Best things in
life are often not free. So is the case with design software’s that
can be used with CNC Machines. However we have identified a few free
cad /cam software below that are either completely free or free with
certain limitations. You will have to explore what those
limitations are by yourself.

Akriti
Precision Systems does not support or endorse any of the software’s
listed below. Please contact the publisher in case you have
questions.

What to look
for in a design software ?

• Customer
  Reviews – Positive Reviews or Ratings along
  with a study of the comments will give you a good idea of the
  capabilities of the software.

• 2D
  or 3D design capabilities.

• CAM (Computer
  Aided Manufacturing Capabilities) 

• Design
  Complexity – How much detail is visible, level
  of zoom etc.

• Cloud
  & Collaboration Capability – For Large
  Teams & Enterprises

• Standardization –
  Does it generate standard GCode that is compatible with most
  controllers

• Support –
  By the publisher or a strong community support.

Fusion 360 is a
popular modeling program. It has extensive capabilities & many
plug-in options to enhance the CNC modeling experience. It also
supports CAM with an easy to use interface.

There are free
and paid versions available, including education versions (free).
Visit https://www.autodesk.in for
more information. 

Because of its
popularity, you can get free tutorials all over the internet as well
as extensive official and unofficial support on their website.

Available for
Windows & MacOS

https://inkscape.org/Fusion
360 is a popular modeling program. It has extensive capabilities &
many plug-in options to enhance the CNC modeling experience. It also
supports CAM with an easy to use interface.

Because of its
popularity, you can get free tutorials all over the internet as well
as extensive official and unofficial support on their website.

Available for
Windows & MacOS

The free
version is available at https://inkscape.org/ for
download. 

SolidWorks is
comprehensive modeling software used by engineering professionals in
industrial settings. With its extensive scope, it can be on the
slower side, as it’s a quite heavy program both to download and
use. In terms of what it can do, there’s 3D modeling, blueprint
drawing, assembly, simulation, motion study, and CAM process, just to
name a few.

Not
surprisingly, SolidWorks is a paid program, but there’s also an
option for free access with an academic license if your school or
educational center has purchased a license. Updates are automatic
unless you have an academic license. There’s extensive official
support as well as countless official and unofficial videos. 

There are free
and paid versions available, including education versions (free).
Visit https://www.soidworks.com for
more information. 

Supporting both
2D and 3D modeling, AutoCAD is a CAD program that’s used
professionally for architecture, engineering, and design.

For 2D
modeling, it’s one of the most complete programs available, with
dimension lines, color coding, cut sections, smart centerlines, and
guidelines. In its 3D offerings, there’s 3D scanning, solid,
surface, and virtual modeling. You can create section planes and
photorealistic renders.

In addition to
modeling, AutoCAD has capabilities around large-scale construction,
such as budgeting, building process, as well as being able to convert
2D objects into 3D objects. However, it doesn’t offer CAM features,
but it does allow for third-party add-ins.

Official
support is excellent and there’s a helpful subreddit.

There are free
and paid versions available, including education versions (free).
Visit https://www.autodesk.in for
more information. 

FreeCAD is a
free and open-source general-purpose 3D computer-aided design (CAD)
modeler and a building information modeling (BIM) software.

It is intended
for mechanical engineering product design but also expands to a wider
range of uses around engineering, such as architecture or electrical
engineering. Because of the free and open-source nature of the
software, users can extend the functionality of the software using
the Python programming language.

The free
version is available at https://www.freecad.org/ for
download.

SketchUp is a
3D modeling computer program for drawing applications such as
architectural, interior design, landscape architecture, civil and
mechanical engineering, film and video game design. It is available
as a web-based application, SketchUp Free, and a paid version with
additional functionality,

It also has a 3D Warehouse is an open library in which SketchUp users
may upload and download 3D models to share. The models can be
downloaded right into the program without anything having to be saved
onto your computer’s storage. 

There are free
and paid versions available, including education versions (free).
Visit https://www.sketchup.com/ for
more information. 

BRL-CAD is a
powerful open source cross-platform solid modeling system that
includes interactive geometry editing, high-performance ray-tracing
for rendering and geometric analysis, a system performance analysis
benchmark suite, geometry libraries for application developers, and
more than 30 years of active development.

BRL-CAD is open
source under OSI approved license terms, which means you can
customize it according to your needs. It also means that you will get
this software Free of cost including updates and support.

The free
version is available at https://brlcad.org/ for
download. 

There are other
free cad / cam software alternatives available as well. You can find
them here https://alternativeto.net/software/fusion-360/ 

Credit for the
image below goes to https://dubaisims.com/