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DraftSight

DraftSight

Overview

What is DraftSight?

DraftSight is a 2D and 3D CAD solution for architects, engineers and construction service providers, as well as professional CAD users, designers, educators and hobbyists. DraftSight lets users create, edit, view, and markup any kind of 2D and 3D DWG…

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Recent Reviews

Easy to Share

10 out of 10
December 18, 2023
Our company uses DraftSight to layout systems for our customers. This allows our customers to see a professional representation of how …
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TrustRadius Insights

DraftSight is a versatile and user-friendly 2D CAD tool that is highly valued by organizations across industries. Users find it to be a …
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DraftSight Review

9 out of 10
June 01, 2023
Handle customer graphic requirements of customers accurately and efficiently as it makes it easier to manage and share graphic files. we …
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Overpowered

10 out of 10
December 09, 2022
I have used AutoCAD for over 5 years. My company uses Draftsight as an alternative of AutoCAD sometimes. It is way less expensive with …
Continue reading
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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DraftSight Professional

$249

On Premise
per year

DraftSight Premium (3D)

$549

On Premise
per year

DraftSight Enterprise

Contact sales team

On Premise

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttp://www.draftsight.com/BuyProfession…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

DraftSight Demo Video

YouTube

DraftSight Demo (Engelsk)

YouTube

3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight Demo

YouTube
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Product Details

What is DraftSight?

DraftSight is a 2D and 3D CAD solution for architects, engineers and construction service providers, as well as professional CAD users, designers, educators and hobbyists. DraftSight lets users create, edit, view, and markup any kind of 2D and 3D DWG file with greater ease, speed, and efficiency. Its familiar user interface helps to facilitate a quick transition from other CAD applications.

DraftSight Offerings:
  • DraftSight Professional: the advanced 2D CAD drafting solution with time-saving functionalities and an API to help bring designs to life quickly and easily. Ideal for companies, individuals and designers.
  • DraftSight Premium (3D): a robust 2D drafting and 3D design experience with full 3D capabilities and constraints features to help meet any drafting, modeling, prototyping, manufacturing, laser cutting and 3D printing needs. Created for individuals, designers, companies, manufacturers and makers.
  • DraftSight Enterprise and Enterprise Plus: a comprehensive 2D drafting and 3D design solution created to meet various drafting, modeling, prototyping, manufacturing, laser cutting, and 3D printing requirements. Designed for large organizations with many users or multiple sites.

DraftSight Screenshots

Screenshot of Plate InsertScreenshot of Image TraceScreenshot of 2D and 3D DWG filesScreenshot of HomeByMe Integration

DraftSight Video

DraftSight: A Better 2D Drafting and 3D Design Experience

DraftSight Integrations

  • GEOVIA Surpac
  • SOLIDWORKS PDM
  • SOLIDWORKS Electrical
  • 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

DraftSight Competitors

DraftSight Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux, Mac
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported LanguagesEnglish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese-Brazilian, Turkish, Russian

Frequently Asked Questions

SketchUp, TurboCAD, and AutoCAD LT are common alternatives for DraftSight.

Reviewers rate Availability highest, with a score of 8.7.

The most common users of DraftSight are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

View all alternatives
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Reviews and Ratings

