DraftSight 2015 is out with a 64bit only version for Linux.

DraftSight 2015 is out and Linux users can now install it without problems on a 64bit distro because this version is 64 bit only.

DraftSight V1R5.2 fixes localization bug

DraftSight V1R5.2 is out and the important news are that now Linux users can open their files normally without worrying if the path contains any non-English characters. Finally after six months of waiting, DraftSight Linux users can expect normal functionality when they try  to open their files.

You can download DraftSight V1R5.2 from here. As usually 32 bit .deb and .rpm files are available.

Teigha Viewer and Teigha File Converter have been upated to v4.00

Teigha Viewer an Teigha File Converter the official tools from ODA for viewing and converting dwg files have been updated to v4.00. The big news for this release is the availability of these two interesting apps for android devices. As usual ODA provides 32bit-only .deb and .rpm packages but you can easily install them without modifications on a 64bit system.

You can download them from ODA's website. Both applications are available without any charge.

How to make DraftSight look native on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64 bit

Here is a workaround to make DraftSight to use your desktop theme on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64bit.

• Create a new file named .gtkrc-2.0 inside your home folder

• Add the following line and save it.

gtk-theme-name="Ambiance"

• Edit your .profile file. It is inside your home folder and it's hidden so you have to hit Ctrl+H in order to make it visible.

• Add the following line at the end of this file and save it.

export GTK2_RC_FILES="$HOME/.gtkrc-2.0"

• Install gtk2-engines-murrine:i386

• Logout and then Login back in order to apply the changes

Now DraftSight will use the default desktop theme on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64 bit.

DraftSight and Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the new LTS version of Ubuntu and it will be available on its final state later this month. 64-bit  LTS versions are ideal for someone who wants to built a modern CAD workstation but unfortunately DraftSight comes on a 32-bit version only. Ubuntu provides support for running 32-bit applications on a 64-bit OS but DraftSight's installer doesn't support this functionality which is known as multiarch support. However the installation of DraftSight on a 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04 LTS system is possible with a few tweaks.

BricsCAD V14 for Linux is out !!!

Today Bricsys announced the availability of BricsCAD V14 for Linux. This new release has a lot of new features and improvements.

DraftSight V1R5 is out with a lot of changes

DraftSight V1R5 has been released and its Linux version has some significant changes.
Most important of all is the change of the package name and the new locations of files and folders.

ARES CE gets a new major upgrade but...

Graebert released a new major upgrade for the ARES CE dwg-based CAD program. This new version comes with major changes and as the company claims it also has performance improvements. Unfortunately, the Linux version is garbage. It's impossible to run the software under Linux and in some cases even the installation isn't possible . I spent a lot of time trying different combinations of software and hardware. I tried Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64bit and 13.10 32bit with both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, with or without proprietary drivers, without any success at all. I also tried various workarounds but probably this is a problematic Linux release of ARES CE. It seems that Linux users have to wait for a fixed version in order to run the new release and test its new features under their favorite OS.

FreeCAD 0.13 is now stable

FreeCAD 0.13 is now the latest stable release of FreeCAD. This version has a lot of improvements and  a new Ubuntu PPA for stable releases.

• Release Notes
• Complete changelog
• Ubuntu Stable PPA

FreeCAD is an Open Source Parametric Solid Modeler. It has excellent community support, modular architecture and it's fully programmable via Python.

2012 Flash Back

The year that is leaving today was an interesting one in the field of Linux CAD.
Below are listed the top events of 2012 for Linux CAD:

How to fix BricsCAD's segfault on Ubuntu 12.10

BricsCAD V12 doesn't work correctly on the new Ubuntu 12.10.
The problem is that BricsCAD V12 doesn't operate well  with the version of libfreetype that is installed by default on Ubuntu 12.10. This problem can be fixed by copying a working version of this library into BricsCAD's LD_PRELOAD path.

Playing with FreeCAD: Airfoils and Blades

FreeCAD is a very interesting tool. One of its advantages is that it can read and use data from various other programs. This feature is very important and can save you a lot of time in various tasks. One of these tasks is airfoil and blade design. There are various tools that can create airfoils and then export them in a format that FreeCAD can use for further editing.

How to install Blender 2.4.x on Ubuntu 12.04

You probably find yourselves wondering: Why anyone would like to have an older version of any program on his computer? Well, as known, Blender is a 3D graphics program, useful in particular for architects and engineers. The latest version 2.6.x has an updated interface and various new features. However, some useful scripts like dxf importer, blender mechanical gears, cad tools etc, are partially implemented or unavailable for the new Blender. So it sounds practical having an older version of Blender installed on your system and being able to use the above scripts! Let's see how this could be accomplished with the following tutorial.

ARCAD-C1 the new free version of ARCAD

ARCAD is a commercial 2D/3D architectural CAD package for Linux.
It comes in a variety of versions and a few days ago a free version was released.
Unfortunately it is available for older Linux versions up to 2.6.32 kernel (Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid).
I have succesfully installed this version on a Kubuntu 12.04 32bit machine but with a quick look it seems to be a very problematic installation. So if you want to test this version, it is highly recommended to use only Ubuntu 10.04.
More info and installation instructions about this release here.
 

How to install Bricscad V11 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Bricscad V11 has a syntax problem in the description field of the .deb file. This problem causes a failure during the upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04 but it also makes the installer unusable in clean installations of Ubuntu 12.04. The fix is quite simple and similar to the DraftSight on Ubuntu 12.04 64bit workaround.
You have to edit the control file inside the .deb installer. Here is the complete workaround:

Customizing Ubuntu 12.04 LTS for CAD

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is probably the best solution for a Linux-based CAD workstation. Supported for 5 years and easy to use, allows you to create a zero-cost reliable CAD workstation powered by Linux. In this article I am going to show some tricks that will make your life easier with your new OS.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and .dwg-based CAD

After the installation of the new Ubuntu 12.04 LTS I tested the installation of all the available .dwg based CAD applications.

DraftSight and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64bit

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS will be released on April 26 with some important and useful features like multiarch-support. However some 32bit packages still have installation problems on 64bit systems because they don't follow the new specifications. One of the packages that need some tricks in order to install it on a 64 bit Ubuntu 12.04 system is the current V1R1.4 of DraftSight.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64bit will make the life easier to Linux CAD users and vendors

As you probably already know all the .dwg-based Linux CAD are 32bit only and their installation on 64bit Ubuntu systems is currently painful. But this will  change soon...

Highlights of Bricscad V12 Linux: Screenshot tour

Fully editable tables can be created or imported from csv files.

Here is a test file created with LibreOffice Calc 

 Editing the above table

 Flatshot command creates 2D profiles from 3D solids in model space

 The Quad cursor in action for easy and fast 3D direct modelling

The Solprof command is similar to Flatshot but in paper space

Hatch wipeout!

Refedit allows to edit xref's directly

 With this command you can: select which entity of the xref you want to edit and lock the others, 
add/remove entities to set,draw new geometry, save/discard changes

 Livesections in action