Is there anything else in 3d Cad that is as easy to use as SketchUp is?

[Apples]

Hi all,

I think that sketup is really great and super easy to use.

What would be the next level up in terms of 3D Cad that a new person to 3d should learn on. I have tried Alibre, but the whole interface seems very awkward to draw in 3d for me.

With sketch up it is so easy to do. Are they any other 3d Cad programs that you can draw by simply clicking and draging. ie click and drag a square, then extrude it out, etc.

I find sketchup so easy and basic to use, other 3d Cad programs are not so easy for me at the moment.

So what else is out there?

Peter

[ger21]

Coming from a CAD background, I actually find Sketchup to be a bit limiting, and actually a lot more difficult to do more complex objects than a CAD program.

Newer versions of AutoCAD let you do what Sketchup does, draw a square, and push and pull it. But you'll find it far more complex to use, probably much harder than Alibre. Then there's the $4K price tag. I also don't believe that most AutoCAD users don't use the Sketchup like features, as they actually just add a step to the extrusion process (the actual dragging)

I'd say that your parametric modelers like Alibre, Solidworks, etc. are the easiest to use. You just need to get used to the way they work, as they require a different thought process. But this is probably the best direction to head in.

So I guess that I'm saying, no, there isn't anything as easy to use as Sketchup. At least not that I'm aware of.

[Apples]

Yeah I pretty much think that it's going to have to be a matter of learning how they work.

Alibre wasn't too bad, I guess keep going at it.

[blowlamp]

You could try out ViaCad 2d/3d. Probably a little harder to use than Sketchup but is very powerful and only $99. Also has a broad range of import/export options that work reliably. Try the tutorials first to get the idea of the program's basics. I've tried some of the others but ViaCad works best for me - just can't understand why more people don't mention it.
All the best, Martin.

[Viperia]

Hello!

I have been playing around quite a bit with Sketchup, IronCad, SolidWorks, AutoCad and some more cad/drawing programs and the one that i think is really easy and fast to learn is IronCad V10.

It is simple to understand and quite straightforward, just read the getting started guides etc and there should be no problems at all.

One bad thing with IronCad is that it does not run on Windows Vista so i am dual booting XP and Vista on the same computer to run IronCad on the XP install and my regular desktop work on the Vista install.

My next step is to advance to SolidWorks which is for me the next big step into the 3D cad world, have been playing a bit with it but not at all as advanced stuff as in IronCad etc.

Regards,
Viperia