Depends on what exactly you want to do, but there's a reason why these vendors can afford to charge so much while being so user-hostile.
I think the only "real" option is FreeCAD.
OpenSCAD makes you "code" your model instead of drawing it. There's a learning curve associated with every CAD software but I don't think you'll achieve a reasonable speed with this one even if you do put in the effort.
Blender is great for "freehand" modeling but awful if you want "real CAD" with accurate measurements, parametric modelling, constraints etc. - there may be plugins to make it somewhat work.
Onshape is free as in beer for hobbyist use but locks you into their platform and there currently doesn't seem to be a usable CAM solution yet, at least none that could deal with metal - if you want that for free, I think Fusion 360 (Autodesk, heavy lockin and serious restrictions on the free version) is your only realistic option.
tgsovlerkhgsel|1 year ago
I think the only "real" option is FreeCAD.
OpenSCAD makes you "code" your model instead of drawing it. There's a learning curve associated with every CAD software but I don't think you'll achieve a reasonable speed with this one even if you do put in the effort.
Blender is great for "freehand" modeling but awful if you want "real CAD" with accurate measurements, parametric modelling, constraints etc. - there may be plugins to make it somewhat work.
Onshape is free as in beer for hobbyist use but locks you into their platform and there currently doesn't seem to be a usable CAM solution yet, at least none that could deal with metal - if you want that for free, I think Fusion 360 (Autodesk, heavy lockin and serious restrictions on the free version) is your only realistic option.