(1339)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

DraftSight is a versatile and user-friendly 2D CAD tool that is highly valued by organizations across industries. Users find it to be a cost-effective solution for a wide range of design and drafting needs. It is particularly suitable for creating and exchanging files with other companies and professionals, making it an ideal choice for collaboration in the furniture industry. Design teams appreciate DraftSight's simplicity and power, as it allows them to collaborate on the creation of new products, improving speed and focus. The software has also been instrumental in various charity projects, such as designing and rebuilding a temple. Engineering departments rely on DraftSight for electrical and mechanical design, taking advantage of its performance and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, DraftSight is widely used as a replacement for AutoCAD in the transition to SolidWorks, enabling quick and easy modification of existing drawings. The software caters to a diverse range of applications, from generating geometry for CAM files to performing geometric layouts for inspection or small construction projects. It is also favored by users for build floor plan layouts, partnering with molding companies, verifying client or vendor drawings, and even creating aircraft floorplans. Users appreciate DraftSight's simplicity, power, and ability to open and edit designs of all kinds while serving as a cost-effective alternative to more expensive software options. Whether it is designing tooling or creating shop floor drawings, DraftSight proves to be reliable for daily tasks and future designs. Furthermore, drafting departments benefit from DraftSight's compatibility with common 2D file formats and its ability to handle technical aspects effectively when preparing 2D CAD drawings for customers provided by vendors. The software is also recommended for architectural projects with no issues, the design and development of engineering projects, the creation of system block diagrams and schematic development, manufacturing drawings, custom drawings conversion from Gerber data into DXF format, mechanical design layouts, die-making models, CNC programming models as well as creating and reviewing basic 2D drawings within the organization. DraftSight is highly valued for its simplicity, affordability, and compatibility with different file types, making it a perfect fit for microbusinesses and individual users. Users appreciate its efficiency in creating professional-grade detailed drawings while reducing installation problems. Moreover, DraftSight's API is utilized for extracting details from drawings and creating BOMs. Cabinet design and construction benefit from using DraftSight, leading to improved manufacturing accuracy and reduced installation issues. The software is relied upon as primary 2D CAD software for creating and

Cost-effectiveness: Many users have praised DraftSight for being an economical option compared to similar CAD software, making it a cost-effective choice for small businesses. Some reviewers have mentioned that the affordability of DraftSight played a significant role in their decision to choose it over other options.

Stability and performance: Users consistently mention that DraftSight is stable and reliable, with no crashes or technical issues. Several reviewers have specifically highlighted the software's stability, noting that they have not experienced any crashes while using it. This aspect has greatly contributed to the positive sentiment surrounding DraftSight.

Compatibility with AutoCAD: The ability of DraftSight to open both old and new DWG/DXF files has been highly appreciated by users. Many AutoCAD users feel that this feature makes the transition to DraftSight seamless and efficient. Additionally, several reviewers praise the inclusion of commonly used AutoCAD commands in DraftSight, which further enhances its compatibility with industry-standard drawing file types.

Confusing User Interface: A significant number of users have expressed frustration with DraftSight's user interface, finding it confusing and experiencing difficulties while completing tasks. They feel that the layout and organization of features could be improved to enhance usability.

Crude Text Search and Replace Function: Users have criticized the text search and replace function in DraftSight, describing it as crude and barely functional. Many users find it difficult to perform accurate searches or efficiently replace text within their documents.

Issues with Software Updates: Several users have voiced their dissatisfaction with DraftSight's update control. They claim that although updates address certain problems, new issues are introduced in later versions. This inconsistency affects user experience and undermines confidence in the software's stability.

Users have made several recommendations for DraftSight based on their experiences. The most common recommendations include shopping around for options in 2D CAD software. Users suggest exploring different options available in the market before deciding on DraftSight. This recommendation highlights the importance of evaluating different tools to find the best fit for specific needs or preferences.

Another recommendation is to utilize the free trial of DraftSight. Users recommend taking advantage of the free trial offered by DraftSight. This allows potential users to test the software's capabilities and determine if it meets their requirements before making a purchase.

Users also recommend using DraftSight for beginners, students, small businesses, and hobbyists. Several users have recommended DraftSight as an ideal choice for individuals or organizations with limited budgets or less complex drafting needs. This cost-effective solution is often suggested for beginners, students, small businesses, and hobbyists who want to perform 2D CAD tasks without investing heavily in high-end software.

These recommendations highlight the flexibility and affordability of DraftSight as an alternative to AutoCAD. Users also emphasize the importance of checking hardware requirements and testing all functionality before implementing the software. Additionally, tutorials are suggested as a time-saving resource when working with DraftSight, particularly for editing legacy DWG files. Overall, these recommendations present DraftSight as a lightweight and low-cost option comparable to other drafting software available in the market.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 414)
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December 20, 2023

I was a newbie...

