AutoCad and BricsCad: A Head to Head Comparison

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By AugustusWilliams

AutoCAD and BricsCAD face off in 2D/3DCADing. AutoCAD, the multi-faceted, extensible, all-rounder designer, that consumes more RAM than Germans drink beer, will be facing off against BricsCAD, a popular DWG-oriented package designed for efficient execution. Let’s dive deeper into the software to find out what makes it so special in the world of CAD.

Erik de Keyser, a long-standing CAD entrepreneur, helped to create the company in 2002. Because of its popularity, the company was able to obtain the intellectual property rights of Ledas for constraints-based parametric designing tools. This allowed them to develop applications related to assembly and direct modeling.

Moving on, the comparison will be for Windows versions as both support more than one platform, and the greater number of industrial/engineering/professional designer’s use Windows stations. AutoCAD, which is a 2D and 3D design program, can be used for both small and large-sized mechanical parts as well as architectural drawings.

Interface and data compatibility

The interface is the first. Context menus, ribbons and workspace arrangement make it very customizable. The workspace is easily navigable thanks to predefined tool palettes, industry-standard command lines, and visual menus.

The Quad cursor is a unique feature of inventor that allows you to “add” another dimension and dimension to your mouse. The context menu is customized according to the selected entities. This allows for a quick and clutter-free workflow that saves time and reduces distractions. This allows you to decrease mouse movement and clicks, thereby speeding up your task. The Quad cursor can be enhanced with additional options by the CTRL key.

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Many of the features in the interface are identical, as we have already mentioned. Text can be edited in the same way as any other text. There are snapping and selection guides, an extendable drawing tool, dynamic and associative dimensions, and hatch support.

What about 3D modeling?

Both offer 3D surfaces and ACIS viewing. BricsCAD comes with a hardware library of 3K+ parts, while AutoCAD requires you to rely on the community. BricsCAD offers Geometric constraint detection, solution capabilities, as well 600 high-definition rendering materials.

BricsCAD offers a free 3D modeling tool: BricsCAD Form. SketchUp imports are a great feature.

What software should you choose? Price, additional features and conclusion

BrisCAD is my favorite program in the programming section. Many functions are supported by default across all five platforms. However, AutoCAD’s Mac/LT version is not as well-supported.

BricsCAD’s licensing options are another reason to choose it. They are more flexible and less expensive than the AutoCAD LT default version. Don’t forget STL! BricsCAD supports 3D printing using the STL format by default. AutoCAD does not.

Overall, BricsCAD appears to be a strong competitor to AutoCAD’s illustrator and designer packages. BrisCAD’s entire package includes features that cannot be included in AutoCAD suites or licensed software packages. This is a significant cost that a semi-professional, hobbyist, student, or CADer would be willing to spend. BricsCAD also has features that are proprietary to it, while AutoCAD has adopted some of the industry standards.

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