Software:DraftSight

From HandWiki
DraftSight
Developer(s)Dassault Systèmes
Initial releaseOctober 15, 2010; 13 years ago (2010-10-15)
Stable release
DraftSight 2024 / November 6, 2023; 8 months ago (2023-11-06)
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows MacOS Linux
Available inEnglish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Czech, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Turkish
TypeCAD
LicenseProprietary
Websitewww.draftsight.com

DraftSight is a 2D and 3D CAD (computer-aided design) program for engineers, architects, construction contractors, designers, students, and educators.[1]. Developed by Dassault Systèmes, the first version of the program was released in 2010, and subsequent versions have added new tools and functionality for a wider variety of users.[2]

History

When DraftSight launched in 2010, it was offered as a free DWG file-based 2D CAD software for maintaining legacy drawings and data, supporting traditional 2D processes or workflows, and creating, viewing, or editing any kind of 2D drawing.[3] In 2011, DraftSight Enterprise launched, first called Premium Pack, to support network licensing, access to DraftSight API and updates, and paid support through value added resellers.[2] DraftSight Professional with advanced 2D drafting functionalities and a paid, online API was launched in 2014.[4]

DraftSight 2019 marked the next chapter for the DraftSight product portfolio, repackaging the entire portfolio with the most asked-for capabilities and functionality to focus on paid versions only. Free versions of DraftSight ceased to run as of December 31, 2019.[5]

Starting in 2019, 3D DWG-file capabilities became part of DraftSight’s offerings, enabling the flexibility to go from 2D drafting to 3D modeling, and to support projects like 3D printing, manufacturing and laser cutting.[5]

Products & Licensing

DraftSight has four product packages for users based on their individual or organizational needs: DraftSight Professional, DraftSight Premium, DraftSight Enterprise, and DraftSight Enterprise Plus.[6][7] In addition, DraftSight can be integrated with 3DEXPERIENCE to securely share drawings.[8]

DraftSight provides flexible licensing and is available as a subscription or a perpetual license, giving users the option to rent or buy. Licenses can be used by a single user or multi-user networks.[8]

Product features
DraftSight Professional[9] DraftSight Premium[9] DraftSight Enterprise[9] DraftSight Enterprise Plus[10]
2D drafting & annotation tools Professional level features plus: Premium level features plus: Enterprise level features plus:
2D CAD Advanced 2D drafting & annotation tools Advanced 3D modeling Additional 3D modeling tools
DWG & DXF file formats DGN file format Advanced rendering & visualization tools 3D meshing
Customizable interface 3D solid modeling Collaboration & data management tools SolidWorks integration
Layer management PDF import 2D constraints options
Dimensioning & hatching tools Advanced dimensioning & hatching tools
Printing & plotting options Scripting & API support

File & system compatibility

DraftSight supports both DWG and DXF file types in all their products[11][12] and in higher product levels DGN and PDF import is also supported, regardless of the software used to create the files.[9] The following legacy DWG and DXF file formats are also compatible: R2018 Drawing (DWB), R2013 Drawing (DWG), R2010 Drawing (DWG), R2007 - 2009 Drawing (DWG), R2004 – 2006 Drawing (DWG), R2000 – 2002 Drawing (DWG), R14 Drawing (DWG), R13 Drawing (DWG), R12 Drawing (DWG), R2018 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R2013 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R2010 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R2007 – 2009 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R2004 – 2006 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R2000 – 2002 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R14 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R13 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R12 ASCII Drawing (DXF), R2018 Binary Drawing (DXF), R2013 Binary Drawing (DXF), R2010 Binary Drawing (DXF), R2007 - 2009 Binary Drawing (DXF), R2004 - 2006 Binary Drawing (DXF), R2000 - 2002 Binary Drawing (DXF), R14 Binary Drawing (DXF), R13 Binary Drawing (DXF), R12 Binary Drawing (DXF), Drawing Standards (DWS), Drawing Template (DWT), ESRI Shape File (SHP).[8] In addition to the file formats supported, the following operating systems support DraftSight's product packages: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, and Linux, although it was only supported in Linux beta for DraftSight versions 2011-2019.[13][2][3]

Supported languages

The following languages are supported in DraftSight: English, German, French, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Korean, Polish, Russian, Czech.[2][3]

Market

DraftSight is used by more than 3,000 companies worldwide, the top industries are machinery, electrical and electronic manufacturing, automotive, construction, oil and energy, industrial automation, and information technology and services. It is most often used by small companies with 50-200 employees and revenue from $10M-$50M US dollars.[14]

References

  1. Jayathilake, M. V. M. (2015). "Comparative Study of CAD Software Use For Architectural Designs" (in en-us). International Research Symposium on Engineering Advancements. http://35.198.240.170/attachments/article/151/P4.pdf. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Boughton, Paul (2013-02-21). "Draftsight & ndash; a new, free, DWG-compatible 2D drafting package" (in en). https://www.engineerlive.com/content/draftsight-new-free-dwg-compatible-2d-drafting-package. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Santos, João (2013-08-01). Getting Started with DraftSight. Birmingham, UK: Packt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78216-024-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=3oJlH6dbyD8C&dq=draftsight&pg=PT26. Retrieved 2024-04-15. 
  4. "Over 3 Million DraftSight Users to Receive Access to New Plugins from Graebert and Dassault Systèmes - CIMdata" (in de-de). https://www.cimdata.com/de/industry-summary-articles/item/3442-over-3-million-draftsight-users-to-receive-access-to-new-plugins-from-graebert-and-dassault-systemes. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "DraftSight Packaging and Pricing Changes You Need To Know About" (in en-CA). 2019-04-04. https://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2019/04/draftsight-packaging-pricing-changes/. 
  6. "What is DraftSight?". DraftSight. https://www.draftsight.com/. 
  7. "DraftSight 2D Design and Drafting software solution" (in en-US). 2023-08-24. https://trimech.com/draftsight/. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 christel (2020-12-11). "DraftSight versus AutoCAD" (in en-US). https://plmgroup.eu/articles/draftsight-versus-autocad/. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 NOVEDGE. "Comparing the Features of DraftSight Professional, Premium, and Enterprise: Which Version is Right for You?" (in en). https://novedge.com/blogs/news/comparing-the-features-of-draftsight-professional-premium-and-enterprise-which-version-is-right-for-you. 
  10. "DraftSight Software Packages, Price, and Features" (in en-us). https://www.goengineer.com/blog/draftsight-software-packages-price-and-features. 
  11. Gordon, Leslie (23 October 2010). "DraftSight, free, professional-grade 2D CAD from Dassault Systèmes, has a social networking side". Machine Design. https://www.machinedesign.com/news/article/21818728/draftsight-free-professional-grade-2d-cad-from-dassault-systemes-has-a-social-networking-side. 
  12. "What is DraftSight? Let's Cover Some FAQ's!" (in en-us). https://www.goengineer.com/blog/draftsight-faq. 
  13. "Draftsight – a new, free, DWG-compatible 2D drafting package | Engineer Live". 2013-02-21. https://www.engineerlive.com/node/1154. 
  14. "Dassault DraftSight commands 0.6% market share in Computer-aided Design & Engineering" (in en). https://enlyft.com/tech/products/dassault-draftsight.