Phoronix reports
For fans of the FreeCAD open-source 3D CAD modeling software, a new major release is now available--the first update in almost two years.
FreeCAD 0.17 is now available to succeed FreeCAD 0.16 from April of 2016. While it may not be nearly as well off as AutoCAD or other alternatives, FreeCAD does continue getting better while being free and open-source software.
FreeCAD 0.17 overhauls its PartDesign Workbench, a new add-on manager to make installing new modules/macros easier, Sketcher improvements, new documentation, navigation improvements, and various Workbench improvements are among the changes making up this release.
Those wishing to learn more about FreeCAD 0.17 can check-out the lengthy release notes or head straight over to GitHub to download. Those upgrading to v0.17 are advised to backup their FreeCAD files as there could be issues in the upgrade path.
GitHub notes
This release of FreeCAD is dedicated to our friend Roland Frank who left us in 2017. He was an active and well-appreciated member of the FreeCAD forum, and his video tutorials on the Learn FreeCAD and BPLFRE Youtube channels helped many people get started with FreeCAD.
This is the official 0.17 release of FreeCAD for Windows and Mac OS platforms. Linux users are advised to get FreeCAD from their distribution's repository, or from our PPA if using Ubuntu.
The AppImage should work on most modern 64 bit Linux distributions. Download the file and make it executable. It's self contained and should be portable.
(Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Friday April 13 2018, @06:50AM (5 children)
How does FreeCAD compare with LibreCAD?
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 2) by Pav on Friday April 13 2018, @06:57AM
FreeCAD is 3D (basically the same niche as Solidworks), and LibreCAD is 2D (comparable to AutoCAD). They're very different.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 13 2018, @07:32AM (3 children)
Good question.
Searching for an answer [google.com] yields Compare FreeCAD vs. LibreCAD [financesonline.com]
Which says
...but doesn't give any version numbers.
The search also turned up a 9 minute video dated May 13, 2017. [youtube.com]
There's no date on any of the other hits nor version numbers in the titles.
.
A page on such things can often be found at Wikipedia. [google.com]
Yup.
Comparison of computer-aided design editors [wikipedia.org]
(Still lists FreeCAD 0.16 and LibreCAD 2.1.3.)
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 13 2018, @08:09AM (2 children)
I highly recommend the Nuke Anything Enhanced [mozilla.org] browser extension for dealing with that.
With your mouse, mark everything from the first CAD in the table (after the headings) down through the one before FreeCAD.
Right-click and Remove selection.
Repeat for the rows between FreeCAD and LibreCAD.
The 2 rows of interest are now adjacent and easier to compare.
N.B. If anyone is signed up at Wikipedia, the Academic version column for LibreCAD should read Free, just as FreeCAD's entry does.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 13 2018, @04:10PM (1 child)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia anyone but --gweg_ can edit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 13 2018, @06:11PM
Last time I tried, about a month ago, it wouldn't take my edit.
Someone has fixed the table entry now anyway.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Friday April 13 2018, @05:18PM (1 child)
I like how FreeCAD comes in a Linux "appImage" -- don't have to compile myself and figure out all the dependencies and I don't have to wait for my distro to package it. I know it takes more space for an application to come bundled with its dependencies, but it's just so easy and honestly, it isn't applications that eat up my HD space.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 13 2018, @08:17PM
Those are kinda like what PortableApps does for Windoze executables. [wikipedia.org]
N.B. What that bunch does requires source code.
Don't expect it to work with closed-source proprietary junk.
it takes more space
TANSTAAFL
As you say, when you have resources to burn, it's no big deal.
...and, at least in theory, with all the dependencies bundled with the app, you can run that app on a distro|old release under which it was never intended to be run.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]