DraftSight; How can Dassault Systemes offer 2D CAD for free?

As mentioned in an article earlier this week, Dassault Systemes announced the release of a new “professional-grade” 2D CAD application called DraftSight.  DraftSight is touted as an easy DWG file editor.  The big bonus is that DraftSight is free!

2D CAD at Dassault Systemes

Within the Dassault Systemes family of products, DraftSight now takes its place as the 2D CAD offering.  For non-SolidWorks users, it will effectively replace the old DWGEditor.  However, according to Matthew West of SolidWorks Corp in a recent tweet,

The SolidWorks 2D Editor isn’t going anywhere for the time being.  But [SolidWorks] customers are welcome to use DraftSight if they prefer.

It’s free?

Though it is free, DraftSight is not offered as open source.  Nor is it offered under a true freemium marketing model.  Dassault Systemes is taking a different path.  When I talked to Arron Kelly, Sr. Director, DraftSight, I expressed my concern that DraftSight may be yet another application that starts off strong as free but then eventual fizzles out and is forgotten.  What is Dassault’s plan to kept this product vital?  His answer was complex.

Dassault Systemes made a dual product release announcement that involves DraftSight.  The DraftSight application is being closely tied to the DraftSight.com community.  This new community is based on a new technology called SwYm (“See what you mean”).  The community is also free.  It will have community support, question and answers, voting on answers, blog, videos, knowledge base, etc.    According to Aaron Kelly, Dassault Systemes plans to “leverage the community to build a better product.”  They are going to rely on the community to determine how to develop DraftSight.  Users will make suggestions and prioritize enhancements, similar to SolidWorks Brainstorm.

Funding for the development of DraftSight will come in the form of paid add-ons and services.  For a yearly maintenance fee, users will be able to have direct telephone or online technical support.  Larger customers will have a network license.  DraftSight also plans to charge for the API extension.

I asked, does a user need to purchase the API package to use LISP, or do they just need it to develop LISP or C++ routines?

Kelly stated, users need to have the API extension to use LISP file too.

SolidWorks concern

One concern I have is for SolidWorks users who use SolidWorks 2D Editor (formerly DWGEditor).  We get support for 2D Editor via our VAR.  We are unlimited in our use of its API (limited that it may be).  If DraftSight eventually replaces 2D Editor, SolidWorks customers do not seem to have a path to use their SolidWorks subscription to gain support and the API extension for DraftSight.  Though 2D Editor is not often a selling point, it is part of what we pay for in the form of subscription and original purchase.  Does Dassault Systemes really intend to leave SolidWorks users out on a limb if 2D Editor is ever cancelled?

Review of DraftSight

I will review DraftSight and DraftSight.com in future articles.

Author: fcsuper

As a drafter, mechanical designer and CAD engineer, I've been in the mechanical design field since 1991. For the first 8 years of my career, I was an AutoCAD professional. I utilized AutoLISP and many other AutoCAD customization features to streamline drafting activities for 6+ drafters and designers. I authored several custom functions, one of which was published in the March 1997 issue of Cadalyst Magazine. Since 1998, I've been used SolidWorks non-stop. I've worked to utilize the SolidWorks' user environment to simplify drafting and design activities for 20+ engineers. I've created this website to provide current information about SolidWorks from a variety of contributors. More recently, I am now employed by Dassault Systemes as SOLIDWORKS Sr. Product Definition Manager to improve drawing, annotation and MBD related areas. View all posts by fcsuper