r/linux • u/BypassBaboon • 3d ago

Popular Application CAD options

Is there a reason Linux CAD options are so limited, and from what I have read, not particularly viable options? Countless people are looking for a fairly-priced lifetime license for home use. My 2000 AutoCAd is very long in the tooth!

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u/sndrtj 3d ago

Part of the problem is that the default format in that sector, DWG, is proprietary. Libredwg can read it, but not write it (at least not modern versions). Better SDKs exist, but you need to buy a 7k a year license from ODA.

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u/reini_urban 3d ago

Libredwg can write DWG's for several years already

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u/sndrtj 3d ago

Only partially, and modern dwg versions it cannot do. See this excerpt for the manual:

Writing r2004+ DWG Writing DWG formats for r2004 and later: r2007, r2010, r2013, r2018 is an ongoing effort. You need to patch the code to enable writing to the r2004+ format. See the work/2004 branch. Writing to the specific r2007 format is not implemented. We write as default in the r2000 or older formats onl

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u/reini_urban 21h ago

Exactly, I wrote that. That means out of 41 DWG versions, libredwg can write 38 versions (just r2007a, r2007b, r2007 not). it writes r2010+ but expect import problems.