Introduction: Setup QCad Professional.

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Setup and use QCad Professional for 2D CAD user :-)

QCad Professional is a very powerful and easy to use CAD program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It uses DXF as its standard file format. While other CAD packages get complicated to use and unclear, QCad Professional stays comfortable and even an absolute beginner can create professional drawings with a minimum of effort.
For more information about QCad Professional please visit http://www.ribbonsoft.com

  • Easy to learn.
  • You can use functions as you need right now without know the whole program in detail
  • Also very good for users who use a CAD days and night in a job. (But you will love to use QCad... :-)
  • Multi platform support: Works on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris x86 and SPARC, FreeBSD.



So let's start!

Step 1: Download

Download QCad Professional from here:

http://www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad_downloads.html

Make sure that you download the correct version for your system. There are versions for different Windows systems as well as for different Mac OS X systems, and Linux, or even FreeBSD or Solaris x86.

Here I will describe normal Windows installation setup procedure.

NOTE: The demo version will quit after 10 minutes and is not for production usage.

Step 2: Installation and Setup

Startup the setup program. Here on a Windows system. Just double click setup.exe.

  • Choose what default unit you want.
  • Choose your language for the GUI.
  • Choose your command language. If you use an other language then English for the GUI, set this to English which is the default anyway.

Note: Everything can also be changed in the program later on.

Step 3: First Start.

If you startup QCad Professional, it looks like this.
Just double click on your desktop QCad icon on a Windows or Mac system.

On the top: Toolbars.
On the left side: Drawing menubar.
On the bottom: The command line.
On the right side: The Layer list.

You can add also "Block List" by enable it under "View, Toolbars, Block List".
Mainly you will need "Layer List" and "Block List" as in AutoCAD.

Step 4: Setup Layers.

Setup coordinate system and save a template.

Now you can start drawing. But wait.

Normally, you dont draw on the Layer 0.

So just add some layers in the "Layer List" on the right side by right clicking in the window or click on the plus (+) sign there.

Add for example:

Layer "contour":
- Color: black and white.
- Width: 1mm.
- Linetype: continues.

Layer "axes":
- Color: red.
- Width: 0.35mm.
- Linetype: Dash dot.

Layer "dimension":
- Color: blue.
- Width: 0.35mm.
- Linetype: continues.

Note: Line width should not be 0 (zero) because you will not see on printer output on printer with 600 or more DPI. A solution is to reduce DPI in printer settings before you print to 300 DPI. But it is better to use 0.35mm line width.

Step 5: Setup Your Coordinate System.

What you also should do (if you use not a metric system): Setup the coordinate system.

So go to "Edit, Current Drawing Preferences...".

  • Paper: Choose Paper Format. Landscape or Portrait.
  • Units:
- Choose "Main drawing Unit". "Millimenter" or "Inch" (Imperial System).
- Length, Format: "Decimal" (metric) or "Architectural" (Imperial System).
  • Grid:
- Make sure that "Show Grid" is selected [x].
- X Spacing: "auto"
- Y Spacing: "auto"
(NOTE: You can also enter here a value.)

  • Dimensions:
- Some defaults.

Then click the "OK" button.

You are nearly done.

Step 6: Setup - Save Your Setup for Later Usage As a Template.

So save your setup for later usage.

  • Choose "File, Save as...".

- Save it as a normal .DXF file in a "template" directory of your option.

So then this is your TEMPLATE.

Every time you need to do a drawing similar to this template, just load this template first.

(NOTE: You can find some pre-defined templates in "Your-QCad-install-dir\library\templates" directory. There are typical DIN and ISO templates there.)

Sure you can save your own template there or at any other place where you work. For example in your project directory.


So you are done!

This is the basic install and setup procedure for QCad Professional.

Need more help?

- Great documentation there.

- Join the QCad community.


And last but not least:

If you need more help in CAD basics with QCad, go to: http://www.thecadtrain.comhttp://www.thecadtrain.com

If you need to build your own house with QCad, go to: http://www.drystacked.comhttp://www.drystacked.com

More to come... you built something spectacular or just normal everyday CAD drwings with QCad Professional? Please let me know and leave a message!

-- Enjoy using QCad Professional!

Step 7: What Users Do With QCad Professional

See what other QCad users do.