Software Alternatives & Reviews

QCAD VS BRL-CAD

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

QCAD logo QCAD

QCAD is an application for computer aided drafting in 2D.

BRL-CAD logo BRL-CAD

BRL-CAD: Open Source Solid Modeling
  • QCAD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-23
  • BRL-CAD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-23

QCAD videos

Noobs guide to QCAD

More videos:

  • Review - Getting Started with QCAD

BRL-CAD videos

Introduction of BRL-CAD

More videos:

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to QCAD and BRL-CAD)
3D
52 52%
48% 48
Architecture
55 55%
45% 45
CAD
60 60%
40% 40
3D Modeling
45 45%
55% 55

User comments

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Reviews

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

QCAD Reviews

9 Free CAD Software to Download
Since it is open source, QCAD’s focus is more towards modularity, extensibility and portability. Its 2D CAD platform is powerful but yet easy to use even for a beginner who has little to no experience in CAD applications.

BRL-CAD Reviews

We have no reviews of BRL-CAD yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, BRL-CAD should be more popular than QCAD. 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.

QCAD mentions (4)

  • Pattern Making Software Recommendations?
    The best software for your situation is to work with a basic 2D CAD program. You would still need to learn the software but they are pretty basic. I'm not an expert in what is free but googling I found this open source one https://qcad.org/en/. Source: about 1 year ago
  • What's the most accomplished CAD software for Linux?
    QCAD has a free community version and professional and CAM versions for reasonable prices. Check out the features list to see which version you will need, although make sure the community version works on your system before committing to a paid version. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Free alternatives to AutoCAD?
    I'm no longer a user of CAD programs so this might be a bit outdated. But for 2D take a look at QCAD. For 3D modeling and lots of other functionality you have FreeCAD. Source: over 2 years ago
  • New to laser, How to designe?
    If you are looking for something free that can handle dimensions I would recommend QCAD. https://qcad.org/en/ It only supports 2D drawings, but I find it works well for laser cutting / engraving work. The free windows versions is also a bit trashy/unusable in free mode. But the Linux version works great if you want to try booting Linux off a USB stick. Source: about 3 years ago

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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What are some alternatives?

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

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

FreeCAD - An open-source parametric 3D modeler

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

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

SketchUp - 3D for Everyone

DraftSight - Discover Dassault Systèmes®' DRAFTSIGHT™ Professional CAD software that lets you create, edit, view and markup any kind of 2D drawing. Learn more here.