• Manufacturing
• AEC
• GIS
• CAD Management
• Cadalyst Magazine
  • Purchase Latest Issue
  • Cadalyst Access Program
  • Magazine Archives (2004-2009)
• E-Newsletters
  • Tips & Tools Archives
  • CAD Manager's Newsletter Archives
  • AEC Newsletter Archives
  • MCAD Newsletter Archives
  • GIS Tech News Archives
  • HP Workstation Innovation News
  • Dell Tech Insider
  • Harry's Code Class Archives
  • Subscribe E-newsletters
• CAD Software & Hardware Reviews
• Features & Columns
  • "CAD Manager" Column, by Robert Green
  • "Circles & Lines" AutoCAD Tutorial, by Lynn Allen
  • "Learning Curve" AutoCAD Tutorial, by Bill Fane
  • "Viewpoint" Guest Column
  • Feature Articles
• CAD Software Tutorials
  • All CAD Tutorials
  • "Circles & Lines" AutoCAD Tutorial, by Lynn Allen
  • "Learning Curve" AutoCAD Tutorial, by Bill Fane
• CAD Tips & Tools
  • Cadalyst CAD Tips - Tips and Downloadable AutoCAD Code
  • Video Tips Gallery
  • Tips & Tools Weekly Newsletter Achives
  • CAD Software Tutorials
  • Cadalyst Benchmark Test
• CAD Video Gallery
• CADspeed: Hardware Blog
• Cadalyst Benchmark Test
• CAD Events Calendar
• CAD Cartoons
• Subscriber Services
• Job Search
• Cadalyst Store
• Advertising

100 Fabulous Freebies for CAD Users

Cadalyst Labs Report: Readers and editors share software tools and tips that are worth their weight in gold, but don't cost a penny.

"Free is a very good price!"

Long-time residents of Portland, Oregon, know and love this catchy slogan from the low-budget television commercials of Tom Peterson. A home furnishings dealer who became such an icon that Gus Van Sant cast him in movies, Peterson lured customers to his stores with every kind of freebie imaginable, from hot dogs and haircuts to wrapping paper and area rugs.

Nearly every American community has had its own version of Tom Peterson at one time or another, that noisy local retailer who tapped the marketing power of "Free!" Fast-forward to the Internet age, and freebies are more prevalent than ever: free Wi-Fi, free e-mail accounts, free screensavers, free games, you name it — the options are endless. And nowhere are the freebies better than in the CAD world, where no-cost tips and tools are plentiful — and more often than not, surprisingly practical.

If you're eager to start digging for treasure on your own, you can head straight to the "Find Your Own Fabulous Freebies" guide at the end of this article. But finding great freebies in the vast online world can be a challenge. To help you get to the real gems that will make your job easier, we asked Cadalyst readers to tell us about the freebies they can't live without. Those who submitted a favorite freebie that was selected for publication will be awarded a prize from the Cadalyst Store.

We share each of these tools based on the recommendations we received from Cadalyst readers and contributors. Editors have not tested each tool extensively; we encourage you to evaluate options according to your own needs. Be sure to review licensing agreements before downloading to ensure that you can comply with the terms of use. Some sites require that users provide contact or other personal information in exchange for free tools; others suggest a small donation.

Now, let's get to the free stuff!

General-Purpose Tools

CAD might be your primary software, but CAD managers and users alike call on a variety of general-purpose software to get their jobs done, including tools to make PDFs, convert units, and create videos and screen captures. The following free tools are among the best, according to our readers.

PDF Converters. Chris Harris recommends PDFCreator. "It offers encryption for security, the ability to digitally sign documents, stamping, [and much more]. My favorite feature though, is the ability to create JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, and other formats from a program or an existing PDF. Plus, all these settings can be saved into profiles for easy switching."

"PDF995 is my favorite freebie," reported Sharla Livingston. "It is the easiest PDF creator I've used." The free version displays a sponsor page in your web browser each time you run the software; upgrade for $9.95.

A popular freebie that's been around for years is CutePDF Writer. Use it with virtually any Windows application to create quality PDFs. Reader Marga Io said, "I could not survive a CAD workday without this tool. It saves paper too!"

PDFescape is a free PDF reader, editor, form filler, and form designer that you use online, sidestepping any software installation. Viranjith Tilakaratne said, "The free, nonregistered version is a very powerful tool, similar to Adobe Acrobat Pro."

Go Pro. For more features at a price, trade up to the professional version of a freebie or check out products from companies including Adobe, Bluebeam, Cadzation, Informative Graphics, and Quadrispace.

Unit Converters. Chris Micallef recommends ESBUnit-Conv. "It can be installed as a Windows utility or as a stand-alone program for removable USB drives." For $19, the Pro version offers more features.

"I use a nifty application called Convert that I keep on my desktop and use every day," wrote survey technician Paul D. Werbicky, the first of a few readers to suggest the tool. Convert is configurable to your preferences, and you can create your own conversions by using a Custom tab. It runs on Windows, Linux, and UNIX.

Cadalyst contributing editor Scott MacKenzie goes to CompliCad, a source of CAD and building information modeling (BIM) tools, which he calls his "favorite web site for CAD unit conversion."

Go Pro. For more features at a price, trade up to the professional version of a freebie or check out products from companies including Invent Better and Mathsoft.

1 2 3 4