This page compares computer aided design (CAD) software that engineers and architects use to create drawings for the fields of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). This compares CAD software described elsewhere on Wikipedia, in terms of those aspects which can be directly compared. It does not judge power, ease of use, or other user-experience aspects.
CAD refers to a specific type of drawing and modeling software application that:
- Is designed for creating technical drawings for distribution electronically and on paper
- Uses the accuracy inherent in a floating point, as opposed to fixed-point drawing database
This comparison does not include the many types of related software like CATIA, Pro/Engineer and Unigraphics NX which bring CAD features together with other software groups in the AEC industries of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) and Computer Aided Machining (CAM), for example CAD for designing printed circuit boards. For those types of software please see Comparison of CAD editors for CAM and Comparison of CAD editors for CAE. For all-purpose 3D programs, see Comparison of 3D computer graphics software.
Comparison of CAD Editors for Architecture, Engineering and Construction
| Application and developer | Latest release date and version | 2D/3D or Specialty fields | Runs on POSIX style systems? | Runs on Windows? | Other platforms? | License | User Interface Language(s) | Support for Building Information Modelling? | Support for Industry Foundation Classes? | Support for Drawing Exchange Format? | Imports | Exports | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alibre Design Expert by Alibre, Inc. | 2009-09 Version 12 |
2D/3D + Rendering | No | Yes | No | Proprietary | EN, GER | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | IGES, SAT, STEP, Solidworks, DXF, DWG, Image formats ?, Inventor, ProE, Catia, Parasolid, SolidEdge | IGES, STEP, SAT, STL, Solidworks, Parasolid, PDF, 3D PDF, DXF, DWG, Image formats ? | USD 1,999 |
| ArchiCAD by Graphisoft | 2009-09 Release 13 |
2D/3D AEC | Mac OS X[1] | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | EN, GER, SPA, FRA, ITA, POR, RUS, JPN, POL, CZE, HUN, NED, FIN, SWE, NOR, DEN, TUR, GRE, CHI, KOR and TAI[2] | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3D Studio, ACIS SAT, BMP, DGN, DWF, DWG, DXF, EMF, EPS, GIF, HPGL/PLT, IFC/IFCXML, JP2, JPG, PDF, PICT, PNG, PSD, QTIF, SketchUp, TGA/Targa, TIF/TIFF, WMF | 3D Studio, Artlantis/ATL, AVI, BMP, DGN, DWF, DWG, DXF, EMF, EPS, EPX - Piranesi,FACT - ElectricImage, GIF, HPGL/PLT, IFC/IFCXML, JP2, JPG, MOV, LP - Lightscape, OBJ, PDF, PICT, PNG, PSD, QTIF, SGI, SketchUp, TGA/Targa, TIF/TIFF, U3D, WRL, WMF | USD 4,250 |
| ARCHline.XP by CadLine | 2009-07 Release 2009 R2 |
2D/3D AEC + Rendering | No | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng, cze, ger, hun, ita, jpn, kor, pol, spa | Yes | No | Yes | DWG, DXF, SketchUp, 3DS | DWG, DXF, DWF, Artlantis, PDF, 3DS | ? |
| AutoCAD 2010 by Autodesk | 2009-03-24[3] Release 2010 |
2D/3D AEC | Possibly run it via Wine[4] | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary[5] | pt-BR, eng, cze, fra, ger, hun, ita, jpn, kor, pol, rus, chs, spa, cht[citation needed] | Yes | v2.x3 import and export, certified | Yes | DXF, DWG (TrueDWG), DWS, DWT, WMF, SAT, 3DS, DGN[citation needed] | 3DS (requires 3dsout), DXF, DWG (TrueDWG), DWF, DXX, BMP[citation needed] | ? |
| Bricscad by Bricsys | 2008-09-17[6] Release 9.x |
Unknown | DEB and RPM available. Requires Wine | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng | Yes | Unknown | Yes | DWG, DXF | DWG, DXF | ? |
| BRL-CAD by United States Army Research Laboratory | 2009-05-13[7] Release 7.14.8 |