Steve Pennock | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use it strictly for my own benefit. I have an offsite design engineer that does the bulk of the design work, then he sends it to me and I'm allowed to review and tweak as needed. Being around ACAD for 20 years but never actually learning it completely and the ease of this software to learn has been excellent. And the help references are really good.
  • Ease of learning
  • Easy to navigate
  • User friendly
  • I'll leave that up to the experts, I like it just like it is.
DraftSight is well suited when you need something that works well with other software and allows you to add and/or modify drawings.
December 18, 2023

Easy to Share

James Bryan Palmer | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Our company uses DraftSight to layout systems for our customers. This allows our customers to see a professional representation of how their system will look and determine if there are any issues to overcome in the installation of their system. Once the design has been finished and accepted by our customer, we are able to use the DraftSight drawing to determine the Bill-of-Materials required for the project and provide the customer with a final and accurate quote for materials and installation.
  • Increases Productivity
  • Easy modification and change of design
  • Task bar emblems could be larger
  • Better printing control for older plotters
Better than Auto-Cad because it costs so much less.
Darryle Ziegler, CTS-D, CTS-I | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We create system schematics, mounting mechanical, and product designs with it.
Drawing clear and accurate schematics is a large part of what we do to help installation of systems go quickly and correctly.
Mounting drawings have the same value, the speed and accuracy of global installations counts on our drawings to be clear and correct for each installation we support.
  • Runs smoothly
  • Minimal lockups
  • Runs lean and starts quickly
  • In my experience, it crashes when copying text information into a text element
I often recommend DraftSight to colleagues that are struggling with other CAD programs or looking to start using CAD more in their environment.
It's easy to use and the learning time is short compared to other CAD software.
Also the transition from AutoCAD to DraftSight is very quick. For those that have used AutoCAD before, the transition is very easy because many of the functions are similar and a lot of the commands are also very similar.
The startup and processing time for actions is short and speeds up the design process.
The cost impact is also significantly less than other CAD software, this helps a lot with multiple users and our operating costs.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use DraftSight to create flat pattern layouts to cut on our laser.
  • It's easy to use.
  • Interface is customizable.
  • Price is reasonable.
  • I would like to see it interact with inventor files better, but that is more of an inventor issue.
DraftSight is very easy to use, even for beginners.
Sylvain Drolet | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I have been using DraftSight for over 3 years now and I recommend it to all my customers as a replacement for AutoCAD since we only work in 2D. There are some small bugs that occur (full memory) sometimes when I am more than 3 hours on the same drawing and I go from one sheet to another quickly. Dynamic blocks are not supported by DraftSight and this is not pleasant when we import DWGs containing them.
  • That the selection of images placed in the background is not possible. It is difficult to make a selection of the objects drawn on top. This problem has been fixed in version 2020. Thank you.
Perfect for 2D drawing in its Standard or Professional version. When I have 3D drawing to do, I will compare DraftSight with Sketchup which I currently use for 3D and which is suitable for my personal needs.
Scott Gold | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use the 2D version of DraftSight to open and work with building drawings in DWG format. It is very helpful in working with drawings sent to me by others. Our company consists of only two people and I am the only one currently using DaftSight, so you could say 50% of our company uses the product.
  • Handles DWG files very well.
  • It is a robust program and handles large files better than some other similar programs I've used.
  • It is more responsive than other similar programs I've used.
  • I like the two-key and multilple-key command structure. It is intuitive.
  • It has some great tools for drawing bolts and other types of fasteners.
  • Recognizes and uses 3D Connexion controller.
  • Interface could be optimized to provide more screen space for drawings.
  • Zooming in and out using the mouse wheel could be improved.
  • Inserting viewports and setting them up could be made easier and more intuitive
It is very useful for opening and working with DWG files created by others. It does a better job handling such files than some other programs I've used. Creating tabbed views with viewports takes some effort. This is as much a learning curve issue as it is a weakness in the program.
Paul Karnopp, PE | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use it for Industrial automation design. We use it for complex wiring diagrams and industrial control panel layout.
  • Reads and writes Autocad files without a problem.
  • Flexible user interface with lots of options.
  • Good tools for 2D design.
  • The text search and replace is very crude and barely works. Needs a major revamping.
  • The layout tabs are very clunky and hard to use. Needs to be fixed.
  • DraftSight will fix a problem in one version, mess it up in another version, then fix it again later on. And so forth, and so forth, and so forth. Very poor software update control.
We put it through its paces with our drawings and it works fine. We do a lot of wiring diagrams and industrial control panel layout drawings, so we use a lot of its 2D capabilities. I would not use it in a multi-user environment where you have multiple designers working on one project at a time. This software makes no provisions for allowing multiple users to work at the same time on the same drawing and has no native version control. And because of their poor software control, DraftSight many times put out versions that are "crashy", which would make a lot of people very unproductive very quickly. I would look at other products for larger projects like that.
Mark Horton | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 4 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use the program to generate proposal and construction drawings.
  • Provides 2.5 dimensional drafting at a fraction of the cost of AutoCAD.
  • No learning curve when switching from AutoCAD.
  • Annual license renewal system is still broken; has been broken for years.
  • Support for the program is now totally worthless.
  • Subscribers are harassed for a solid month before their anniversary date, even if they are set up to automatically renew.
If you are working on an urgent drawing at the time of annual license renewal forget it! the program will lock up and no one will respond to assist you. Even if you leave a message stating the urgency of the situation, no one will respond! You have paid for something that you are then locked out of when you need it and have people waiting on drawings.
June 01, 2023

