Item: DraftSight
Rating: 10
Author: Marlin Alvis

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I am the primary Mechanical / Architectural Designer at our firm, with a 35 year history using AutoCAD (you may have heard of it?). While I can't say I was 'disappointed' with AutoCAD, I CAN say that I'm 'happier' with DraftSight, primarily due to a couple simple facts:

1) It was an almost painless transition from AutoCAD-10 to DraftSight Standard, since I am an 'old school' CAD user, adept with keyboard commands as opposed to the icons and pull-downs commonly used by almost everyone else on the planet, I literally was/am able to use the exact same keyboard 'shortcuts' as I did when drafting with AutoCAD. Brilliant move DraftSight. Oh, and the ridiculously reasonable price point for your products didn't hurt either.

Thank You DraftSight.

Pros and Cons

Simple and easy to use.
Delivers solid drafting capability to the 'new' or 'veteran' CAD user, no [matter] what your demand level is; beginner, intermediate, or advanced.
The thing I appreciate the most about DraftSight has to be its tremendous VALUE, when compared to pretty much every other CAD product out there, INCLUDING AUTOCAD. I'm Just Saying.

Though it is probably a minor item, I [personally] think DraftSight's customization tools/settings could be easier to access.
For instance, I have not yet re-discovered how to 'toggle on' the relative Distance & Angle running display found at the bottom of the drafting window. I was able to affect it in the previous DraftSight version, but no longer can. How sad for me.

Return on Investment

DraftSight's low entry cost, and swift learning curve afforded me the ability to seamlessly continue with my drafting requirements, when I finally had had enough of the ever rising cost of AutoCAD. In fact, I switched over to DraftSight in the very middle of a fairly involved construction design project with essentially 'zero' problems. The drawings I had begun and developed partially in AutoCAD, loaded right up in DraftSight as if they had been created there in the first place. THAT is what I call 'seamless'.

Alternatives Considered

DraftSight's 'value' easily outpaces all the other CAD programs I have used, or tried to use, based on functionality, usability, and investment.

Hands down.

Other Software Used

LibreOffice

Likelihood to Recommend

I think DraftSight is 'well suited' for most 'day to day' drafting
requirements, where a quick, 'finished and usable', document is the
primary goal, as opposed to a product that perhaps includes every tool
and function ever imagined by man, but of which only 3-6% are typically
ever used by the average drafter. Since my 'CAD' world is mostly tied
to construction and mechanical design, those are the areas I can speak
to, and I will absolutely say that DraftSight is perfectly suited for
THIS environment.

Old (CHEAP) Guy Does CAD.

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with DraftSight