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Comment by craftinator | Hacker News Reader

I disagree about the 3% of features. With plugins and the massive amount of extensibility possible in FreeCAD, I think it actually has most of the functionality of AutoCAD, let's say 80%, and a good number of features that AutoCAD is missing. However, discoverability of these features is abysmal (which is why most people think that they don't exist), and it can be VERY hard to use, depending on what you're trying to do.

I definitely couldn't replace Solidworks or Fusion360 with FreeCAD in terms of speed of use, especially if I was sitting down with all 3 for the first time.

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> I think it actually has most of the functionality of AutoCAD, let's say 80%, and a good number

The problem is that everybody uses a different 80%.

Haha yes, I think this is the problem; it's part of the tradeoff between open and closed source, IMO.

For some cases. Linux and GCC, for example are often more feature-rich than their proprietary counterparts.

That's why you shouldn't cut off the rest of the sentence!

"a good number of features that AutoCAD is missing"

Everyone needs a different bunch of features, and for some of them that would exclude AutoCAD.

OK 3% is was probably harsh, but if you look across the whole AutoCAD suite at things like their MEP tools, AutoCAD Civil, AutoCAD Map 3D and so on you'll find whole domains of features that FreeCAD doesn't even begin to address.

This is true. However, there are very few roles which use ALL of these tools. They are almost completely different applications that just share a base rendering window; they lie in completely separate domains. With that in mind, yes, FreeCAD doesn't have those features, but they exist in other open source applications.

I think what you are really comparing at this point is FreeCAD, the application, to Autodesk, the brand.

My point was to highlight really how big and sprawling the AutoCAD ecosystem really is and how meaningless a statement like FreeCAD can compete with AutoCAD is without specifying both context and domain.

With that in mind, yes, FreeCAD doesn't have those features, but they exist in other open source applications.

I really wish that was true. It would make my life much better.

I think what you are really comparing at this point is FreeCAD, the application, to Autodesk, the brand.

I'm intentionally not. Because if I where I would also be talking about Navis, Infraworks, Revit, 3DS and so on.

And just to be clear I greatly dislike AutoCAD and if I never had to use it again it would no doubt improve my quality of life.

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