Any Workarounds for Running AutoCAD on Linux?
In my CAD class, the instructor requires explicitly AutoCAD because "that's the industry standard." As we know, AutoDork are a bunch pricks who refuses to get up from Microslop's lap, so I am in a tight spot rn.
Should I use a VM to run or would ACAD Web do the trick? Honestly, I can even try to push my luck with another CAD program that supports .dwg files.
atomkarinca
in reply to asdasd201 • • •unfortunately dwg files are a blind spot on linux. there are projects like qcad and librecad that have experimental dwg support (behind a paywall for qcad) but they require you to learn a whole new set of tools because workflow is entirely different for these.
i don't have experience with the web version, it might be enough for files with fewer elements but your best would be to use a vm for immediate future.
alternatively, you can draft your work in 3d and export your drawings from these files. for architectural work there is a great addon for blender called bonsaibim, for mechanical work there is freecad (it also has a workbench called bim workbench for architecture) and for circuit design there is kicad.
asdasd201
in reply to atomkarinca • • •moonpiedumplings
in reply to asdasd201 • • •First thing you should check is if the school offers VDI - Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.
My college has VDI, where you can access a GPU accelerated Windows machine from your browser, preinstalled with tools like Autocad, Photoshop, and other stuff.
If your school doesn't, then you should look at options like VM's. The problem, however, is that CAD and a lot of other software is GPU intensive, and simply using it in a VM might be too slow for practical usage.
asdasd201
in reply to moonpiedumplings • • •I asked them about VDI, and they asked me back what is it. Not surprising considering every semester course choosing becomes a nightmare.
I will use it for doing homeworks and exams, so speed isn't my concern.
moonpiedumplings
in reply to asdasd201 • • •asdasd201
in reply to moonpiedumplings • • •doodoo_wizard
in reply to asdasd201 • • •Hi!
I have used autocad since way back in the text entry box days. I have used linux for the same period of time and have used two dozen different cad packages many free/libre and a fair amount closed and for pay.
If your school is teaching you how to use autocad, drown your principles and use autocad.
The goal of going to school is to learn and you will have the easiest time understanding the lesson if you’re using the tool they are teaching you with.
There is no value to making it harder on yourself.
As other replies have stated: file support is gonna be hit or miss and when you start doing actual design work people are gonna expect you to be able to open their unique dwgs that have geometry breaking errors on everything but honest to god autocad.
You might be able to get away with web or vdi or a vm, but my honest advice having used all of those in the past is to bite the bullet and dual boot or maintain a windows or mac system.
You dont wanna find out that you’re beyond what remote, web or vm setups can do when it’s m
... Show more...Hi!
I have used autocad since way back in the text entry box days. I have used linux for the same period of time and have used two dozen different cad packages many free/libre and a fair amount closed and for pay.
If your school is teaching you how to use autocad, drown your principles and use autocad.
The goal of going to school is to learn and you will have the easiest time understanding the lesson if you’re using the tool they are teaching you with.
There is no value to making it harder on yourself.
As other replies have stated: file support is gonna be hit or miss and when you start doing actual design work people are gonna expect you to be able to open their unique dwgs that have geometry breaking errors on everything but honest to god autocad.
You might be able to get away with web or vdi or a vm, but my honest advice having used all of those in the past is to bite the bullet and dual boot or maintain a windows or mac system.
You dont wanna find out that you’re beyond what remote, web or vm setups can do when it’s midnight the day before something is due. Just be normal.
asdasd201
in reply to doodoo_wizard • • •doodoo_wizard
in reply to asdasd201 • • •asdasd201
in reply to doodoo_wizard • • •doodoo_wizard
in reply to asdasd201 • • •Those are inflated American prices. Whatever I said is probably much cheaper where you’re at.
Might be worth it to go ahead and switch back to windows now before you are in a position where you need to do so quickly in order to complete some task or assignment.
Look at the massgrave instructions for 21h2 iot ltsc, it’ll make your life easier.
asdasd201
in reply to doodoo_wizard • • •I just checked it, and the cheapest option we have is around 40k, jfml. The reason for the expensiveness is the stores inflate the prices, and the taxes double the already ridiculous prices.
Good to know! I might even try to dualboot using their ISOs instead.
doodoo_wizard
in reply to asdasd201 • • •asdasd201
in reply to doodoo_wizard • • •Eugenia
in reply to asdasd201 • • •QCAD can read/write DWG files on Linux, it costs just 40 bucks, and it has an autocad-like interface. But if your instructor says that they need autocad, better keep a Windows machine too.
Another way to read/write DWG files is to download and make executable the appimage here. It converts DWG to DXF. opendesign.com/guestfiles/oda_… Then you can load the DXF on the Community (Free) version of QCad.
Sure, you could load that DXF file on any Linux app (e.g. librecad, freecad), but qcad is the most autocad-like app of them all. Even Librecad is a very, very old fork of qcad, which hasn't progressed much since. qcad.org/en/
You can make their trial version of QCAD (that supports natively dwg) to become free community edition by removing some library files they request on their UI. The ability to read dwg goes away, but then you have the converter above to do the job.
ODA File Converter
Open Design AllianceBronstein_Tardigrade
in reply to asdasd201 • • •asdasd201
in reply to Bronstein_Tardigrade • • •eshep
in reply to asdasd201 • •The sad reality is that you will likely have no choice but to use AutoCAD since that's what your instructor wants you to use. Even if you are able to use something free/open, there is always a chance that something in the file will render incorrectly when loaded into AutoCAD.
The best thing (I think) you could do is do the assignment in both #AutoCAD, and #CAD software of your choosing be that #FreeCAD, #QCAD, #blender, #LibreCAD, or something else with which I'm unfamiliar. After class, speak with your instructor and teach them that these things can be done using #FOSS solutions as well, could be they don't even know. Worst that happens is you'll have taught yourself how to do the same thing in dif
... Show more...The sad reality is that you will likely have no choice but to use AutoCAD since that's what your instructor wants you to use. Even if you are able to use something free/open, there is always a chance that something in the file will render incorrectly when loaded into AutoCAD.
The best thing (I think) you could do is do the assignment in both #AutoCAD, and #CAD software of your choosing be that #FreeCAD, #QCAD, #blender, #LibreCAD, or something else with which I'm unfamiliar. After class, speak with your instructor and teach them that these things can be done using #FOSS solutions as well, could be they don't even know. Worst that happens is you'll have taught yourself how to do the same thing in different software. Everything that was taught (that I can recall) in the #drafting classes I took 30 years ago can be done in any of the softwares I mentioned, but I'm sure things are a bit different these days.
It's quite irresponsible of educational institutions to push students into specific software, versus teaching concepts which can be translated across multiple. Teaching students only about expensive licenced software (regardless of providing free student licences) over the concepts used to accomplish the task, promotes ignorance over education, and encourages software pirating.
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asdasd201
in reply to eshep • • •My country in particular has been pushing what I'd like to call the “anti-education” policy for decades now. They don't teach anything in any grade, be it kindergarten or post-grad. They want you to study for the ridiculous exams that test your memorization instead of your knowledge. And even when you pass them and get in a good school, if you don't have any relatives close to the government, you either have to move to other countries or work in inhuman conditions.
As for the AutoCAD, I'm using a VM, and I haven't encountered any problems for now. I can go my own way after I pass the class.
eshep likes this.
eshep
in reply to asdasd201 • •Linux reshared this.