Free Draftsight is going the way of the dodo ( or the subscription model).. and 3 suggested Alternatives.

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All;
I got this in my inbox today with the title "DraftSight 2019 is here. Discover design freedom"
I got a bit excited.. then I read..

DraftSight 2019 represents a major software upgrade that addresses the most requested capabilities and functionality from our users and provides new powerful features and 3D capabilities with more choices and flexibility. Plus, we are investing in other technologies including a cloud-based version of DraftSight and more.
As a result:
- DraftSight 2019 for Windows® is offered in paid versions only.
- All free versions of DraftSight (2018 or earlier) will cease to run after 12/31/2019.


Oh boy! I had been anticipating this all along. I can't afford Autocad, .. so here are some options.

1. DeltaCad still a great 2D standby still supported $39.99 https://www.deltacad.com/ [I have and Like this software]
2. Fusion 360 free to hobbyists and non commercial. Requires internet all the time. Very powerful.. learning Curve .. [I have this, but dont need all the 3D stuff]
3. All the TurboCad variants. Some less expensive if you just need 2D. https://www.turbocad.com/ No command line interface [at least on the lower end $$]
4. There is an open source package that I use now.. but it does cost a few bucks because there is software compiled in that costs money for the developer. See QCAD.
Very powerful with a command line interface (not Lisp but ECMAScript scripting interface ) but works almost the same. (I like the command interface). Very stable and very active user group.
33 Euros. Download. [This is the one I am using now] https://www.qcad.org/en/

I am working on 2 sets of drawings. One of the Bluenose Elsinor based lines (frames only) the drawings are proprietary
And the Brigantine Leon based on blow ups of the drawings at the back of Underhill's book "Plank on Frame models..." [just starting this]


Anyway.. hope everyone is well and having a great day.

Guy
 
Hello Guy, although I can't help you with any input, I am not a Cad guy, I am interested in your Leon drawings. We have a few members who have knowledge about Cad.
 
Hi all;
I have scanned the drawings from the books.. they are surprisingly good (scanned at 600 dpi). Once I trace them (ongoing) and then scale them, they should be fine. This is similar to taking drawings from the many Chappelle books or any of the many free plan sites. There are many examples of people doing this all the time. Wayne Kempson wrote a nice article here: http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/plans_and_research/DraftingShipPlansInCADwayne.pdf

I also have copies (actually they are scans from the RMG such as https://prints.rmg.co.uk/collection...-of-hms-surprise-1796-lines-and-profile-j5948 which are also scans but at a larger size (not as big as you would think)

I will share the framing once it is done. As an example I will share a scan of the lines of the Leon...
img001-leon-lines.jpg

The white background after being cropped and adjusted with the gimp program. The original scan from my scanner is quite a bit larger..in size. It exceeds the file size limits for SOS.

Anyway.. as you can see I dont think I am going to have difficulty getting this traced, scaled and then create frames.

Best!
Guy
 
Also.. when I trace I always will build the drawing 1:1 thus it could be sized to any scale easily. I am most likely going to build 1/96 as Underhill..
-G
 
here is a question
rather than paying for a CAD program, taking many hours to learn the program then going through all the effort to draw the frames would it not be so much easier and faster to take the drawings you have and cut out a set of lifts from the plan and make a foam board 1/2 hull then cut the hull at each frame location and trace the pattern, this way you have an accurate frame shape for every frame bevels and all

this is how it was done with real ship building why not with model ship building?
 
Hi Dave, you have a good point and I was contemplating just this, this morning. I am an engineer by trade and am familiar with CAD and use it quite often.... indeed all the tracing required takes huge amounts of time and then one needs to loft (if they are building a POF model). I am going to probably do just what you suggested.. learning different cad systems is a PITA.

PS.. since I have so little space I am building smaller models... Philip Reed is a star in my book as well as Dr. Jerry Jang (see: https://www.nutsnbits.com/nutsnbits_000083.htm and https://www.nutsnbits.com/nutsnbits_00007d.htm )
more on this as I resize pdf's or jpeg/jpg images. Mr Reed did/does this as does Dr. Jang.

