Best 2D CAD Software

CAD Software has brought a revolution in designing and drawing a special outline Instrument for Architects and Engineers. It has replaced the whole drafting and style strategies. This is done by implementing a 2D CAD program to make their work more easy, efficient and precise. The 2D CAD software is mostly used in architectural engineering, Civil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineers, architects, interior and exterior designers, garment industry, machine tool designers, etc.

In the olden days, designers and architects used pen and paper to draw on the drawing board. For functional designs, many designers even prefer 2D CAD because of its simplicity and lightweight. So we can say that this software geared towards simple technical geometry and is always an abstraction of the real thing.

Brief History of 2D CAD:

Here we will discuss the history of the 2D CAD and how it came into existence. The development of CAD started in the year 1957. The first commercial and numerical-control programming system of that time was designed by Dr. Patrick named as PRONTO. Then in 1960, the sketchpad was designed in MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory which discussed the basic outlining principles and scope of computer drawing in the future.

The first CAD systems emerged as a replacement for drawing boards. The design engineers were still working and facing many issues while creating drawings but slowly after the improvement in the 2D CAD technology, the productivity of design increased. At that time it was a tough task to give training on the computer and how to work with the 2D CAD. As time passed by CAD software and hardware became more simple and the complexity reduced so the modifications in the software also became easier and affordable for midsize companies.

If you have worked with simple 2D CAD software, or even used 2D CAD drafting, you will surely know how effective and important these tools are.

Advantages of 2D CAD Software:

1. Flexibility in Saving and Sharing:

The designs and drawings that you create with the help of 2D CAD are easier to save and also you can keep it for future use and reference. These saved drawings can also be edited or modified and printed whenever required. When it is done on paper then storing them and keeping the records was a big headache but these drawings require less space and can be stored in the hard drive, USB pen drive or cloud and can be shared easily.

2. Accurate and Quality Designs:

The 2D CAD software provides great tools for design professions that will help in carrying out design and analysis of a proposed design. These tools also help in producing designs with high accuracy and the chances for errors is very much lower when compared to hand drawing. The higher accuracy will lead to better designs and these better designs help in manufacturing faster.

3. Easier Modification:

Modifying or editing the 2D CAD geometry is easy with the tools available. Correcting any errors is much faster and flexible when compared to using a pencil and paper. Earlier to complete a drawing by manually the draftsman used to take weeks. But, in the case of the 2D CAD drafting, you can reprint the drawing in no time and make as many copies you want.

4. Drafting Standards:

Manual drafting requires very careful drawings having accurate dimensions. Standards must be maintained in the beginning and applied consistently. 2D CAD provides assurance of maintaining the standard. The creation of styles for text, dimensions, etc is very helpful.

5. Template and Database Creation:

You can create any number of 2D CAD templates with basic details that you can use and reuse any number of times. These templates can save time by providing basic information. Also, the CAD files can be used to create a database as well. Also with the help of a wide-area network the 2D CAD templates and CAD database accessing is very easy. The drawings created manually can also be stored locally.

Most of the engineers and architects look for lightweight software which is simple and cost-effective too.

With the development of 2D CAD software, now there is almost 200 CAD software available in the market. Some of the popular CAD software are:-

1. AutoCAD
2. ActCAD
3. ProgeCAD
4. TrueCAD
5. NanoCAD
6. LibreCAD
7. BricsCAD

A quick comparison between some of the 2D CAD Software available

RATINGS	AUTOCAD	ACTCAD	PROGECAD	LIBRECAD	TRUECAD
OVERALL	5/5	5/5	4.5/5	4/5	4/5
FLEXIBILITY IN USING	4.5/5	5/5	5/5	3.5/5	4.5/5
CUSTOMER SERVICE	4.5/5	5/5	5/5	4/5	5/5
FUNCTIONALITY	5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	4/5
VALUE FOR MONEY	4/5	5/5	5/5	3.5/5	5/5

Based on the Comparison it is clearly visible that AutoCAD and ActCAD are more popular.

AutoCAD:

AutoCAD is a CAD drafting software developed and marketed by Autodesk. It was the year of 1982 when it came into existence.

Autodesk developed AutoCAD LT to have an entry-level 2D CAD package to compete in the market but it was available with reduced capabilities.

Full AutoCAD package and AutoCAD LT has many differences, few major differences in the software’s features are below :

3D functionality: Auto CAD LT doesn’t have the ability to create, visualize and render 3D models as well as 3D printing.

Network Licensing: AutoCAD LT lacks the feature of network licensing. You cannot use it on multiple machines over a network.

Customization:AutoCAD LT does not support customization with LISP, ARX, .NET and VBA.

ActCAD:-

ActCAD is a popular and powerful 2D CAD drafting and 3D modeling CAD software used by architects, engineers, interior exterior designers, professionals and in many Industries. It is based on the IntelliCAD Technology Consortium (ITC), Wintopo, ODA Teigha Libraries, ACIS 3D Kernel, etc. It uses the recently released version of IntelliCAD 8.4b to offer the best performance to its customers.

This software contains many important tools like block libraries that have blocks belonging to different domains in Mechanical, electrical, civil, architects, etc.

ActCAD Features:-

1. Cost-Effective:- It is available at a very lesser price. when compared to other available 2D CAD software.
2. Perpetual Licensing:– It provides the lifetime license to its customer so no more subscription charges. Also, the license is valid worldwide.
3. Latest Technology:- It is based on the latest technology of IntelliCAD 8.4b. It has got many features and improvements to make it more efficient and user-friendly.
4. Better Performance:- It has the true power of 64 bit and multithreading which provides better performance.
5. No Special training:- The user interface is almost similar to the other 2D CAD software so no new extra learning is required.
6. Converters:- Many file conversion features you can find like raster to vaster to provide more flexibility to the user.
7. DWG to PDF conversion:– It is the key feature of the ActCAD which allows conversion of dwg to pdf and vice-versa.
8. Self License Transfer:- You can deactivate the key in one PC and can activate it in another PC using the same license key.
9. Block Library:- It is having around 5000 blocks and also if you want then you can add your own blocks as per your convenience and requirement. technical drawings, free open source, free cad, open-source cad, operating system, 2d design, 2d drafting, intuitive user interface, 3d designs, view dwg, free version, dwg files, create edit & cad application

Conclusion:

Hence, we can conclude that this software proved itself as a boon and an aid to the technology. For maintaining the standard of the drawing and accuracy this shift of manual to 2D CAD technology is very much remarkable. Hence, we can say that ActCAD is more flexible and more superior to any other 2D CAD software. In many aspects, it is clearly visible from the customers’ reviews that it is one of the best CAD software. It has also increased the turnover of industries and is proving as an asset to them. So you can also fully utilize 2D CAD to enhance your business. No matter if we talk about the cost, features, reliability everywhere ActCAD is leading.