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Old 27th Jul 2019, 9:08 pm   #1
Julesomega
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Default Using LibreCAD

Has anyone here used LibreCAD for simple engineering drawings? I want to get a local engineer to make some simple mechanical parts and I was hoping to produce drawings in LC and I am trying follow the steps in the basic mechanics tutorial but having told you to use snapping to the grid to avoid tediously entering every coordinate by hand it has nothing to say about how you select the grid size to snap to. Neither does anywhere in the online user manual. There is a forum for users, none of whom seem to use the software, they all seem to be developers explaining how they've improved the functions.

I'll start drawing the parts with a pencil, but it would be rather nice to be able to use the s/w
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Old 27th Jul 2019, 11:37 pm   #2
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

Its my program of choice. Very easy to drive and has hundreds of extra libraries available online. To change the grid size you will have to go to preferences and look for "GRID". its in the same are as where selecting imperial or metric measurements are selected.
I use it mostly for chassis layouts though, not machine drawings, although they should be very similar. I use Linux however and have no idea what Windows does to the program.

I can take screen shots of the setup for grid spacing if you need, just ask.

Joe
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Old 27th Jul 2019, 11:58 pm   #3
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

I've never used LibreCad, as Lotus Freelance generally meets my requirements. In that, you'd go to VIEW and the drop down box then offers "Set Units and Grid" and clicking on that opens all the boxes for the various settings.

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Old 28th Jul 2019, 12:15 am   #4
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

I've just downloaded it and had a bit of a play- as far as I can see, you select your units (inches, millimeters (sic), feet etc) in Options/Application Preferences/Defaults then go to Options/Application Preferences/Appearance and type in the minimal grid spacing you want. As far as I can tell, 1px gives a grid in base units, 10px a grid in tens of base units etc.


I couldn't find anything helpful in the Help wiki either....
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Old 28th Jul 2019, 6:01 am   #5
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

start Librecad,
open the "EDIT" menu,
open the preferences menu
select your drawing preferences.
The "GRID" setting will be automatically set to "AUTO",
so if your drawing is in millimetres the grid will be set to millimetres.
The actual amount of millimetres can be set to
.01
.1
1
10
base units, so in millimetres its very obvious that selection 3, or 1,
is 1 mm grid graduations.

Joe
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Old 28th Jul 2019, 12:46 pm   #6
Uncle Bulgaria
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

I use Draftsight for my architectural work. Alas, the free edition is coming to an end this December, but until then it's been a very capable CAD programme. Many of these are AutoCAD clones from earlier versions, so it's sometimes helpful to try to do things as they would be done in AutoCAD.

Does LibreCAD have snapping to points you have drawn included? For example can you draw a line, then have your next point snapped to the vertical line through that point, at a specified distance? I find the best way to use CAD is to reference all points to a previous one or two, so the object is built up with geometric references.

As Joe mentions the preferences, something to check is that the model scale is set correctly (1:1) and that you aren't accidentally drawing at a paper scale which will get confusing when it comes to fabrication.

Apologies if this is grandma and eggs territory. I haven't used this particular programme, though I did investigate it a couple of years ago before going with Draftsight. However, in my experience they have points of convergence as there are only so many ways to place lines on a screen!
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Old 28th Jul 2019, 2:35 pm   #7
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

Thanks for all answers. Maybe it's the new version 2.1.3 but there are no options for snap. I can only snap to the grid. I want to snap to the nearest 1mm while showing a 10mm grid, seems a reasonable expectation. I attach screenshots of the drop-down menus: note that the settings are under a new menu 'Options' rather than under 'Edit'
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Old 28th Jul 2019, 11:55 pm   #8
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

I have a whole library of things I can do with "SNAP".

Free Snap
Snap on Grid
Snap on End Points
Snap on Entity
Snap on Centres
Snap Middle
Snap Distance
Snap intersection
-------------------------
Restrict Horizontal
Restrict Vertical
Restrict Orthogonal
Restrict Nothing
----------------------------
Set Relative Zero Position
Lock Relative Zero Position

This might not help much if its not easily visible!!
I DID explain I run Linux!!
My version of LibreCad was compiled in 2016 so its not such a new version,
( it is the current version however) but in the time I have been using it
( ~15 years) it has not really changed that much. LibreCad started as QCad, and split off when QCad went commercial. There is documentation online for using QCad and I have a full copy "somewhere". I will try and find it for you.

I hope this helps,

Joe
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Old 29th Jul 2019, 12:12 am   #9
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

This site will help you I think

https://qcad.org/en/documentation

Joe
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Old 29th Jul 2019, 11:40 am   #10
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

I cant help with windows
I know absolutely nothing about it.
My apologies for wasting your time

Joe
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Old 29th Jul 2019, 11:53 am   #11
Julesomega
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

It looks like I need to install an earlier version of LibreCAD, pity oldapps.com does not have any. I took a look at Qcad which looks comparable and has a free 'coomunity' unrestricted version but looking at the documentation shows among the myriad snap options it will only snap to the grid. Does anyone have an install file?

I wonder if a W98 version of AutoSketch would run under W10? I still have it on a floppy - less than 720KB and absolutely no bloatware! I used to use it for every kind of drawing including mechanical and schematics
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Old 29th Jul 2019, 12:05 pm   #12
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Julesomega View Post
I want to snap to the nearest 1mm while showing a 10mm grid, seems a reasonable expectation.
For anyone who's used an Autodesk product (or clone) then, yes, that seems a perfectly normal and essential function. Apparently if you haven't, it's a strange concept and inconceivable that anyone would want to do such a thing!

Cheers!
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Old 29th Jul 2019, 12:13 pm   #13
Julesomega
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

Phew, so it's not just me
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Old 29th Jul 2019, 4:51 pm   #14
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Julesomega View Post
It looks like I need to install an earlier version of LibreCAD...
Earlier released versions and patch updates of LibreCAD can be found here at GitHub

https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases

Rich
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Old 4th Aug 2019, 4:58 pm   #15
Julesomega
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

I guess I was in too much of a hurry when I first asked, I was trying to do the job. Now that's out of the way I've gone back and looked at LibreCAD and it now snaps happily to the required 1/10th of the grid.
My "current drawing preferences" are set to:
Units > main drawing unit - mm, precision - 0.0
Grid - show grid, X & Y spacing 0.1
The snap points within the grid are shown by dots.

As someone used to say (Phil?) "Don't let anything digital know you're in a hurry"
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Old 4th Aug 2019, 11:33 pm   #16
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Default Re: Using LibreCAD

I'm glad you got it sorted. Once you learn the basics it's very fast, produces superb drawings, even on a cheap printer.

I'm still looking for the CD of instructions. I haven't forgotten you

Joe
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