DraftSight Review

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Handle customer graphic requirements of customers accurately and efficiently as it makes it easier to manage and share graphic files. we have short leadtime in some cases to bring the graphic to the printing operations to meet customer expected delivery dates while avoiding of errors that would be costly to us and our customers.
  • handling graphic files
  • share graphic files
  • send graphic files
  • identify issues
  • optimizing press approval of new products
May 31, 2023

It works good!

Arthur C Gagnon | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I'm the only user of DrafSight or any other design software in my company. It is used to edit old mechanical desktop files or customers' AutoCAD files.
  • Edit Mechanical Desktop or AutoCAD files.
  • Great at editing drawings.
  • Works just like AutoCAD, so there's a learning curve.
  • It would be nice if DraftSight had the 3D functionality of Mechanical Desktop.
It's well suited for users who need Autocad, but don't want to pay Autocad's exorbitant prices. It is no longer well suited for small maker spaces with limited budgets due to there being no free option. Also, DraftSight should also be part of any Solidworks package in order to make maintaining the subscription easier.
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
As a direct replacement for AutoCAD.
  • Everything that AutoCAD does.
  • Very intuative
  • No cross training required for AutoCAD users.
  • Integration with Bentley ProjectWise
  • Unhelpful sales team
No scenarios just a very good product. Does what AutoCAD does with ease. Cheaper than AutoCAD & therefore supports business cost savings. Cannot recommend bechaues of lack of contact from vendors to several emails sents.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In our company, we are two designers in the design department. Essentially we use Draftsight to create initial layouts of the projects to be developed … initial mockups for the client to approve … then moving on to 3D. We make a simple/basic use of the program. But since we used it from the beginning, it was still free, so we decided to continue using it.
  • Ease of use.
  • Very complete.
  • Very reliable automatic functions.
  • For certain needs, expensive.
I recommend DraftSight without any problem to any colleague and/or person who wants an easy, complete and intuitive 2D program to use.
December 09, 2022

Overpowered

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I have used AutoCAD for over 5 years. My company uses Draftsight as an alternative of AutoCAD sometimes. It is way less expensive with similar functions. That's why our company uses Draftsight instead of getting a more updated version of AutoCAD, though we have a 2007 AutoCAD. I usually convert the newer version of .dwg files to an older version through Draftsight, or sometimes edit the our production drawing in Draftsight if the changes are not too complicated.
  • Cheaper than AutoCAD
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Similar function like AutoCAD
  • Nil
  • Nil
  • Nil
It is good that Draftsight is similar to AutoCAD, easy to pick up when start using Draftsight as an user of AutoCAD but sometimes Draftsight cannot read the font style of the text box from AutoCAD which leads to showing "?????". I have to input the words manually.
October 07, 2022

Draftsight is amazing!

