Software Alternatives & Reviews

BRL-CAD VS FreeCAD

Compare BRL-CAD VS FreeCAD and see what are their differences

BRL-CAD logo BRL-CAD

BRL-CAD: Open Source Solid Modeling

FreeCAD logo FreeCAD

An open-source parametric 3D modeler
  • BRL-CAD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-23
  • FreeCAD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

BRL-CAD videos

Introduction of BRL-CAD

More videos:

  • Review - free open source cad software Archer BRL-CAD Setup

FreeCAD videos

Is FreeCAD any good?

More videos:

  • Review - FreeCAD vs Fusion360 - What is the Best FREE CAD Program?
  • Review - FREECAD review | the best free cad software to download for free ! | mechanical modeling program

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to BRL-CAD and FreeCAD)
3D
15 15%
85% 85
Architecture
15 15%
85% 85
3D Modeling
15 15%
85% 85
CAD
14 14%
86% 86

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare BRL-CAD and FreeCAD

BRL-CAD Reviews

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FreeCAD Reviews

15 Best Sketchup Alternatives 2022
From the description “FreeCAD” you can decipher that this software is free to use. Hence, you can use it on Windows, Mac, and Linux amongst other operating systems.
9 Free CAD Software to Download
Although it is open source and free, FreeCAD is on par with other popular CAD programs due to its capability in creating real 3D solids, support for meshes, 2D drafting, right hand coordinate system plus many more features.
10 Free AutoCAD Alternatives
Its tools and concepts are quite similar to those of AutoCAD. So those who are already familiar with CAD will feel very comfortable using it. The FreeCAD source code can be downloaded, used and transformed as the user wants, because it is free. One of its most striking features is that by having a free source code, FreeCAD users have constantly changing software available...
Source: solidface.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, BRL-CAD should be more popular than FreeCAD. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

BRL-CAD mentions (13)

  • What is a Good Next Step After to Learn C in More Depth After CS50?
    If computer graphics is of interest, BRL-CAD (https://brlcad.org) is very welcoming to new contributors and has lots of projects you could take on. Source: 12 months ago
  • GPT4 hallucinating a FTP server at ftp.disney.com
    Mike Muuss[0] approves of this message. 0: https://brlcad.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Best way/book to learn C, for a rookie like me
    Join an open source community that is welcoming to newcomers (e.g., BRL-CAD, Haiku OS, OSGeo, ..) and work on a little bit of code every day. It can be a simple feature, specific bug, or something new you want to achieve. Many open source groups are very welcoming to newcomers if you do the work and ask smart questions. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Windows / MacOS - Home/garden design
    You could also try out free AutoCAD alternatives like libreCAD (2D), or brlCAD (2D&3D, I believe). Source: about 1 year ago
  • Free 3D design software??? Hey friends! I am building a couple of custom sized cabinets with shaker style doors. Are there any free design design software applications that can render in 3D that isn’t too difficult to use? Any info will be so appreciated! Thanks!!
    So, uh ... Learning curve. If you want anything and everything under the sun, go with BRL-CAD. It was designed for ballistics testing and simulation, but it can do pretty much anything. The learning curve for BRL-CAD is immense. Otherwise, I recommend OpenSCAD. Source: about 1 year ago
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FreeCAD mentions (2)

  • SOLIDWORKS for Linux
    Important note[0] from author: > With the help of my script, You get a way to install Solidworks on your Linux system. > Certain packages and programs that are required will be set up for You, but it's important to know, that my script only helps You to get the program to run and nothing more! Personally I may recommend try & use SolveSpace[1,2] and FreeCAD[3] — free & open-source 2D/3D... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • STL to Gcode for CNC Router?
    Also FreeCAD has a gcode workbench for full 3D. I've used it a little and would describe it as "usable once you work out the quirks". Https://freecadweb.org/. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing BRL-CAD and FreeCAD, you can also consider the following products

LibreCAD - An open source 2D CAD application for Windows, Apple and Linux.

SketchUp - 3D for Everyone

OpenSCAD - OpenSCAD is a software for creating solid 3D CAD objects.

Blender - Blender is the open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation.

nanoCAD - nanoCAD is a pro-grade 2D CAD system with native DWG support and full customizability.

SolidWorks - Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. develops and markets 3D CAD design software, analysis software, and product data management software. SolidWorks is the leading supplier of 3D CAD product design engineering software.