I will start a build log on this. I also want to build different ships (Merchant (Like the Leon), Fishing Schooners, etc.. ) not so much the warships.

Thanks for re-enforcing my thinking this morning on the way to work..

I already have a 4x4x16 block of jetulong... just handy here...

Hope your day is fine!

Guy
 
I am a CAD user have been since AutoCAD version 7

even being fast at CAD it is still easier to work with a 1/2 hull model.
i use CAD drafting when i plan on 3d printing otherwise its a lot of old school work.

in actual ship building there is no such thing as "lofting" frame shapes that is a modeling term and done in model building. In ship building the frames are drawn full scale on a loft floor by first using a 1/2 hull and taking offsets.

i am wondering i have never come across a set of wood ship building plans with all the frames drawn. In early north America pre 1812 there were a lot of shipyards all around the Great Lakes and up and down the eastern coast but very few drawn plans but a lot of 1/2 hulls in museums.
 
reading through these long detailed explaining every line and what it means reminds me of the do nothing machine. it would take me 80 or more hours sitting in front of CAD to "loft" a set of frames or give me a block of foam board or soft wood and I can do the same thing on a Sunday afternoon.
you can see and feel the hull taking shape right in front of you

makes you ask yourself how do you want to spend your time actually building a model or learning CAD they both command a lot of time.

 
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I don’t know if any of you know this but if you take a course at a local college, you can get a student license of AutoCAD for 3 years.

The only difference is that any output to paper you do has “student version” on the plot stamp.
 
learning Auto cad or any of the cad drafting programs is only the first step, learning it and becoming proficient at it requires many many hours.
Then once you are good enough at cad then you have to learn and understand how to draft a ship and all its pieces and parts.

I am not saying cad is not worth learning it is
what I am saying if your goal is model ship building, like the do nothing machine, there are easier ways to achieve the end result rather than a long involved process of computer drafting.

way back i started with CAD by taking beginner classes and believe me you walk away with the very "basic" knowledge of drafting, hardly enough to draft a set of model ship plans.

cad is useful in an industrial setting where a drawing is done then parts converted to CNC, laser cutting, 3D printing and computer modeling.
 
All;
I got this in my inbox today with the title "DraftSight 2019 is here. Discover design freedom"
I got a bit excited.. then I read..

DraftSight 2019 represents a major software upgrade that addresses the most requested capabilities and functionality from our users and provides new powerful features and 3D capabilities with more choices and flexibility. Plus, we are investing in other technologies including a cloud-based version of DraftSight and more.
As a result:
- DraftSight 2019 for Windows® is offered in paid versions only.
- All free versions of DraftSight (2018 or earlier) will cease to run after 12/31/2019.


Oh boy! I had been anticipating this all along. I can't afford Autocad, .. so here are some options.

1. DeltaCad still a great 2D standby still supported $39.99 https://www.deltacad.com/ [I have and Like this software]
2. Fusion 360 free to hobbyists and non commercial. Requires internet all the time. Very powerful.. learning Curve .. [I have this, but dont need all the 3D stuff]
3. All the TurboCad variants. Some less expensive if you just need 2D. https://www.turbocad.com/ No command line interface [at least on the lower end $$]
4. There is an open source package that I use now.. but it does cost a few bucks because there is software compiled in that costs money for the developer. See QCAD.
Very powerful with a command line interface (not Lisp but ECMAScript scripting interface ) but works almost the same. (I like the command interface). Very stable and very active user group.
33 Euros. Download. [This is the one I am using now] https://www.qcad.org/en/

I am working on 2 sets of drawings. One of the Bluenose Elsinor based lines (frames only) the drawings are proprietary
And the Brigantine Leon based on blow ups of the drawings at the back of Underhill's book "Plank on Frame models..." [just starting this]


Anyway.. hope everyone is well and having a great day.