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use DraftSight for preparing 2D CAD drawings for our customers that are provided by our vendors.
  • Simple to use
  • Can open any DWG format
  • I was a user of AutoCAD and it was very easy for me to integrate.
  • Shortcut keys are not all the same with AutoCAD so I have to re-learn and find them.
It is very well suited for drafting in 2D design and dimensioning.
September 27, 2022

Cheap software

Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
I use DraftSight as a 2D drawing tool. It was purchased to replace the more expensive AutoCAD LT.
  • Imports legacy CAD data
  • In my opinion, customer support is too time-consuming. When you do get an answer half the time it is related to your question which is pretty good, but who has 16 hours to wait for that?
  • Interface could be far more stable
  • Snap settings turn themselves off
  • Dimension in "paper space" may or may not provide accurate dimensions
  • Same line weight issues as AutoCAD. by block, by layer, has little effect. Printing line weights can be a guessing game.
  • Block access is fixed to one location, instead of last used location.
  • Extreme care is required when mouse picking. Make sure you are not picking in air, instead of the end of a line that is a millimeter away. Even with snap on.
I tried to like it, but the puzzling quirks have just wasted too much of my time. Going back to the more expensive and reliable AutoCAD LT.
Uday Singh | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use DraftSight extensively in designing the entire emission control system for customer manufacturing processes. The design includes a General Arrangement (GA) plan and elevation layouts, details of components, sectional views of process equipment, and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID). I export the detailed design drawings, typically as .dwg files, to customers and construction contractors for installation of equipment. It would be a challenge to work with both customer engineers and their construction crews without DraftSight, which greatly facilitates my work.
  • It allows me to quickly fit equipment into tight spaces because it is very flexible.
  • It is easy to learn and use, and its numerous features give me many options in the design phase.
  • It provides me with a single tool to design everything from layouts to instrumentation drawings.
  • It enables independent small users like me to wield the design capability of a large enterprise.
  • It would be more efficient to have direct access to Help Support, although the Help feature and Forum can often answer questions.
  • For instrumentation, an embedded symbol library would be valuable. I currently have to create my own library.
  • For layouts, an embedded equipment symbol library (for example, pumps, motors) would be helpful.
The program is well suited to quickly creating detailed design drawings to scale. Because of its functionality, a smaller entity or individual designer can start with a clean slate and develop numerous arrangement and associated design drawings, export them to colleagues, receive revision requests, and implement revisions for additional review. It is less well suited, however, to provide accessible symbols and block components which can be scaled.
July 08, 2022

No Regrets

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use DraftSight in conjunction with our Cad Cam Program for work on a CNC machining center, design and creation of new products, and it is used by our sales personnel for verification of dimensions of different products in order to get the proper items to the customer. Great program, I like it better than the competition. Been working with CAD programs since Auto CAD came out with Version 12 for DOS and I find DraftSight more user-friendly with more features.
  • Universal compatibility with other programs
  • Ability to insert parts from individual manufactures
  • The tool box feature is a definite plus
  • It has minor problems when saving drawings - Crashes if you initiate certain commands while program is saving a drawing
All 2D drawings in both DWF and DXF formats. Works well with BobCad and Solid Works.
Score 4 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I am the sole user in our company. I am using DraftSight for design-build drawing where I show the locations of lighting and electrical components for projects. I also use it to design underground conduit and electrical panel locations for projects.
  • Very similar to AutoCAD
  • Professional is a very powerful program
  • Power trim is great for cleaning up drawings
  • There should be technical support for all users. It is very frustrating to have failures occur over and over with no help.
  • Training videos could be more detailed.
  • Image Tracer is a nice addition, but I have not been able to figure it out.
It is well suited for any 2D drawing.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Used to create P&ID and schematics for Control Systems. Also used to plan control systems upgrades and piping details.
Drawings are accessible by other trade groups to aid in location of equipment.
Drawings are also used for contractors to bid on projects.
Saves time and money in designing control systems.
  • Layer Management
  • Contextual application (Right mouse click)
  • Print layout
  • Home by Me window always pops-up on startup! Annoying in my opinion
  • Why open a No-Name_0 window? I am almost always going to open a file!
  • Slow to open
Part and or schematic libraries are non-existent!
I had to create all my own P&ID symbols, and then scale them to the appropriate size.
Not the easiest to create electrical schematics. It works okay, but lacking features specific to schematics.
Well suited for piping drawings and general mechanical layout.

