removed

It's actually the other way around: Librecad is a fork of QCAD version 2. Such forks are an unfortunate side effect when using an open source license.

QCAD itself goes back to 1999 and started life even before that as "CAM Expert", the predecessor of QCAD/CAM.

everyday is a learning day. So is it fair to say that they took a pretty good cad program and made it worse