Guy
I have solidworks (7000 dollar version that I bought in 2010 when I was unemployed for 10 months) and paid version of draftsight I bought for 200 a couple of years ago. I just retired from being a machine designer. I have used auto cad for 35 years. I worked for a company that was one of the first to have cad (IBM main frame back in 1985) so I have a lot of experience. I am currently designing a Rc 8ft long of ORCA from jaws.....on draftsight then convert it to solidworks.
 
All;
I got this in my inbox today with the title "DraftSight 2019 is here. Discover design freedom"
I got a bit excited.. then I read..

DraftSight 2019 represents a major software upgrade that addresses the most requested capabilities and functionality from our users and provides new powerful features and 3D capabilities with more choices and flexibility. Plus, we are investing in other technologies including a cloud-based version of DraftSight and more.
As a result:
- DraftSight 2019 for Windows® is offered in paid versions only.
- All free versions of DraftSight (2018 or earlier) will cease to run after 12/31/2019.


Oh boy! I had been anticipating this all along. I can't afford Autocad, .. so here are some options.

1. DeltaCad still a great 2D standby still supported $39.99 https://www.deltacad.com/ [I have and Like this software]
2. Fusion 360 free to hobbyists and non commercial. Requires internet all the time. Very powerful.. learning Curve .. [I have this, but dont need all the 3D stuff]
3. All the TurboCad variants. Some less expensive if you just need 2D. https://www.turbocad.com/ No command line interface [at least on the lower end $$]
4. There is an open source package that I use now.. but it does cost a few bucks because there is software compiled in that costs money for the developer. See QCAD.
Very powerful with a command line interface (not Lisp but ECMAScript scripting interface ) but works almost the same. (I like the command interface). Very stable and very active user group.
33 Euros. Download. [This is the one I am using now] https://www.qcad.org/en/

I am working on 2 sets of drawings. One of the Bluenose Elsinor based lines (frames only) the drawings are proprietary
And the Brigantine Leon based on blow ups of the drawings at the back of Underhill's book "Plank on Frame models..." [just starting this]


Anyway.. hope everyone is well and having a great day.

Guy
There is a 4th package that is free and is almost as good as Autocad
V5 is free, you dont get updates, you register it once and its free.
Andrew
 
Well, my only take on it is that (for some) out there, CAD is just a part of the hobby of "getting there" as well as anything else. In other words, some like it for the enjoyment of it. I use TurboCad Pro Platinum (at my office), but it is just 2D line drawings of Audio and Video flow of a broadcast Radio and TV station, etc.
My opinion: not all CAD programs are suitable for 3D ship drawing, especially when it comes to drawing frames in 3D. I also think that a person that chooses to play around with CAD to draw ship frames, etc., actually can learn a tremendous amount of how a ship is constructed. Just my 2 cents.
I also have to admire any "programmer" willing to offer any type of software (especially CAD for free) as it is a time consuming effort to programming. I can see how a company then chooses to make there SW purchase only, especially when it is necessary to keep up with the trends.

Hate to get off topic---As a last side note: Lets take Astronomy --- can be a VERY expensive hobby. Glass is expensive. Add to that if you want to invest in Astro-photography. Some advanced amateur astro photograghy "camera" specific to (AP) astro photography can run up to like $6000. A decent rig (telescope) to be able to do this for both really good eye visual observing + AP capable --again -- add about $5000 to that.

To me, it comes down to 'what do you want out of the hobby'. There is no one here (and I hope so) that is critical in any manner of which one wants to enjoy it - wheather it be choosing free SW or investing in expensive tools, SW and the such. Always have something to look forward to and to have goals.
 
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my Dell studio work station got the blue screen of death so it had to be wiped clean and start all over. Well in doing so I learned newer CAD programs are run on a 64 bit OS and the older versions run on a 32bit OS and the two do not jive. So to reinstall the programs lost are really lost because now you do not get a disk you just rent a download of the program. Some still support the 32 bit but they are getting harder and harder to find.

a large part of the FREE programs will not import or export different files so your stuck. You can use the program but if you want to say create a STL file no way you have to purchase the full program.

CAD and 3D modeling is a hobby unto itself it takes a lot of hours to learn them
 
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