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use DraftSight for structural steel fabrication and erection drawings, custom fabrication shop drawings, and also use the DXF features for our plasma table. We currently have three draftsman using DraftSight Professional with LISP support. The cost of DraftSight compared to AutoCAD is a major reason for using it. With so much capability similar to AutoCAD, it's just the right choice for our growing company at the moment.
  • Integrates AutoCAD drawings into DraftSight seamlessly.
  • Capable of using LISP routines that I have used for years.
  • Opens DWG files from files sent to us that we would not normally be able to open.
  • 3D capability is lacking.
  • Stability can be an issue sometimes
  • Newest version doesnt run LISP as well as previous versions did
Most of what we do is 2D. DraftSight is an excellent 2D software to replace the over-priced AutoCAD. 3D, however, is a lacking a bit and cumbersome but not used very often in our organization. I am yet to experience any BIM coordination and am curious of how well DraftSight will handle that.
May 31, 2022

DraftSight Review

Robert Hash | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We view, make changes to, and create 2D drawings with DraftSight.
  • Cost-effective
  • Can use and save documents to a usable DWG format
  • New versions of DraftSight change (eliminate) features that I like to use.
  • Customer Service is non-existent so issues cannot be resolved.
  • Blogs are not a solution to customer service questions.
DraftSight is highly functional in what we use it for. We use it more as a drawing editor than a drawing creator.
May 20, 2022

Great Product

Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are using it in our sales department for the sales team to open, view and dimensions CAD files to quote. CAD Department using them for same purpose and to modify and create drawings for CNC software.
  • Opens newer .dwg and .dxf files.
  • Easy to use menus.
  • Similar to AutoCAD style for easy transition.
  • Features.
Well suited for companies that need basic and some advanced 2D drawing capabilities and want to save a lot of money.
Daryl Garner-Savory | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I personally use DraftSight to do general drawings to laser cut components in the elevator industry and as part of a knife making and machine building hobby. DraftSight being the user-friendly package it is makes the process of design simple, in addition to creating your own blocks, it makes the design process simpler, faster, and far more flexible.
  • User friendly
  • Clear user interface (GUI)
  • 3D in the basic form
DraftSight is extremely easy to use to modify drawings for laser cutting, engraving, and proofing designs and ideas. Price is a deciding factor for an individual or business, and with all that is available, easy of use is key. I have found many free or cheap CAD packages out there but none is as close to the AutoCAD benchmark as DraftSight. The price point is great--it was better free but what I’m paying is reasonable--however I do find the lack of basic 3D/isometric drawing and rendering a bit of a pain. Now I need to do isometric drawings manually, but this is not the end of the world for me, as I don’t do too much of this in my work environment these days.
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
We use CAD software to develop drawings for manufacturing. Mostly electrical panels, network diagrams, plant layout, P&ID (Process and Instrumentation Diagram), and many other documents for engineering.
  • Crashes
  • Doesn't work
  • N/A
  • Technical support
  • Diagnostic
  • Customer support
The software doesn't work. They release a version that was broken and I used the free trial of that version. I ran it on an i7, 16GB RAM, and RTX30 series (powerful computer) but the application was crashing constantly. I lost unsaved work and wasted hours restarting the application, which did cost me a few hundred dollars on billable hours. I sent errors logs, which helped them to identify the issue that they claimed is now resolved in DraftSight 2022 SP1. Technical support seems to be overseas with broken English and difficulty reading English. After 14 days, they said there is a hotfix "DraftSight memory saturation hotfix" that could solve the problem. I asked for a trial license to try the fix but it was declined. Ask pratiksha.dahotre and gayatri.keskar for details. In summary, they released a broken version, which I helped to fix by providing feedback and error logs. They claimed it is fixed but I can't test it.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use DraftSight for architectural projects. I really like this product and use it every day at work. I never had problems. I have been using it for years, since it was free, and I continue to use it even now that it is paid. I recommend it to everybody.
  • Architectural projects
  • Compatibility with other CADs
  • Friendly interface
  • easiest PDF export in scale and formats
  • I don't like the home panel on the left that pops up every time I start the software
I use it in architectural design--both for the design phase and for the compilation of all official documents that I have to send to the public administration to obtain building permits. Its very simple interface allows me to work quickly without wasting time. Its compatibility with other CADs allows me to interface with other users who use other programs.
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