Hi, old acad user...

Hi everyone.
I used 2D AutoCad for decades, I still have it but it's too old and you know the story. I think the last I used was 2005/6 version.. I was quite expert at it. programmed AutoLisp etc. I was lucky to work for myself so I could customise it how I liked.

I'm retired now but still need to draw things out from time to time, very simple things like how best to get a bunch of shapes from a sheet of plywood. or how much lino to buy to cover a bathroom and hallway. I've always found it easier to draw things out and measure them using CAD than work things out the long way - plus you get a drawing to work to.
I've had a quick read of the basic concepts in the user manual and it seems like I'd get on with LibreCad more easily than any other program I can find.
Am I right? I won't be doing anything complicated.
Thanks for reading.

Hi.

I'm in the same boat as you. Worked for years in AutoCAD, programmed in AutoLISP and ActiveX. Am retired now and the cost of AutoCAD is simply too steep to have for small projects in my retirement. After looking around at other open source cad packages I settled on LibreCAD too. 99% of my AutoCAD skills were 2D so LibreCAD seems to fit the bill.

I just got started on my first project in LC this week and things are going pretty well. There a few ACAD features that I miss (like the PERP osnap) but I'm learning the new way and things are going OK.

Let me know how you get along.

zedders wrote

I've had a quick read of the basic concepts in the user manual...

A few tutorials are worthwhile too.

BetonBrut wrote

Hi.

I'm in the same boat as you. Worked for years in AutoCAD, programmed in AutoLISP and ActiveX. Am retired now and the cost of AutoCAD is simply too steep to have for small projects in my retirement. After looking around at other open source cad packages I settled on LibreCAD too. 99% of my AutoCAD skills were 2D so LibreCAD seems to fit the bill.

I just got started on my first project in LC this week and things are going pretty well. There a few ACAD features that I miss (like the PERP osnap) but I'm learning the new way and things are going OK.

Let me know how you get along.

Thanks for the encouraging reply. No perp snap? Eek! That will take some getting used to.

flywire wrote

zedders wrote

I've had a quick read of the basic concepts in the user manual...

A few tutorials are worthwhile too.

I'm sure you're right but I'll probably get stuck in and refer to the manual though. I had to teach myself AutoCad when it first came out and there was no help apart from the very dry manual. Nobody knew what it was or had any idea how to use it. My employer at the time didn't even buy it all as most of it was labelled "extensions" ha-ha. A dastardly difficult thing to learn at the time.

It is very interesting learning a new CAD app.

TRIM can only pick one cut line at a time. No trimming between two obj. And you pick the side of the obj to keep not trim off. To trim between 2 obj I've found the DIVIDE command works, it breaks an obj at a point. Have to delete the unwanted section after dividing.

There is an OFFSET cmd (I used it a lot in ACAD) but it doesn't work like ACAD. The PARALLEL command is the most similar and actually pretty cool.

My issue with the LC Manual is it gives a description of the command, but doesn't give a prompt by prompt how to use it. Have to learn by trial and error.

Good luck. Us old ACADers can help each other get acclimated. ;-)

BetonBrut wrote

It is very interesting learning a new CAD app.

TRIM can only pick one cut line at a time. No trimming between two obj. And you pick the side of the obj to keep not trim off. To trim between 2 obj I've found the DIVIDE command works, it breaks an obj at a point. Have to delete the unwanted section after dividing.

There is an OFFSET cmd (I used it a lot in ACAD) but it doesn't work like ACAD. The PARALLEL command is the most similar and actually pretty cool.

My issue with the LC Manual is it gives a description of the command, but doesn't give a prompt by prompt how to use it. Have to learn by trial and error.

Good luck. Us old ACADers can help each other get acclimated. ;-)

As you know, trim and offset are (were) massively used commands. I even had a routine to select lines, convert them to polylines and join them together specifically to offset them after. Trim - that does sound backwards but I guess if you learned this then had to use autocad you'd think the same. Extend is the other of that holy trinity, I wonder what that does (or if it even exists).
I'm sitting here fuming at AutoDesk to be honest - I paid many thousands of pounds for my AutoCAD program even if that was a long time ago - The computer it was on went poop and so I couldn't transfer the licence - now they simply refuse to discuss. It's rather annoying. :)

I'm close to throwing in the towel with this program. I can draw a line, that's about it. Any editing seems completely impossible, I never get further than selecting an entity.

It can be quite hard to unlearn what you have used for decades. At the top of the main page are links to manuals and howtos, and I can recommend LibreCad for Dummies, it is not the actual for Dummies series, you can download it for free, just use google or what ever search engine you use.