3D design and simulation for military vehicles | All POSIX (BSD/Linux/Unix like OS), Packages for FreeBSD, IRIX, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris[7][8] | Yes | Unknown | BSD licence, LGPL[7] | eng[7] | Unknown | No | Yes | DXF, Elysium Neutral Facetted, EUCLID, FASTGEN, IGES, Jack, NASTRAN, Pro/E[9], STL, TANKILL, Unigraphics, Viewpoint[10] | DXF, EUCLID, IGES, Jack, STL, TANKILL, VRML, Obj, X3D[10] | free |
| Caddie Professional by Advanced Computer Solutions | 2009-09-01 Release 15 |
2D/3D AEC Rendering | No | XP Vista & Windows 7 | Unknown | Proprietary | eng | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | DWG, DXF, DRW, JPG, BMP, TIF, PNG, GIF, ECW, JPEG2000, ASCII, XLS | DWG, DXF, DRW, DWF, WMF, PDF, JPG, BMP, TIF, PNG, GIF | |
| CATIA by Dassault Systèmes | 2008-10-31 Release 5 R 19sp1 |
2D/3D | IBM AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris | Yes | V4 runs on mainframe | Proprietary | eng, fra, ger,fra (at release date) | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | some formats require extra license | some formats require extra license | ? |
| CYCAS by Verlag Frese | 2008-02-22 Release 3.90.3 |
2D/3D AEC Rendering | Linux | Yes | No | Proprietary | eng, fra, ger, ita | No | No | Yes | some formats require extra license | some formats require extra license | ? |
| DataCAD by DATACAD LLC | 2007-06 Release 12 |
2D/3D AEC | No | Yes | No | Proprietary | EN and others | No | No | Yes | DWG, DXF, SketchUp and others | DWG, DXF, SketchUp and others | ? |
| DDS-CAD Architect & Construction by DDS Building Innovation | 6.5 | 2D/3D AEC | No | Yes | No | Proprietary | eng, nor, swe | Yes | Yes | Yes | IFC, DWG, DXF, 3DS, CFI, VEC and others | IFC, DWG, DXF, CFI, VEC and others | ? |
| Digital Project by Gehry Technologies | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 32bit and 64bit | Unknown | Proprietary | eng, others? | Yes | Yes(2X3)[11] | Yes(2D + 3D) | SDNF, DWG, DXF, IFC, IGES, HSF, 3DXML[12] | SDNF, DWG, DXF, IFC, IGES, HSF, 3DXML[13] | ? |
| FreeCAD by Juergen Riegel | 2009-07-10 Release 0.8 R2237 |
3D | All POSIX (BSD/Linux/Unix like OS), Packages for FreeBSD, IRIX, Linux, Solaris | Yes | Unknown | GNU GPL | eng, ger (at release date) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | IGES, STEP, BRep | IGES, STEP, BRep[14] | Free |
| freeCAD by Aik-Siong Koh | 2007-11-01 Release 9 |
3D | All POSIX (BSD/Linux/Unix like OS) | XP, Vista 32bit) | Unknown | GNU GPL | eng | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ? |
| form•Z by AutoDesSys, Inc. | 2008-06-23 Release 6.6 |
2D/3D AEC Rendering | Mac OS X | XP, Vista 32bit and 64bit |
Unknown | Proprietary | eng, fra, ger, gre, ita, jap, kor, spa | Yes | Unknown | Yes | ACIS SAT, Art·Lantis, BMP, DAE, DEM Data, DWG, DXF, EPS, FACT, GIF, HPGL, IGES, Illustrator, JPG, KMZ, Lightwave, Lightscape, OBJ, PDF,PICT,Piranesi, PNG, QTVR, RIB, SGI, SketchUp, STEP, STL, TGA, Targa, TIFF, ZPR | ACIS SAT, Artlantis, BMP, DAE, DEM Data, DWG, DXF, EPS, FACT, GIF, HPGL, IGES, Illustrator, JPG, KMZ, Lightwave, Lightscape, OBJ, PDF, PICT, Piranesi, PNG, QTVR, RIB, SGI, STEP, STL, TGA, Targa, TIFF, ZPR | ? |
| Autodesk Inventor by Autodesk | 2009-03-?? Release Inventor 2010 |
3D | No | Yes | No | Proprietary | eng, cze, fra, ger, ita, jpn, kor, pol, rus, spa | Unknown | No | Yes | ACIS SAT, DXF, DWG (TrueDWG), IGES, Pro/Engineer, STEP, .dwf, .wire, .catpart, .catproduct, .jt, .x_b, .x_t, .prt, .asm, .g, .neu, Solidworks, UGS NX | ACIS SAT, DXF, DWG (TrueDWG), IGES, STEP, .dwf, .catpart, .catproduct, .bmp, .gif, .jpeg, .png, .tiff, .iges, .jt, .pdf, .x_b, .x_t, .g, .neu, .stl, STEP, .xgl, .zgl | ? |
| MicroStation by Bentley Systems | 2008-11-06 Release 8i |
2D/3D AEC | Dropped (last was V 5.7 of 1997/1998) |
Yes | Dropped (last was V 5.7 of 1997/1998) |
Proprietary | eng, fra, ita, ger, spa, jpn, zho, fin, cze | Yes | Yes(2x3) | Yes | DGN, DXF, DWG, SketchUp, Rhino, PDF, Revit, IFC, gbXML, IGES, STEP | DGN, DXF, DWG, U3D, PDF, gbXML, IGES, STEP | ? |
| NX by Siemens PLM Software | 2008-06-30 Release 6 |
