Autosketch has been discontinued, and you want to know a suitable alternative product. Your options depend on how you plan to use the product to replace Autosketch, a 2D vector drawing program. AutoCAD LT is a precision 2D design and drafting program. Sketchbook Pro is a drawing and painting program for artists and illustrators. Trade in Perpetual License Offer. Customers can save 25% on the Autodesk Suggested Retail Price (SRP) for industry collections or most individual products when they purchase eligible 1-year or 3-year term subscriptions with single-user access and trade-in qualifying serial numbers and all associated seats of release 1998 through 2021 perpetual licenses not on an active maintenance plan (any. Autodesk AutoSketch 10 for PC & Mac, Windows, OSX, and Linux. A comprehensive set of CAD tools designed to create professional quality precision drawings. Getting Started Tutorials, a customizable work environment, and accessible content libraries helps to design with speed, flexibility and efficiency.

Those three issues aside, Autosketch 10 is a very capable package (new users must be prepared to take the time to learn how to use it) more than sufficient for architectural, mechanical and electrical 2D drawings. If this is all you need you really don't need to be spending 3-4 times as much money on packages packed with features you just don't.

Autodesk’s AutoCAD is an industry-standard for high-end CAD designing. But does that make it the right CAD tool for your construction business?

Autodesk is a juggernaut in the industrial drafting solutions market. And its products are the go-to tools for many types of professionals, including product designers, architects, and instrumentation engineers.

The company’s AutoCAD is a popular tool in the construction industry, offering features such as 3D modeling and parametric constraints. But big things have long shadows; in AutoCAD’s case it’s the $1,610 per user per year price tag. It’s a fairly expensive option, especially for small construction firms.

If you’re looking for a less expensive software option, the fact that the market is fraught with terrible AutoCAD knockoffs doesn’t help either.

So, we’ve done the research to bring you the top four AutoCAD alternatives. Read on to learn about the key capabilities and pricing of the top four AutoCAD alternatives for construction businesses.

How we selected the best AutoCAD alternatives

Products are listed in alphabetical order. To make the list, products had to meet the following criteria:

• Core AutoCAD capabilities: The product had to offer similar 2D and 3D modeling capabilities and support similar file types to AutoCAD.
• Minimum of 20 user reviews published on Capterra’s site in the last two years: Recent reviews help us analyze the pros and cons of the alternatives.
• High “likelihood to recommend” rating: The product should have an average recommendation rating of at least 8 out of 10 on Capterra.
• High “features and functionality” rating: The product must have a minimum functionality rating of 4 out of 5 stars on Capterra.

1. FreeCAD: Open source parametric 3D CAD modeler

FreeCAD comes with capabilities such as 3D parametric modeling, robot simulation, 2D drawing and sketching, and a rendering module for creating high-quality 3D images.

The tool is suitable for a wide range of uses in manufacturing and engineering industries. However, construction businesses can also use it to create floor plans or to design 3D building models.

3D modeling of a building in FreeCAD(Source)

2. SketchUp: Intuitive 3D modeling

SketchUp helps users draw 2D construction plans as well as 3D models of buildings. Along with design-related features, the tool offers features for document management with support for numerous file types (including DXF, DWG, FBX, OBJ, XSI, and VRML) and the facility to export images (including PDFs and HD animations).

3D construction plan design in SketchUp (Source)

3. SolidWorks Premium: Full-featured CAD tool

SolidWorks Premium is a good option for 3D sketchers who want CAD software for detailed design work. The tool comes with extensive design features that allow for creating 2D drawings and 3D models. The tool also supports document management (with version control) for building a repository of up-to-date designs.

3D image design in SolidWorks (Source)

4. Vectorworks Architect: Suitable for BIM modeling

Autosketch For Mac Free Download

Vectorworks Architect offers capabilities such as 2D drawing, 3D modeling, and building information modeling (BIM). As its name suggests, the tool is designed to help architects; it allows building 3D construction site models, drawing site blueprints, and designing digital walk-through presentations.

Autosketch Mac Os X

Designing stairs in Vectorworks (Source)

What other great CAD options are out there?

Is there a great CAD program that we’ve missed? What do you use? If you use AutoCAD, why do you prefer it? Let us know in the comments below!

The AutoCAD alternatives listed here are based on ratings from Capterra users. To expand your search, compare other CAD software on Capterra.

Note: Listed pros and cons are derived from features listed on the product website and product user reviews on Gartner Digital Markets domains (Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice). They do not represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Capterra or its affiliates.

Autosketch For Mac

Looking for Construction Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Construction Management software solutions.

Autosketch 10 For Mac