The trim command was a bit unintuitive also for me at first, but I have used to it, since I only use LibreCad nowadays, and to edit, i would first select the item(s) I need to edit, then choose command from the edit-menu or from the left panel.

Also the draft mode has caused some confusion, check that it is not in use: View-menu.

aman wrote

It can be quite hard to unlearn what you have used for decades. At the top of the main page are links to manuals and howtos, and I can recommend LibreCad for Dummies, it is not the actual for Dummies series, you can download it for free, just use google or what ever search engine you use.

The trim command was a bit unintuitive also for me at first, but I have used to it, since I only use LibreCad nowadays, and to edit, i would first select the item(s) I need to edit, then choose command from the edit-menu or from the left panel.

Also the draft mode has caused some confusion, check that it is not in use: View-menu.

Thanks. I get to selecting something then it asks me a distance or a direction and there's just no way I can see to input that. That's the typical hurdle so far. I don't know about LibreCAD but AutoCAD was all about editing with very little actual drawing comparitively.

Can you tell what you are trying to achieve.  So you can draw a line, how would you edit that? We are here to help, but  even skimming the howtos and manuals usually gives you some idea, howto use LibreCAD.

The distance and direction are there always, when you draw a line, it means the how to continue, you can give values as commands or use mouse. If you are fine with the result, just hit ESC.

aman wrote

Can you tell what you are trying to achieve.  So you can draw a line, how would you edit that? We are here to help, but  even skimming the howtos and manuals usually gives you some idea, howto use LibreCAD.

Thanks, I do appreciate the help.
OK. For example
I would like to draw a line and offset it a chosen distance in a chosen direction, creating a parallel version of the original.
I can draw the line.
I can select it.
I can select the offset command.
Then I'm baffled. It prompts for a distance but I see no way to input that.

If I draw line and choose offset command I'm prompted with "select to create offset". Select what? It's not allowing me to select an object.

lol - sorry for being so dim.

No problem, we all have been newbies at some point.

I did this, there are other ways too.

Draw a horizontal line, then select it by clicking. It should change to short lines. Then I select from the top menu Tools > Modify or from the left panel the + icon, it is the same, Modify. I select Move/Copy, Reference point is asked, I select either end of the line (select end points from the bottom snap options). Then I can move the cursor above or under the selected line, I click where I want to copy the line, confirmation window is opened, where asked if you want to keep or delete the original, or do multiple copies.  I have LibreCAD 2.2.

Ask more if you need.

aman wrote

No problem, we all have been newbies at some point.

I did this, there are other ways too.

Draw a horizontal line, then select it by clicking. It should change to short lines. Then I select from the top menu Tools > Modify or from the left panel the + icon, it is the same, Modify. I select Move/Copy, Reference point is asked, I select either end of the line (select end points from the bottom snap options). Then I can move the cursor above or under the selected line, I click where I want to copy the line, confirmation window is opened, where asked if you want to keep or delete the original, or do multiple copies.  I have LibreCAD 2.2.

Ask more if you need.

That's move/copy - I understand that.
Offset though - what is that meant for, perhaps I misunderstand it's use.

I got the offset too working, but have not figured yet where to offset value can be changed. By default it is quite small.


EDIT: has been asked before
https://forum.librecad.org/offset-distance-td5714376.html

Kinda now thinking I misunderstood how experimental and unfinished LibreCAD is.
A work in progress with many commands following different unintuitive structures - like too many cooks changing the code with no basic pattern being adhered to, or if there is I can't see it.
This is going to send me crazy after decades of using an intuitive well thought out program.
I'm not a greenie here, With autoCAD I produced many complete drawings with no input at all other than an add on program I wrote myself reading a spreadsheet. But somehow I can't do the most basic simple things with this one - even selecting something requires me telling it how I want to select it via pressing buttons.

You choose the direction with the mouse, the distance is to be set in the Tool Options bar above the drawing area. It changes it's content depending on the command in use.

I had not used offset, but if you check link in my previous post, it is not hard at all. Just like dellus showed.

hi.
To OFFSET similar to ACAD. Use the PARALLEL command. After starting the command enter the offset distance on the commandline - i.e. just type it. Then move the cursor close to another obj and a glyph of the obj that will be created will be displayed. Click to create the offset (parallel) obj.

This is a challenge. Many things are different and many ACAD features are missing. Remember back to when you were learning ACAD, it was frustrating then too.

It helps to post specific command and frustration info. Otherwise we don't really know how to help.

Thank you all, you're very kind.
I haven't seen the tools option toolbar at all, ever.
I looked for the parallel command having read about that and couldn't find it either.
Point taken about how frustrating autocad was at first.
Perhaps I'll try again tomorrow.