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.

How to create layered PDFs with DraftSight

We frequently export our DWGs in PDF format in order to share them or open them with another program. However, these PDFs have the disadvantage to merge the layers of our drawing. Exporting layered PDFs appears to be more useful in sharing because they are kind of editable, with visible structure and also we can further work them out by other programs easier.

Let's see how to create a layered PDF with DraftSight:

In your drawing at DraftSight open File --> Export --> PDF Export.

In the PDF Export dialogue box that appears you are able to choose where to save your PDF, the paper size and the Sheets you want to export: the whole drawing (Model) or a part of it already set in a layout (Layout), or both. Also make sure that 'Use layers in PDF file' under Options is checked.

 

Then open the PDF with Evince (or alternative you can use Adobe Reader) and from the side bar at the left choose Layers. And here they are! You can see them and turn them on and off.

Direct Links for DraftSight Linux

The DraftSight's download page seems to have problems and the download buttons are not visible.

So if you want to download DraftSight for Linux you can temporarily use these direct links.

DraftSight .deb
DraftSight .rpm

P.S. You can find these links by viewing page's source code.

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.

How to embed the partlibrary of QCAD 2.x to the new QCAD 3

The final release of QCAD 3 is out and the new features of this CAD application like the property editor, the new scripting engine, the new library browser, .dwg support and more are available to its users.
One very interesting feature is the new library browser that can handle  different type of files like .dwg, .dxf, .svg and scripting items.
Many users may want to use the old QCAD's partlibrary with this new release. The solution is really very simple and with a few mouse clicks you can successfully embed the old partlibrary into the new QCAD3.
So the only thing you have to do is to open the application's preferences and navigate to Widgets-->Library browser. Then you have to add the path  to the partlibrary's folder and/or any other location that includes files you want to use into the Library Browser.

Save the changes and restart QCAD3 and you're ready!!!

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.

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.

The true multiarch support

Ubuntu 11.10 came with multiarch support, a feature that makes easier the installation of 32bit apps in a 64bit OS. However this feature isn't yet implemented correctly and the installation of 32bit apps in Ubuntu 11.10 64 bit is a nightmare.
Another distro with multiarch support is OpenSuse. OpenSuse provides excellent multiarch support. I have tested the installation of the first beta version of DraftSight on OpenSuse 11.4 64bit and it was installed without any issues.
However, after the release of OpenSuse 12.1 I was curious to test the current 3rd Beta of DraftSight with the new 64bit OpenSuse.
I installed OpenSuse 12.1 64bit GNOME version via VirtualBox. I downloaded DraftSight.rpm and tried to install it. With the first attempt I got an error. A dependency couldn't be found. That happened because DraftSight depends on a library that isn't included in the official OpenSuse repositories. However, the solution is extremely simple. You just have to enable the Packman repository. This repository ( it's similar to the Medibuntu repository) contains extra software that isn't included for licensing reasons. After that step DraftSight was installed automatically, without problems,  simply by double clicking on the DraftSight.rpm package from your file manager.

 The warning message for the unsatisfied dependency.

After enabling the Packman repository, everything is fine.

An unexpected solution for 3D dwg files

One of the biggest problems in computing is data sharing, meaning how to share your data between different programs. Especially if you work with CAD you need to share your geometry with raster image processors (GIMP,Krita etc.), vector graphics applications (Inkscape,Karbon, etc), 3D graphics programs (Blender,Wings 3D etc) or FEA software (Salome,Elmer,Gmsh,  etc). Proprietary formats make data sharing extremely hard.

Some tweaks for DraftSight on Ubuntu 11.10

Despite its BETA status DraftSight for Linux  is enough stable and mature for productivity work. In this post I will show you some tweaks in order to make your life easier.

Playing with FreeCAD: Trapezoids and Ribs

FreeCAD is an application  whose development I have been watching closely since I first learned about it. What I like on FreeCAD?

• It is Free and Open Source Software.
• It's a feature-based parametric solid modeler. I actually believe that this kind of modeling is the best way to create complex 3D entities.
• FreeCAD has its own workflow without trying to mimic the way that other similar applications work.

FreeCAD is under active development and currently is on Alpha stage(FreeCAD's development team decided recently to remove the "Alpha" status from FreeCAD).
But despite the missing features it can create complex geometry thanks to its Sketcher which is a very good tool.

DraftSight and Ubuntu 11.10 64bit

Ubuntu 11.10 has multiarch support. This is a feature that makes the installation of 32bit applications on a 64bit OS easier. Well that doesn't work with DraftSight. The package failed to be installed correctly in every possible workaround I tried. DraftSight installed and worked after some tricks but it was marked as damaged so it had to be removed. (You are unable to update your system or install new programs if you have damaged packages).

So the only way to install and  run DS on a 64bit Ubuntu 11.10 is to completely ignore dpkg.
How to do that? Here are the necessary steps.

• Install the necessary dependencies of DraftSight: sudo apt-get install libdirectfb-extra sendmail
• Install this library from Natty.
• Extract the contents of DraftSight.deb. For your ease put Draftsight.deb file inside your home folder.Then right click on the DraftSight.deb and select "Extract here"
• Open nautilus as root ( Press Alt+F2, type gksu nautilus, press Enter, insert you password and press Enter again)
• Copy the contents of ~/DraftSight/var and ~/DraftSight/opt into you system's /var and /opt folders
• Open a terminal and type: cd ~/DraftSight/DEBIAN  then type sudo ./preinst and  sudo ./postinst

Now you are able to work with DraftSight on your 64bit Ubuntu without any dpkg problems.

 I don't like workarounds like this but unfortunately it is the only way to install DraftSight on a 64bit Ubuntu 11.10 system.

Important Update: This workaround is for DraftSight V1R1.3

The newer V1R1.4 version doesn't need any more the library from Natty and probably sendmail. Also the path to DraftSight's startup script has been changed to /opt/dassault-systemes/draftsight/bin/draftsight

DraftSight on Ubuntu 11.10

After finishing a clean installation of Ubuntu 11.10 I experienced a problem on the installation of DraftSight but finally I solved it easily.

Gear design with Linux

Gear design is painful. The design of the involute curve is a demanding process. However there are some utilities that can make this easier.

Adding custom hatches on ARES CE, Bricscad and DraftSight

Adding a custom hatch on ARES CE, Bricscad and DraftSight is quite different than on AutoCAD. You cannot link a folder that contains the custom hatches in program's settings. However adding one or more custom hatches isn't difficult.

How to work with pdf files with ARES CE,Bricscad,DraftSight and Librecad

Importing PDF files is a missing feature from all Linux CAD packages. However there are some very interesting and simple workarounds to bypass this problem.

A little workaround for compiling FreeCAD dev on Ubuntu 11.04

FreeCAD is an Open Source 3d Parametric Solid Modeler with major improvements during the last months. I had posted earlier this year a how-to guide for compiling the latest development version on Ubuntu.  But now this process needs a workaround to make the Part design module to work properly.