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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    FreeCAD

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AFreeCAD is an open-source CAD software that specialized in 3D design. New features are added to FreeCAD by an active community of developers.N/A

    LabVIEW

    Score9.2 out of 10
    N/ANational Instruments headquartered in Austin offers LabVIEW, a systems engineering software platform and toolkit.

    $407

    per year

    Pricing
    FreeCADLabVIEW
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    LabView Base
    $407
    per year
    LabView Full
    3,206
    per year
    LabView Professional
    5,344
    per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FreeCADLabVIEW
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    FreeCADLabVIEW
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of FreeCAD and National Instruments LabVIEW
    Feature
    FreeCAD
    7.4
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    National Instruments LabVIEW
    8.0
    1 Ratings
    7% above category average
    3D Modeling7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    2D Drafting6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization5.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Parametric Design7.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing5.01 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats9.01 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Assembly Design7.01 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis10.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation8.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions10.01 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    FreeCADLabVIEW
    Small Businesses
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    FreeCADLabVIEW
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FreeCADLabVIEW
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Open Source
    I see FreeCad as the perfect solution for a startup with limited resources that want to save as much as possible and doesn't mind using non-standard 3D CAD software, i.e., it's not required by customers to use specific software for compatibility. It's perfect for hobbyist use and makers who don't care about brands and pay monthly fees. I see it as very well suited for small businesses that need FEA (finite element analysis) and can't/don't want to pay huge amounts of money for it, just like us. I see FreeCad as less appropriate for big corporations or well-established businesses that need standardized solutions, compatibility with clients or good version management. Don't get me wrong, it can get the job done, but it will be much slower than state-of-the-art CAD systems.
    Incentivized
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    NI (National Instruments)
    LabView is a great tool to connect your sensors to your data aquisition hardware. It makes it really easy to set-up a data acquisition routine that meets your individual requirements. I, as an engine researcher, find it very well suited for engine experimentation. For any other programming needs, i.e. not data acquisition, I would not recommend using LabView because of its graphical programming architecture. The architecture makes it a great tool for Data Aquisition but puts at a disadvantage when it comes to other computational tasks, e.g. making a thermodynamic engine model. For those applications having text-based programming is better suited
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Open Source
    • Importing CAD formats
    • Converting mesh formats to solid and surface objects geometry
    • Fixing errors in geometry cad
    Incentivized
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    NI (National Instruments)
    • Being a graphical programming language, it is a little easier for a layperson to understand than text based programming languages.
    • The program has very good debugging features.
    • Support is good.
    • There are a variety of tutorials which make it easier to do something that you aren't sure about.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Open Source
    • Overall, the UI feels very old and non-polished.
    • There are some quirky behaviors, like being unable to select a plane by having the cursor over it; it has to be over the edges of the plane.
    • It's overwhelming having those many modules and options for doing things that appear to be similar.
    Incentivized
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    NI (National Instruments)
    • improve the management of pc resources to use the minimum amount of resources
    • add a utility for zooming in the block diagram window
    • Improve management of complementary applications, such as real time module or dsc
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Open Source
    Usability is awkward. Perhaps if you learn it as your first CAD, it will feel OK. Still, it comes from commercial CAD products like mine (Onshape, Solid Works, Inventor, Solid Edge). You will feel it is less intuitive, with a less polished UI, difficult to customize and, this is a subjective one, less serious. I'd love to see it improve the usability and UI. I believe the engine behind it is powerful, but how you interact with the software is still lacking.
    Incentivized
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    NI (National Instruments)
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Open Source
    Freecad is used often when receiving files from multiple sources and the need to work with cad in various forms from meshes to solid cad. Often when receiving scans of 3d objects the format is easy to work with and convert to traditional cad later on. There is no other cad that can bridge the gap between all the cad formats that we found yet.
    Incentivized
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    NI (National Instruments)
    We chose LabVIEW over MATLAB due to the integration with hardware and the graphical programming interface. Also, the ability to use LabVIEW with FPGAs and real-time processors without having to make large changes to the code base or swapping to a separate programming environment was a big benefit since we don't know what hardware will be suitable for each customer application.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Open Source
    • It has allowed us to do some cad work that no other systems has allowed us to do and is key to getting that done fast
    • It has lots of online support through forums and blogs for trouble shooting
    • It could have an updated interface to make the functionality more user friendly for first time users
    Incentivized
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    NI (National Instruments)
    • We use NI's data acquisition hardware as well which has made it possible to get whatever experimental data we need to get for our studies.
    • LabView has made it possible for us to post-process and tailor the raw data to our specific needs.
    • With a responsive customer support team, NI allows us to expand our data acquisition and post-processing capabilities to carry out the kind of research projects that we would want.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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