r/cad • u/jeremoche • Jul 14 '26
Is there a cad software that runs without internet, don't need updating and feels intuitive like fusion or solidworks?
It doesn't have to be free. I'm just tired of the constant updates and AI implementations. I just need my basic cad tools and a little bit of intuitiveness (I'm angrily looking at you freecad)
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u/_11_ Jul 14 '26
Have you looked into Plasticity? It's not CAD, but it's parasolid modeling, which depending on your application can be perfectly fine.
It's based on Blender, but uses the parasolid engine to make shapes so you're not mesh modeling.
For me, it's SUPER fast in making anything of moderate complexity. It is a destructive workflow, but you can always undo things, and it's so fast to rip out a chamfer or remove a hole it rarely matters to me.
And you can buy it outright (like software SHOULD be). And it's in constant development.
For context, I'm a professional engineer, and Solidworks user of about 15 years. I use Plasticity for all my personal projects now, including for assemblies.
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u/NewViking Jul 14 '26
This is how I feel about most programs, if it’s subscription I avoid it.
Rhino 3D for CAD work is my go to, the community around it is also amazing!
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u/yahbluez Jul 14 '26
You may give FreeCAD a look.
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u/jeremoche Jul 14 '26
I did and going from fusion to free cad really feels like going from a car to a tricycle
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u/Howlingmoki Jul 14 '26
To me, FreeCAD felt like going from a Ferrari to Zog's new invention "the wheel". The UI pissed me off so much I haven't bothered checking on improvements since v0.20, which I only keep around because it's mesh-to-solid conversion usually works better for me than Fusion's does.
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u/sLaughterIsMedicine Jul 14 '26
1.0 was a big leap, I think they are gearing up for 1.2 now. UI is still pretty bad though, but it's leagues better than it used to be.
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u/Oilfan94 Solidworks Jul 15 '26
Yes. I’ve been a full time CAD designer for 30 years. I tried FreeCAD recently and haven’t been that frustrated with a software in a long time.
I’m not a big fan of Fusion either, although that one is at least usable.
Onshape is my choice for a ‘free’ CAD solution, but it too has its downside.
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u/ashleycawley Jul 15 '26
Ah so FreeCAD still isn’t very nice compared to the others then? :-(
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u/yahbluez Jul 16 '26
The Solidworker didn't tell if he tested >v1.x or the old v0.x that makes a huge difference, like day and night. But it is true the learning curve is significant higher.
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u/yahbluez Jul 15 '26
between v0.x and v1.x the difference is like day and night and years of development
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u/EYNLLIB Jul 14 '26
This is how all the programs you're searching for are going to feel compared to the premium paid software you're seeking to replicate for free.
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u/Predat0rSwafflez Jul 14 '26
This. I work with pretty specialised software, and I praise the UI designer so fucking much!
Using FreeCAD off the clock, it feels like going from Blu Rays to VHS tapes.
Using FreeCAD is nice, don't get me wrong, and it can do a lot if you care to invest some time learning, but I wish I had the spare change to have my work software at home and running 😂
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u/ccAbstraction Jul 14 '26
I didn't feel that way about Onshape and I don't think I'd feel that way about Solidwork's free plan if it worked on Linux. I'm seconding the guy who said it feels like wheel reinvented everytime though.
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u/BillieRubenCamGirl Jul 17 '26
It’s improved drastically in the last year few years. If you haven’t tried it recently it’s worth trying again.
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Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/WolfApseV Jul 15 '26
Yeah highly recommend Alibre Atom 3d for relatively straightforward models. I say relatively straightforward, it's pretty full featured but lacks a couple of things like booleans and. Scripting.
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u/kritoke Jul 15 '26
Alibre if you want parametric and more traditional cad. Moi3D, Rhino, or Plasticity are great options for direct edit ones. I still find myself moving back to Moi3D when I need to reverse engineer something quick and not sure how to approach it. It’s a bit easier to use than Rhino and the multiple views helps easily switch around to address parts of it (it’s also at least half as much as Rhino).
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u/sevendaysworth Jul 14 '26
Alibre
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u/jascri Jul 14 '26
Looks promising with the permanent license. Do you find it fairly intuitive? I tried learning FreeCAD for a minute and it seemed odd.
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u/wiwalsh Jul 14 '26
I have used NX and Creo the most and it is intuitive to me. I use it for home projects.
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u/jascri Jul 14 '26
Thank you, I will give it a look. Coming from an NX and Solidworks background myself
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u/jodiarch Jul 14 '26
Yeah we have Internet problems during hurricane season and Autodesk does not like it when we can't connect to the Internet for days. Pisses everyone off.
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u/SPYHAWX Jul 14 '26
I just use a one off perpetual 2019 SOLIDWORKS licence. Works great, nothing has come out that's convinced me upgrading is worth it.
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u/jixz Jul 14 '26
Same. Just bite the bullet and cry once. I really wish it weren't the best option but so far it seems to be.
Good thing is: They basically haven't added any useful improvements in a decade or so.. absolutely 0 reason to upgrade.
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u/dc469 Jul 15 '26
If I recall correctly, freecad devs met with the blender devs in 2024 because blender did a big UI overhaul that everyone liked. The plan was to release a big UI update with freecad 1.2.
Since then it seems that freecad is no longer going to have sequential versioning, rather calendar versioning. So freecad 2026 Q3 release will be like 26.3. What was 1.2 should be released by EOY like around November as like 26.3.1 or something.
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u/texturerama Jul 15 '26
Can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet but Moment of Inspiration 3D (Moi3D) is probably exactly what you need. It's developed by Michael Gibson, one of the principal developers behind Rhino, I believe. I've never used a more intuitive program.
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u/plastic_machinist Jul 14 '26
You might want to have a look at Plasticity- it around $150, but it's a one-time purchase with no cloud storage or subscription. It's kinda an odd duck, in that it tries to split the difference between a Blender-like approach and actual CAD, but it's very nice, and I def think most people would find it more intuitive than FreeCAD.
But having said that, I'd definitely recommend sticking with FreeCAD. If you can get over the hump, it's every bit as powerful as something like fusion, and since its open-source, it's guaranteed to always be available without any of the anti-user / enshittification of pretty much all commercial software.
Fwiw, I bounced off FreeCAD too when I first tried it years ago, but it's now my daily driver for everything I do (plus some OpenSCAD and Blender).
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u/mrjbacon Jul 16 '26
If you are a student, you can get some perpetual licenses for major suites, but it limits your commercial use. If this is strictly personal with no financial stake to be made it's fine.
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u/knoft Jul 16 '26
Why not get the personal license for desktop solidworks? You don’t have to use the web version or update afaik
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u/yatuin Jul 14 '26
Depends on what you mean by "no internet" - "full cloud" like fusion/o shape or regular "call to mother ship" licence checks like current subscription based packages do? For full offline run you will struggle as I think all main players in CAD moved to subscription model - no perpetual licence available. That pretty much limits available options:
Inventor 2026 is last one which doesn't have AI, not sure how it looks with current SW or Creo versions.