This is a simple plate with a hole and a cylinder in the default wireframe view. But who am I to say? AutoCAD is doing very nicely thank you, and there are many happy users out there. I’m no AutoCAD expert and, to be honest, the thought of using a command-line input to perform operations and using LISP as a programming language seem a bit, well, 1990s. It’s aimed squarely at AutoCAD-style users and as far as I can see does a pretty good job of it too. CorelCAD seemed the obvious place to start.ĬorelCAD is essentially a re-packaged version of Graebert’s Ares Commander CAD system. So I started looking for something a bit more 3D-oriented which would fit in with what I had used and knew in CorelDraw. Nor, to be fair, is CorelDraw intended for that purpose. But a 2D package that is aimed mainly at artists and illustrators doesn’t really cut it when you want to produce something like a simple right-angled mounting plate - let alone a robotic tracked vehicle. It works quite well for that, in that you can add dimensions, use layers and colour items to get an idea of what you want to produce. I’ve been using CorelDraw for a number of years as a (very) lightweight CAD package for simple mechanical drawings.
You can also use a quill and ink if you like …
Yes, you can use graph paper and a pencil to produce a design. Which is why it is pretty much essential to have a CAD package to produce a design – a plan – from which to work. One thing that you learn quite quickly about lathes, milling machines and the like is that, unlike a PC, there isn’t a delete key. But does it live up to its promise? Dermot Hogan gives his opinion… For 3D CAD, CorelCAD seems to provide a lot of power at a moderate price.
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