Find 3D Printing apps for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS device. Here then is our list of the best CAD software on Mac for 2020 in order of ranking. SmartDraw (Easiest For 2D CAD) If you’re looking for something powerful for 2D CAD design but amazingly easy to use and value for money, SmartDraw is the best 2D CAD software for Mac on the market.
3D Drawing Software – Tools for Creating Excellent 3D Drawings Quickly and Easily
Art can be expressed in various ways. 3D drawing is one of them. 3D drawing allows you to create an art that can resemble the objects in real life. Creating 3D objects can be more complex and more difficult than creating 2D objects. But, the results that you get from it will be better.
It will be more lifelike, and you can use it to present a more believable art to the world. Not only that, 3D drawing is needed in many industries to help produce various 3D models of objects. This is especially true in the construction, medical, and creative industries.
SketchUp offers the easiest way for you to draw in 3D, allowing even beginners to start their creative artwork. This software allows you to learn about 3D drawing quickly, turn your models into documents, find a 3D model of anything, and customize your 3D drawing. It supports Windows and Mac platforms with the latest OS installed.
MeshMagic is a free and easy 3D modeling software that allows you to view and edit 3D renderings and 3D files. It features select entire objects, delete selected items, intuitive 3D design, modify STL files for printing, create 3D renderings, transform 2D into 3D, and colorize 3D objects. This software is available for Windows, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
Daz 3D helps you to create stunning 3D visuals with the available Daz 3D assets. This software can be used in Hollywood productions, book covers, visual effects, freelance art and design, character design, and independent film. This software is available for Windows and Mac devices.
Meshmixer is a 3D drawing software that allows you to work with triangle meshes. It offers various features, including drag-and-drop mesh mixing, 3D sculpting, surface stamping, support for 3D printing, 3D patterns and lattices, hollowing, and 3D measurements. This is a free software that is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
Blender is an open source 3D drawing software that allows you to create 3D photo-realistic model and rendering. It features fast modeling, realistic materials, fast rigging, animation toolset, sculpting, fast UV unwrapping, full compositor, amazing simulations, game creation, and video editing. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
OpenCascade is a 3D drawing software that can be used for 3D engineering, 3D manufacturing, and 3D post-production. Best app to use for writing on mac keyboard. It offers geometrical 3D modeling, high performance visualization, CAD data processing, numerical simulation environments, interoperability with piping and plant design, and media gallery. It is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
123D is a 3D drawing software that allows you to turn your ideas into 3D in the simplest way. It supports most 3D printer models, with various models and tools available for immediate use. This software is compatible with Windows, Mac, and iPad.
Maya is a 3D animation software that offers comprehensive 3D animation capabilities, such as modeling, rendering, texturing, simulation, and animation tools. It features motion graphics, dynamics and effects, 3D animation, 3D modeling, 3D rendering and shading, and pipeline integration. This software is compatible with Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and CentOS Linux.
3D drawing software is compatible with most Windows operating systems with high hardware requirement, as well as Mac OS X and other platforms. It is also available on mobile devices.
FreeCAD is a parametric 3D modeling software that allows you to model 3D real-life objects easily. It features full-parametric model, modular architecture, import and export to standard formats, sketcher, robot simulation, drawing sheets, and rendering module. It is available for Windows, Ubuntu, and Mac OS X.
Spacedraw is an Android app that allows you to create 3D models directly with your Android devices. It features 4 touch points, draw freehand lines, rotate and change view, adjust splines, create various 3D shapes, various parameters, and auto-align.
OpenSCAD is a 3D drawing software used to create solid 3D CAD objects. This software focuses more on the CAD aspect of your 3D design, rather than the artistic aspect. Thus, it is more suited to be used for CAD programmers rather than artistic designers. This software is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
uMake is a 3D sketching software available for iPad. This app offers various features, including sketch planes, symmetry, surfaces, extrude and revolve, and array. It allows you to express your ideas in the most intuitive way, with the next generation design tools.
AutoDesk Fusion 360 is a complete 3D drawing and designing software that allows you to design, engineer, and simulate any 3D objects. This software allows you to manage your design projects with your team, allowing you to use the power of the cloud to bring your design ideas into reality together. It is available for PC and Mac, and it is free to use if you are a student, enthusiast, hobbyist, or startup owner.
3D drawing software is the type of software that allows you to create, draw, and design 3D objects. This software can be used for 3D rendering and animation as well. This is the type of software that is used to create 3D objects in book covers, Hollywood movies, games, and 3D animation movies. With this software, you can draw any 3D objects directly on your computer, and you can also print your 3D objects easily.
