From time to time I like to design things with CAD software. If you are someone like me, you have probably looked at all the offerings out there and thought that this is too expensive for a part time hobbiest. I have tried all of the free versions CAD software out there and I would say you get what you paid for. There is one exception and that would be Sketchup. The paid version is pretty expensive and it is an on going subscription. It would seem that a lot of the CAD software models are using this same approach. They do offer a free online version that comes with limitations. While it works well and you can do a lot with it, the one thing I don't like is that you have to be online with Internet to use it. Plus all your files are stored on their cloud although they do offer a generous amount of storage. Even though it is still free they could change their policy at anytime.
After trying several free CAD applications I finally found the one that I actually purchased. Moment of Inspiration 3D (MOI3D) was the one I eventually settled on. This is software that can be installed on your computer. The files are stored on your computer. And you pay for it one time, no subscriptions. I love the simplicity of the user interface and it is easy to use compared to majority of the other options I've tried. The current price at the time of this writing is $295. That may seem expensive for some but compared to everything else it is a steal. Now I must say that it is pretty powerful but in comparison to upper tier professional software available out there it in no way competes. But for the casual user and hobbiest, it is just fine.
In the future posts I will be describing how I use the software to create files for use on a laser engraving machine. I'll also feature some woodworking designs. If you have any questions, leave your comments below.
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