2D/3D | Mac OS X [17], and Novell SUSE Linux.[18] | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng, fra, ita, ger, spa, jpn, zho, fin, cze | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | JT, Parasolid, STEP, DWG, DXF, ProE, SolidWorks, I-deas, CATIA (V4/V5), STL, IGES | JT, Parasolid, STEP, DWG, DXF, ProE, SolidWorks, I-deas, CATIA (V4/V5), STL, IGES | ? |
| Pro/ENGINEER by Parametric Technology Corporation | 2008-01-16 Release 4.0[19] |
3D | Some[20] | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng, fra, ger, spa, ita, jpn, kor, cht, chs (at release date) [21] | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | STEP, IGES, DXF, more | Unknown | ? |
| Progecad (based on IntelliCAD) by progeSOFT | 2009-08-06 Release 9.0.26 |
2D/3D Rendering | Linux Requires Wine; MAC OS Requires Parallels Desktop for Mac | XP, Vista 32bit and 64bit |
Unknown | Proprietary | eng, ger, rus, ita, cze, chs, cht, fra, pol | No | No | Yes | DXF, DWG, DWT, SAT | DWG, DXF, DWT, SAT, BMP, EMF, WMF, JPG, KMZ, PDF, SVG | ? |
| QCad Community Edition by RibbonSoft | 2008-09-09[22] Release 2.0.5.0 |
2D | FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, Unix[23][24] | Yes | Unknown | GNU GPL[23] | dan, ger, nld, est, ell, cze, eng, fra, hun, ita, nor, pol, pan, rus, slk, spa, tur | No | Unknown | versions R12 and 200x | DXF (DXF R12 and DXF 200x)[25][26] | DXF (DXF R12 and DXF 200x)[25][26] | ? |
| QCad Professional by RibbonSoft | 2008-09-09[22] Release 2.2.2.0 |
Unknown | FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, Unix[23] | Yes[23] | Unknown | Proprietary | dan, ger, nld, est, ell, cze, eng, fra, hun, ita, nor, pol, pan, rus, slk, spa, tur [25] | No | No | versions R12 and 200x | DXF (DXF R12 and DXF 200x)[25] | DXF (DXF R12 and DXF 200x), SVG, PDF[25] | ? |
| Revit Architecture by Autodesk | 2009-03 Release 2010 |
2D/3D BIM | No | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng | Yes | Yes[27] | Yes | DXF, DWG, PDF, DWF, DGN | JPG, PNG, AVI | USD 5,495 |
| Revit Structure by Autodesk | 2009-03 Release 2010 |
2D/3D BIM | No | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng | Yes | No | Yes | DXF, DWG, PDF, DWF, DGN, Bentley Systems RAM Structural System | JPG, PNG, AVI | USD 5,495 |
| Revit MEP by Autodesk | ? Release ? |
Unknown | No | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng | Yes | No | Yes | ? | ? | ? |
| Solid Edge by Siemens PLM Software | 2008-08-12 Release 1.0 |
3D/2D | No | Yes | No | Proprietary | eng, spa, rus, fra, kr (at release date) | Unknown | No | Yes | IGES, STEP, DXF, JT, ACIS (SAT), ProE, SolidWorks, NX, SDRC, Microstation, Inventor, CATIA (V4/V5), Parasolid, Autocad, STL, XML, MDS | IGES, STEP, STL, PDF, EMS, JT, XGL, XML, DXF, Parasolid, CATIA (V4/V5), ACIS (SAT), Microstation, Autocad | ? |
| Solidworks by SolidWorks Corp. | 2009-10-15 Release 2010 sp0.0 |
3D | No | Yes | No | Proprietary | eng, spa, ger (at release date) | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | DXF, DWG, Parasolid, IGES, STEP, ACIS, STL, ProE, Solid Edge, | IGES, STEP, ACIS, STL, ProE, Solid Edge, u3d, VRML, 3dxml, Catia, PDF | US$5000 +$1300/yr for support |
| VariCAD by VariCAD | 2009-10-28 VariCAD 2010 1.02 |
2D 3D | Linux | Yes | Unknown | Proprietary | eng, cze[28] | Unknown | Unknown | 2d only | STEP (3D), DWG (2D), DXF (2D) and IGES (2D) [29] | STEP (3D), STL (3D), IGES (3D/2D), DWG (2D), DXF (2D) [29] | ? |
| VectorWorks by Nemetschek | 2009-09-15[30] Release 2010 |
2D/3D | Mac OS X | Yes | Dropped was previously MiniCAD for Mac OS (1985–2001) |
Proprietary | eng, pt-BR, fra, spa, nld, ger, ita, jpn | Yes | Yes | Yes | DWG, DXF, PDF, EPSF, 3DS, IGES, SAT, Parasolid X_T, Sketchup, IFC, SHP, JPG, BMP, PNG, PSD, SGI, TIFF, TGA | DWG, DXF, PDF, EPSF, 3DS, IGES, SAT, Parasolid X_T, STL, IFC, KML, SHP, JPG, BMP, PNG, PSD, SGI, TIFF, TGA | ? |
| ViaCAD by punch!CAD Software | 2009 Release 6 |
