![]() Many 3D snobs (myself included) are willing to argue that there is no substitute for 3D, but it just isn’t the case in all situations in design, which brings me to DraftSight, a relatively new product brought to you by Dassault Systemes to fill a need of its customers: a very low cost (basic version is free) but powerful tool for designers, drafters, and engineers to support legacy 2D data in what are otherwise 3D design firms – or an easy to use 2D drafting tool that gives practically all the functionality of AutoCAD. If you don’t need it, then why bother creating it, right? Examples include truss design and FEA software, which uses 2D simplifications to reduce complexity. It’s not always because they don’t want to change their practice to 3D, but because for their product lines and design processes 2D drawings are more efficient than 3D. In reality, many kinds of companies still require 2D CAD. With a lower operating cost and flexible licensing options, you’ll be able to improve your bottom line without sacrificing design capability, all while improving collaboration and even simplifying your transition to 3D design, should you choose to pursue it.Many in CAD marketing circles refer to 2D CAD as a dead technology, having gone the way of earlier technology such as eight-track and VHS tapes, and laser discs. Though the glory days of 2D design may be waning, there are still millions of 2D CAD users across thousands of companies, and plenty of compelling reasons to include a 2D solution like DraftSight in your design portfolio. Considering that many CAD users may only use the software a handful of times in a given month (or less), named-user licensing can become prohibitively expensive very quickly for casual users, while network licensing allows a significantly smaller, flexible license pool to serve a much larger userbase. This is in stark contrast to named-user licensing, in which only a single user may use a purchased license. The benefits of DraftSight versus AutoCADĪnother major advantage offered by DraftSight is network (distributed) licensing, which allows licenses to be hosted on a server and used on an as-needed basis by anyone who needs them. If you’re moving to SOLIDWORKS, you’ll have extra interoperability between 2D and 3D for a cleaner transition, and the Professional and Premium versions of SOLIDWORKS include a Task Scheduler and PDM software to assist in the migration process as well. ![]() Keeping a license or two of DraftSight in your back pocket can make this process significantly easier (and less stressful) until you’ve managed to become proficient in your new 3D software and convert the necessary legacy data. The transition process can be daunting, especially when hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of 2D files need to be migrated, and even more so if you’re unfamiliar with designing in 3D. Many companies, especially those which have been in business for many years, have built foundations on 2D CAD systems but also recognize the host of benefits offered by transitioning to 3D. Use Case #3 – Transitioning to 3D Can Be Scary Plus, you’ll receive world-class support for both products from the technical team at Hawk Ridge Systems should you ever need it. Entities can be copied and pasted directly from DraftSight into SOLIDWORKS sketches and, even more importantly, the SOLIDWORKS Product Data Management (PDM) system is integrated into DraftSight for proper file management and revision control. If your company already makes use of SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD, there’s even more to love! Since both SOLIDWORKS and DraftSight are developed by Dassault Systèmes, there’s a significant amount of interoperability between them. You can even save to older file versions and work with dynamic blocks created in AutoCAD, allowing you to speak the same language as your collaborators, avoid costly mistakes, and reduce design time. Even if your company already has a 3D CAD solution in place, having a 2D solution such as DraftSight on hand allows you to open, review, and edit any DWG or DXF file, regardless of which program it originated from. Okay, probably not all of them, but many organizations employ vendors or collaborate with other companies (or even other departments within their own company, for that matter) who use 2D CAD for one reason or another. If you happen to be questioning the capability of DraftSight as compared to a juggernaut like AutoCAD, be sure to take a look at our webinar, " Is DraftSight a Viable Alternative to AutoCAD?" Use Case #2 – All Your Friends Are Using It While there are certainly open source 2D and 3D CAD modeling programs available for those who don’t wish to pay at all, they’re typically not developed and supported by a powerhouse like Dassault Systèmes. ![]() Speaking of price, DraftSight is also cheaper (and more capable, for that matter) than many 2D CAD programs, including AutoCAD LT.
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