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…
Easy to Share
TrustRadius Insights
DraftSight helps small company evolve into a global designer
Drawing clear and accurate schematics is a large part of …
Cost-effective drafting solution
DraftSight is cheaper and as efficient as AutoCAD in 2D.
DraftSight: good at sharing with others
DraftSight! You could be so much better if.....
DraftSight? Good program but you are on your own, especially at license renewal time when it locks up.
DraftSight Review
It works good!
DraftSight Professional vs AutoCAD Full version
DraftSight as a daily program that is simple to use but very complete.
Overpowered
Draftsight is amazing!
Cheap software
Awards
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Reviewer Pros & Cons
Pricing
DraftSight Professional
$249
DraftSight Premium (3D)
$549
DraftSight Enterprise
Contact sales team
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Product Demos
DraftSight Demo Video
DraftSight Demo (Engelsk)
3DEXPERIENCE DraftSight Demo
Product Details
- About
- Integrations
- Competitors
- Tech Details
- FAQs
What is DraftSight?
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
DraftSight Video
DraftSight Integrations
- GEOVIA Surpac
- SOLIDWORKS PDM
- SOLIDWORKS Electrical
- 3DEXPERIENCE Platform
DraftSight Competitors
DraftSight Technical Details
Deployment Types | On-premise |
---|---|
Operating Systems | Windows, Linux, Mac |
Mobile Application | No |
Supported Languages | English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese-Brazilian, Turkish, Russian |
Frequently Asked Questions
Comparisons
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Reviews and Ratings
(1339)Community Insights
- Business Problems Solved
- Pros
- Cons
- Recommendations
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
- 9Likelihood to Renew22 ratings
- 8.7Availability7 ratings
- 8.3Performance6 ratings
- 7.7Usability19 ratings
- 4.1Support Rating14 ratings
- 9.1In-Person Training1 rating
- 8.4Implementation Rating15 ratings
- 8.4Configurability6 ratings
- 7.6Product Scalability7 ratings
- 8.6Ease of integration4 ratings
- 6.3Vendor pre-sale5 ratings
- 7.9Vendor post-sale4 ratings
- 7.4DraftSight Learning366 ratings
Reviews
(1-5 of 5)DraftSight is cheaper and as efficient as AutoCAD in 2D.
- The possibility of making my drawings quickly and precisely with very little adjustment with the way of doing on AutoCad.
- Its affordable cost makes it a good competitor to AutoCad
- The low cost of Draftsight is attractive to me as a self-employed worker.
- Architectural drawing
- Electricity
- Concrete bridges
- nothing special
- Dynamics Block
- Scalability
- Integration with Other Systems
- Ease of Use
- Other
- Implemented in-house
- Keep the implementation of menus and tool bars.
- No Training
- Draw
- Cleaning of drawing
- Layout
- Keep the implementation of menus and tool bars.
- PDF Printer.
- No
- Nothing.
- Better management of menu customization backup.
It works good!
- + AutoCAD compatibility.
- - Subscription is separate from SOLIDWORKS subscription.
- Need site license.
- Convert raster to vector, when it use to come with my version.
- Same as today.
- Other
- Implemented in-house
- None
- No Training
- Drawing lines.
- Editing text.
- Explode
- Changing line lengths.
- Matching properties.
- Scaling
- Nothing new was added to my version
- More features, such as pdf editing or raster to vector
DraftSight Professional vs AutoCAD Full version
- DraftSight would be beneficial to our business but there is uncertainty about compatibility with Bentley ProjectWise as the vendor has not respond to inquiries.
- Return on investment if we could use with Bentley ProjectWise Integration.
- Zero contact from vendor despite several emails sent.
- MicroStation, Bentley ProjectWise, AutoCAD, Revit, Autodesk AEC Collection, FreeCAD, LibreCAD, OrCAD, NanoCAD, PTC Mathcad and TurboCAD
- I have a personal license & use this in place of Expensive AutoCAD
- If it was fully compatible with Bentley ProjectWise I would recommend full replacement across the business.
- The vendor refuses to respod to amails about compatiblity with other specific applications
- Scalability
- Ease of Use
- Implemented in-house
- Lack of response from Vendor.
- No Training
- Keyboard shortcuts are great.
- Ease of adding addition shortcuts.
- Great product.
- No
- No
- No
- Yes
- Yes
- Straight forward replacement for from 2020 personal license.
- None. Just wanted the latest version.
- Ease of use.
- Very complete.
- Very reliable automatic functions.
- For certain needs, expensive.
- Essential 2D design and drafting with a complete set of edit, design and automation tools
- Used as a complement to 3D.
- Used for simple projects that do not require 3D design.
- Helps to reduce costs when the customer does not need an elaborate layout.
- Complement the 3D drawing
- Development of schematics
- For quick budgeting of new projects
- Made it faster and easier to make schematic layouts
- With automatic tools (PowerTrim for example) it makes it very quick and simple to carry out work
- The ability to organize Layers is very good
- Maybe try use the Mechanical functions
- Try use the Mechanical Toolbox
- Explore more functions with Layers
At the time we would have had to renew our version with AutoCad...but for our needs, Draftsight came along at just the right time.
- Price
- Prior Experience with the Product
- Implemented in-house
- Discover the hotkey settings
- Apply templates from previously used sheets
- In-Person Training
- No Training
- PowerTrim
- Layers Management
- Patterns
- Hatch
- Toolbox
- Drawings from another's programs
- File import/export
- Greater stability
- New functions
- Various fixes
- More functions
- More backward compatibility with other formats
- More automatic options
Using DraftSight in chemical engineering
- 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 ability to quickly commit new features into an existing design
- Ease of use once you understand the various tools
- A great variety of design tools
- Now that I use DraftSight, I can parlay a small investment in the software to a consulting rate of $300 per hour, thereby paying for it in 30 minutes.
- Using DraftSight, I can easily compete with larger enterprises and be more nimble.
- The use of DraftSight has actually extended my skill set, allowing me to add new features to my designs.
- My work is now presented in a more professional manner, and has gained me more respect.
- Development of chemical engineering process flow balances
- Development of general arrangement elevation and plan views
- Development of Piping & Instrumentation drawings
- The ability to re- design equipment to fit into unexpected small spaces
- Exploiting the presence of different physical orientations to optimize our design
- Simplifying piping layouts for quicker field installation
- Moving from current industry sectors like power plants to new sectors
- Optimizing our design in current sectors to reduce capital costs
- Gaining new customers with more professional CAD
- Product Usability
- Implemented in-house
- Creating a scaled version to start
- No Training
- Moving from a concept to design
- Creating process drawings that customers could quickly use
- Providing field construction crews with key instructions they could implement
- Creating a desired scale
- Finding templates to add features
- We have never attempted to integrate, as we have had no need to do so in the past.
- Not at this time.
- File import/export
- We did not upgrade.
- Pop up tips when we are in a quandary would help.
- More intuitive menus when setting scale and dimensions.