Why I chose Alibre Design

To fully answer why I chose Alibre Design I should probably give you some of my background with CAD/CAM systems.  I started out about 20 years ago designing plastic injection molds and programming CNC machines to cut these same molds.  The CAD systems that I have used over the years have always been considered very high end systems.

I currently used Unigraphics NX at my day job.  A single “bare bones” installation of NX will cost somewhere around $5,000.  On top of that, we add in assembly functionality, drafting functionality, and a mold design add-on.  This all adds up to about $20,000 for a single installation.  These systems that I have been using professionally are very high end, very powerful, and quite easy to use.

When I decided to look for a CAD system to use for Maple Grove Woodworks projects, I realized that I was quite spoiled when it came to the CAD features that I was looking for.  I really wanted to find a system that had similar features, the same ease of use, but not the cost of a high end system.  Well, I knew that I was going to have to sacrifice on some of these things, but I was bound and determined to find the system that gave me the closest thing to what I really wanted for the least amount of money.

One of most important features that I wanted was for the CAD software to be both a three dimensional(3D) and two dimensional(2D) system.  What I found was that many of the low cost CAD programs out there were only 2D.  I know that some people like to draw in 2D and use software like DeltaCad or CadStd and that is perfectly fine for them.  It is just not the way I like to do things.

My own design process usually starts out with a 2D sketch on a piece of paper. At that point I will try and draw it three dimensionally in order to get the joinery figured out.  Sometimes, I will prototype something at this point in order to clarify the scale or refine a shape.  Once I have everything drawn 3 dimensionally, I will then make a set of working drawings to take out to the shop, although, lately I have just been taking my laptop out to the shop and using the 3D model to take measurements.

The 2D systems just were not going to work for me.  I would rather get the old drafting table out with a T-square and triangles.  (Remember, I’m spoiled).

I then decided to then look into Google Sketchup.  It certainly meets my cost criteria for a new CAD system and there are a lot of woodworkers using it.  It is also a 3D system.  I proceeded to design a few projects with it, and Sketchup is … well … fine.  I know it works for a lot of others out there, but I found it very cumbersome.  (Again, I’m spoiled)  I was able to design pretty much anything I wanted to, but the “ease of use” criteria was just not there.

This is certainly a matter of preference because I know that there are a lot of woodworkers who do very well with Sketchup, such as, Bob Lang at Popular Woodworking.com, or Tim Killen and Dave Richards over at Fine Woodworking.com.  These guys have really mastered Sketchup and have taken it to new levels.

One of the features that I was really looking for that the higher end systems have that none of the lower end ones have, including Sketchup, was parametric feature design capabilities.  What this means is that everything that I draw has a history of every operation that I used in creating a particular part.  In other words, if I create a 1/4″ fillet on a piece and then later on decide that the fillet should be 1/2″, all I have to do is edit the fillet feature and change the dimension.

It also means that if I design a Mission Style Coffee Table and then realize that I would like a matching End Table, I could simply change the length dimension of the table top and the corresponding length dimensions of the cross members would automatically change as well.  As an added bonus, all of my drawings would update with the new dimensions too.  (I am planning on making a video of this at some point to better explain this).

I decided to keep looking for the perfect software for me.  I finally came across Alibre Design.  Alibre has 3 versions of the CAD design

software.  The low end version is called Alibre Design Personal Edition (PE).  At the time of this posting the PE version retails for $99.  This falls in the range of my cost criteria.  It is also both a 2D and a 3D system.  All of the Alibre Design products are also parametric, so it also meets my criteria of having some high end features.  The coffee table and the end table shown are from the same design and by just adjusting the length dimension I now have 2 designs.

I decided to download a trial version and test it out.  I really liked how it worked.  Its approach to designing things very much mimicked the higher end systems that I was used to.  This meant that it met the “ease of use” criteria.  I have since purchased Alibre Design and have designed several projects in it now and I am completely hooked.

So, that was the long winded explanation of why I chose Alibre Design as my CAD system for Maple Grove Woodworks.  And, like I said earlier, I am planning on make a couple of videos of how Alibre Design works and I will post them here when they are complete.