2D/3D | Mac OS X | Yes | No | Proprietary | eng, ger, others? | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | ACIS SAT, IGES, STEP, STL, OBJ, VRML, DXF, DWG, CATIA v4, Pro/E, Rhino 3D, SketchUp, Adobe Illustrator, PDF, JPG and others | ACIS SAT, IGES, STEP, STL, VRML, DXF, DWG, Adobe Illustrator, RAW, EPS, BMP and others | ? |
References
- ^ http://www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/system_requirements/
- ^ http://www.archicadwiki.com/ArchiCAD%20Bittorrent%20Downloads
- ^ Autodesk Delivers AutoCAD 2009 Software for Innovative Design
- ^ AutoCAD on WINE's Application Database
- ^ Autodesk - Licensing, Registration & Activation
- ^ BricsCAD v9.x Release Notes
- ^ a b c d BRL-CAD 'Summary' page on SourceForge
- ^ BRL-CAD 'Download' page
- ^ Import is only possible by using proprietary Pro/E program
- ^ a b Anderson, John R.; Edwards, Eric W. (May 2004), "Converting Geometry Between BRL-CAD and Other Formats" (PDF), BRL-CAD Tutorial Series, Aberdeen Proving Ground: United States Army Research Laboratory, http://brlcad.org/w/images/6/66/Converting_Geometry.pdf, retrieved 2008-07-10
- ^ Gehry Technologies Wiki, 'What are the formats supported by Digital Project ?'
- ^ Gehry Technologies Wiki, 'What are the formats supported by Digital Project ?'
- ^ Gehry Technologies Wiki, 'What are the formats supported by Digital Project ?'
- ^ free-cad Feature List
- ^ Bentley Systems. "MicroStation, a CAD platform for integration - Available Languages". http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/MicroStation/Available-Languages.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ Bentley Systems. "MicroStation from Bentley". http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/microstation%20product%20line/. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ "Siemens PLM Software Announces Availability of NX for Mac OS X". Siemens PLM Software. 2009-06-11. http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/about_us/newsroom/press/press_release.cfm?Component=82370&ComponentTemplate=822. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
- ^ "UGS Ships NX 4 and Delivers Industry’s First Complete Digital Product Development Solution on Linux". 2009-04-04. http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/about_us/newsroom/press/press_release.cfm?Component=25399&ComponentTemplate=822. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
- ^ January 2008 Worldwide Media and Analysts Launch of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0
- ^ See Platform Support - Parametric Technology Corporation and PTC customer support
- ^ Parametric Technology Corporation. "Pro/ENGINEER Language Support". http://www.ptc.com/products/proengineer/language-support. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
- ^ a b Ribbonsoft. "QCad Changelog". http://www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad_doc_changelog.html. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ a b c d Download list on QCad Downloads page
- ^ QCad FAQ page
- ^ a b c d e f "QCad Features". Ribbonsoft. http://www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad_features.html. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
- ^ a b Features will be different for the Community Edition
- ^ 'BIM and the U.S. GSA (1-2-3 Revit Tutorial'
- ^ VariCAD. "VariCAD Czech website". http://www.varicad.cz/cz/home/. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ a b VariCAD - CAD system description
- ^ Internally known as v15
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:CAD |
- Building analysis software
- 3D data acquisition and object reconstruction
- Comparison of CAD editors for CAE
- Comparison of CAD editors for CAM
- Comparison of CAD, CAM and CAE file viewers
- AEC related CAD software reviews by Cadalyst
- Computer-aided design
- List of CAx companies
- CAD/CAM in the footwear industry
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