FreeCAD - Free Open Source CAD Software
Published: 19 August 2026
Since I was at university I have used Autodesk products and have always had access to a license through uni or work to design parts to even R&D test rigs. Recently I have decided to explore the world of open source CAD software due the large cost associated with purchasing a yearly for Autodesk fusion or inventor and work cracking down on use of company licenses for private use.
It seems everything these days is a subscription and you can not purchase a perpetual license for a piece of software. So how do you design parts that are parametric models and not get bent over the barrel with a yearly subscription fee in the thousands? You could “sail the SEA” and I think most people have or will go down that path, as most people don’t want to learn a new piece of software. But deep down do you trust that cracked software and do you have the know how the lock that program down if it hides malicious software? You could just air gap the computer and have it ever see the internet again.
Ok for a the last month I have tried both options sail the sea and explored open source CAD software. If you are just looking to just draw up parts and you do not need the add-ons that some software has now to reverse engineer parts from point clouds or that accelerated design feature in inventor professional (that has standardize parts from bolts to gear). You could get a away with sailing. These small add-on extensions are how software developers are slowing down piracy. I have recently revisited FreeCAD this month after testing it out 4-5 years ago, and I am happy to say FreeCAD is that saving grace from paid software.
If you have used professional software before the learning curve is quite small just some UI differences (layout, symbols) and how you do your standard sketch draw extrude process. It is not perfect, and there are times you will realise that $5k bill a year does come with some benefits. I have used FreeCAD to design parts and even reverse engineer pieces from point clouds and meshes. It is surprising what 5 year of baking has produced. Before you throw away your hard earn cash of a 1 year subscription or use cloud systems like Autodesk’s free cloud version of Fusion where you do not own what you create. As it is all in the cloud and open for others to use, try FreeCAD.
Getting Start with FreeCAD
If you are new to CAD view the beginners guide for FreeCAD 1.1 by Mango Jelly, and if you are proficient with using a CAD software set the speed to 2x as knowing the slight difference about the UI will save you so much time and pain. other goo tutorial by Jelly Mango are:
Reverse Engineering - Importing, manipulating meshes and sectioning meshes to create a parametric model of a scan.
Wire/Sketch Not Close - one of those things that tripped me up a few times.