FreeCAD vs SolidWorks

Engineering is one of the core fields which leads to the development of technologies in different fields like computer science, the civil sector, medicine, trading, etc. Engineers use different tools to test real-world objects like car crashes, submarine buoyancy, the aerodynamics of planes, etc. These testing if tried in the real world will take a lot of time and money so simulation environments are created using different software. Two such software are FreeCAD and SolidWorks which not only provide simulation capabilities but also helps in modeling of real-world objects like machines, buildings, equipment, etc. So let’s learn about both in detail.

What is FreeCAD?

FreeCAD is an on-premise 3D CAD modeler which was launched in 2002 under an LGPL-2.0 license. It is used by many people from different fields like architects, engineers, 3D modelers, game developers, educators, product designers, etc. Any real-world object can be created in this with a different perspective and detailed information like object paths, noise, material properties, etc. It can be used on different platforms like Linux, Unix, MacOS, Windows, etc.

Advantages of FreeCAD

• Different files like DAE, STEP, STL, DXF, OBJ, etc. can be easily edited in this software.
• Changes in any model or object can be tracked with the help of the model history feature.
• It has an organizable interface that is built using the Qt framework.
• Customized configuration can be implemented easily.

Disadvantages of FreeCAD

• Learning curve is steep due to advanced tools which takes time.
• Performance of rendering objects is low as compared to AutoCAD.

What is Solidworks?

Solidworks is a product data management software that is used for multiple things like designing machine components, buildings, automobile parts, etc. It was released as CAD designing software in 1995 and later its capabilities were enhanced to utilize it as analysis software. It works fine for both CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) and CAD (Computer-Aided Design).

Advantages of Solidworks

• Designs can be easily documented with the help of the documentation option.
• Simple designs are already available to use like walls, floors, and even entire buildings.
• It has a library that can be used to save components for reusing them.
• It has effective collaboration tools to work simultaneously as a team.

Disadvantages of Solidworks

• It does not provide the option to draw 2D sketches of buildings so to use them as references.
• Output files of the project is larger.

Following is a table of differences between FreeCAD and Solidworks:

Category	FreeCAD	SolidWorks
Definition	FreeCAD can be known as a CAD and BIM modeler which is used to build 3D designs and parametric models.	It can be understood as computer-aided software for designing automobile and architectural components.
Developer(s)	It was built by Jurgen Riegel, Werner Mayer and Yorik van Havre.	It was developed by Dassault Systemes.
Operating Systems	FreeCAD supports Linux along with Windows and Mac Operating systems.	It supports Windows but does not support Mac and Linux operating systems.
Pricing	It is free-to-use software.	Its price starts at $5490 per year.
Supported Languages	It supports multiple languages like French, German, English, etc.	It supports the English language only.
Integrations	It has a small number of integrations like BoltsEtAl and MeshCAM.	It has a large number of integrations like Kenesto, Fishbowl, KBMax, etc.
Source Code	Its source code is available at GitHub.	Its source code is not available to the public.
Features	It has various features like 3D Imaging, Project management, Annotations, collaboration tools, etc.	It has features like faster iterations, reference management, version control, etc.

Conclusion/Summary

On comparing both the software we found that Solidwork is easy to learn and work but at the same time it is a paid software that is very expensive so it can be used by professionals. People who are beginners should use FreeCAD as it is free and has almost all the features of SolidWorks.