CAD

Web-CAD free alternative to AutoCAD based on HTML 5

There are lots os free alternatives to CAD softwares these days like FreeCAD and DraftSight that will work really well for people trying to go avoid really expansive tools like AutoCAD. This week I found another interesting project that might become an alternative to CAD, and it is all web…

Do we still need Blender 2.49b for architecture?

Just a few weeks ago an article here at Blender 3D Architect mentioned a script that will help artists to import data directly from AutoCAD to Blender. This will be a great help for anyone using Blender to create 3d models for architecture. But, several readers pointed at the comments…

From Revit to Blender using FBX files

If you ever got a file from a client in FBX format and had to convert it to OBJ or other formats to make it work with Blender, you will like this quick tutorial. As part of the Google Summer of Code 2012 a developer called Alexander Gessler is working…

Exporting a 3d Mesh as a 2d DXF in Blender 2.5

The most common way to start an architectural visualization project is to get started from a CAD file, and import it to the 3d software and work to add materials and lights. But, what if you had to do the opposite way and export an 3d mesh from Blender to…

Import IFC files to Blender with IfcOpenShell

What exactly is an IFC file, and why someone working with architectural visualization would like to import IFC files to Blender? An IFC file is standard file format that can be used to share data generated by BIM tools like Revit, VectorWorks and ArchiCAD. It was created by the IAI…

DraftSight: Freeware CAD tool available for Linux

Here is some interesting new for artists looking for a CAD tool that works with Linux. A tool called DraftSight now has a version that work with Linux, and by what I could dig about the too, it`s pretty much a good alternative to AutoCAD and with the ability to…

FreeCAD: Using the BSpline and extrude

Here is another tutorial about FreeCAD, which is an open-source alternative to AutoCAD. If you are looking for a way to work with CAD on Linux, Windows or Mac OS X and replace AutoCAD, then you should consider looking into FreeCAD. In the video below, you will be introduced to…

FreeCAD: Using geometry constraints for 2D CAD

A great companion to Blender for any architectural visualization artist using only open source software is an open source CAD tool. From all the available options, FreeCAD is one of my favorite choices in this area due to the already great number of features, and the active development. In fact,…