Most of 3D drawing softwares require you to have a powerful device to run it. For instance, if you have a Windows computer, you need to have a high-performance hardware in order to run this software smoothly. Using the latest version of the operating system is also recommended. To install the software, you have to download the installation file from the official website of the respective software, and then run the installation file on your compatible device.
Creating a beautiful 3D art or design can be done only by using the best 3D drawing tool. Without the best 3D drawing tool, you might not be able to fully put your design ideas into reality, the way you have imagined it. So, it is important for you to pick the best 3D drawing software if you want to create stunning 3D design arts and truly unleash your creativity. The better the software, the more design options, and features that you can use to enhance your 3D drawings and make it look beautiful and awesome.
You’re likely to hit a wall if you’re searching for computer-aided design (CAD) software designed for Mac. There are plenty of CAD software options for Windows—you’ll see many of them in our list of the top AutoCAD alternatives—but only a handful offer support for Mac.
And, if you think you’ll bypass the issue by using a cloud-based CAD tool, you’ll quickly find that CAD vendors haven’t embraced the cloud as much as other types of software vendors have, so the offerings are still largely on-premise. According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle for IT Evolution (full content available to Gartner clients), cloud-native CAD applications still have five to 10 years before they reach mainstream adoption.
But fear not, Mac users. We’ve done some digging and have put together this list of the top-rated CAD software for Mac. Read more about our methodology at the bottom of this article.
CorelCAD offers 2D drafting and 3D design capabilities, such as the drawing constraints feature for creating different geometric shapes faster and the push and pull feature for 3D direct modeling.
3D modeling in CorelCAD (Source)
Based on analyses of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of CorelCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
What users think could be improved:
CorelCAD can be used by construction businesses for collaborative editing on multiple devices. It offers native iOS applications, which makes it easy for field crews to add annotations in graphics and share files using their iPhones and iPads. Additionally, the tool allows team members to leave recorded messages and instructions for colleagues embedded in the graphics using a voice note tool.
FreeCAD is an open source CAD tool that works on Mac as well as Windows and Linux. It reads many common file formats such as STEP, IGES, STL, SVG, DXF, OBJ, IFC, and DAE.
It offers different modules, including a drawing sheets module that converts 3D models into 2D views, a rendering module that can export 3D objects, and an architecture module for a BIM-like workflow.
3D model of a building in FreeCAD (Source)
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of FreeCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
What users think could be improved:
FreeCAD appears to be best for hobbyists and home users. It’s also good for users who don’t have a high budget for software but still want to tinker with CAD modeling.
FreeCAD could also be a good choice for businesses on a budget looking for a free and open-source option.
Fusion 360 is a CAD tool from Autodesk with design functionalities such as sketching and 3D modeling. It also supports project management with features such as task management, document management, and collaborative image editing.
Document management in Fusion 360 (Source)
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of Fusion 360 they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
What users think could be improved:
Fusion 360 is part of the Autodesk ecosystem designed for the AEC industry. This makes the tool suitable for construction businesses that are already using, or intend to use, other Autodesk solutions. Using a software vendor that offers multiple solutions will especially benefit larger businesses that invariably need software that can scale with their growing requirements.
LibreCAD is an open source CAD tool that supports Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. The tool comes with 2D drawing features such as a snap tool, dimensioning, and annotations. It also supports multiple file imports and exports.
2D drawing in LibreCAD (Source)
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of LibreCAD they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
What users think could be improved:
LibreCAD is an exclusively 2D CAD tool for drawing and designing blueprints of buildings, layouts of parks, and the like. As a free tool, the solution can be used by small and midsize businesses across different industries, including manufacturing, engineering, architecture, and construction.
Onshape is a cloud-only CAD solution that comes with features such as document management with version control, collaborative design creation/editing capabilities, and reporting dashboards to understand project status.
Importing documents in Onshape (Source)
Based on analysis of user reviews on Capterra, here’s an overview of the areas of Onshape they like best, as well as those they feel could use improvement.
What users like:
What users think could be improved:
As a fully-cloud based tool, Onshape is ideal for businesses that need to manage design documents collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. The tool’s collaboration functionalities include document sharing, document editing, comments, and file downloads in multiple CAD formats, such as Parasolid, ACIS, STEP, and IGES.
This report offers a mix of Mac CAD solutions—from free tools that can help you with basic 2D drawing to advanced solutions offering extensive 3D modeling functionalities.
If these tools don’t meet your needs, expand your search and check out more options. To help you, we’ve created a CAD software comparison page where you can explore products using different filters, such as features offered and pricing options.
If you’re looking to understand the CAD software market better, we also recommend that you read the articles listed below: |
To be shortlisted, products had to fulfill the following criteria:
Note: The content in this piece that provides opinions and points of view expressed by users. It does not represent the views of Capterra.
Looking for Construction Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Construction Management software solutions.