# Autocad program

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autocad-program/317065>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 15, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autocad-program/317065 "2005-08-15T06:02:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Craneop2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Craneop2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Craneop2)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autocad-program/317065/1 "2005-08-15T06:02:29Z")

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Last weekend while visiting my sister, my BIL mentioned that he was interested in learning autocad.

I told him about a program that I downloaded some months ago that I found here on the boards that might be of interest to him.

I bought a new computer and didn’t download the program to this machine. :wally

I have done a search and since I don’t remember the particular thread or even what nomenclature to use, searches have been fruitless.

The program was either shareware or was free as I recall and was a basic introduction to autocad design and implementation.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

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**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autocad-program/317065/2 "2005-08-15T13:14:14Z")

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Well, there’s [Alibre Express](http://www.alibre.com/xpress/software/alibre-design-xpress.asp)

It’s a limited function, free CAD software package.

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**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autocad-program/317065/3 "2005-08-15T18:26:48Z")

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Don’t the newer versions of ACAD (2000 and later) have an interactive tutorial as part of the Help file? Been using SolidWorks exclusively for a few years now and can’t remember.

-rainy

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**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2005, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autocad-program/317065/4 "2005-08-15T23:02:06Z")

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> [@rainy](#):
>
> Don’t the newer versions of ACAD (2000 and later) have an interactive tutorial as part of the Help file? Been using SolidWorks exclusively for a few years now and can’t remember.
> 
> -rainy

Yeah, they do. And I’ll admit, I never really did use it. I just kinda jumped into things and started plugging along.

Tripler  
. . . which is probably why I’m not as good as someone who _did_ take the tutorial.

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**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autocad-program/317065/5 "2005-08-16T01:16:48Z")

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> [@Tripler](#):
>
> And I’ll admit, I never really did use it. I just kinda jumped into things and started plugging along.

You should give it a look. Anyone who got dropped in my lap to train, I always suggested they follow up our discussions with running through those. The last time I looked at it, it was pretty decent.

-rainy