Best CAD & scan-to-CAD software

With dozens of different CAD software packages on the market, making the right choice can be challenging. That’s why we’ve condensed the most useful details down into one easy-to-read article, so in just a few minutes, you’ll understand what CAD software is all about, and why choosing the right solution for your design and engineering needs can make a huge difference in the quality of your workflow. To get more news about CAD software, you can visit shine news official website.

Until CAD (computer aided design) software showed up on the stage a few decades ago, engineers, architects, and other kinds of professional designers would sketch their product and manufacturing designs out on paper, usually with pencils. These drawings would depict the precise dimensions of each aspect of their machine or other creation from multiple angles.

Yet even with years of experience and heaps of time to spare, it’s extremely difficult to accurately represent 3D, real-world objects on paper in 2D. And from the other side of the table, looking down at a set of 2D blueprints and mentally turning them into a 3D object in your imagination is no easy feat.
Making the leap from paper to digital
While some engineers still hold fast to 2D drawings for at least some applications, most have fully embraced CAD software and have never looked back. One simple reason for this, among many others, is CAD’s ease of use. With a modern CAD solution, in mere minutes you can begin creating perfectly-precise 3D CAD models that you can zoom in or out on, rotate any which way you please, and explore any and every structural aspect of.
Whether that’s a simple geometrical shape, or the most complex of objects, CAD gives you a truly comprehensive visual understanding of the design you’re working with. That simply isn’t possible with 2D paper drawings or blueprints.

New CAD models for old parts, and more
And what about legacy parts, for which no CAD models or blueprints exist? By reverse engineering such components, particularly via a scan-to-CAD solution, you can create metrologically-precise CAD models of whatever objects or assemblies you choose. From there they’ll be ready for in-house additive manufacturing or sending to a machinist.
As well, if the part you’re reverse engineering is damaged or incomplete, you can simply rebuild the missing or defective elements of it in CAD. Various CAD toolsets exist for such applications, depending on whether you’re just mirroring an existing section or rebuilding the entire area from scratch.

That’s just the beginning of the myriad applications where CAD software is being used today. We’ll dive into other possibilities in the sections ahead.
How to choose the best CAD software
Deciding upon the right CAD solution for your specific needs can seem like a challenging task, particularly with today’s time-pressed schedules constraining us. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Obviously, if your company already uses a specific package, then that’s what you’ll be using. If you do have some latitude as to which CAD software to go with, there are several considerations that will help you narrow down the choices to the one that’s best for you.

How steep is the learning curve? And what about ease of use?
If you’re a student and have weeks and months to dedicate to learning a new CAD system, that’s one thing. But if you’re a busy engineer with just an hour to spare once a day and need to become proficient in two-three weeks, that’s another. Each CAD solution has its own learning curve and demands in terms of whether classes and workshops are needed, and for how long, or if you can learn on your own, at your own pace.
A software’s ease and use is a relative thing, since what may be easy for you may be difficult for the average user, or vice versa. It doesn’t matter how powerful or full featured the CAD software is, if you’re not comfortable using it. The only way to know for certain is to get your hands on a copy of the software and try it for yourself. Or try out a demo firsthand during a demonstration.

How many features and tools do you need? Can the software grow with you?
Ideally the CAD solution you choose should have enough features to allow you to expand your skill set over time and not max out during your first two weeks of use, unless of course you’re already a pro user. For beginners and hobbyists, this may not be an issue, since you’re more focused on grasping the basics and building a solid foundation for future CAD work.

However, if you’re already past the early stages of CAD proficiency and need to work with more complex and challenging designs, or plan to do so in the foreseeable future, then you’ll want to confirm that your CAD solution of choice will be able to keep pace with you. Check out all available features and toolsets, as well as optional plugins and other 3rd-party integration possibilities.

Are you focused on price alone or ROI as well?
If you’re overly concerned about the initial cost of a quality CAD system, you may very well not see how the more “expensive” packages can actually be the least costly in the long run. Now, for users who’ve repeatedly struggled with free or budget solutions when trying to accomplish even mildly-complex tasks, no convincing is needed. As much as it sounds like a cliché, time is indeed money.

And for professional engineers and designers, being forced to repeat a process over and over while trying slightly different options, with none of them working adequately, can be extremely frustrating. Especially when the interface isn’t intuitive and the tools available fall short of getting the job done. On the other hand, the right CAD package may be more expensive upfront, but will unarguably pay for itself while the other systems are still spinning their wheels.