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Linux CAD program

Beanbag

Illuminator
Beanbag
Joined
Jun 7, 2003
Messages
3,468
Anyone know a good 2-D CAD program (vector based) for Linux? I need something to take the place of QuickCad . I'm using Ubuntu Linux, Gnome desktop. Need something that does layers, dimensioning, etc., all the usual CAD stuff.

Beanbag
 
I know squat about CAD but a quick google turned up this reference page. You may find that some of the GPL ones are already available via your package manager. Check there before jumping through hoops to install something. I have no doubt that many are complete crap but there are some commercial packages available.
 
I've looked through page after page of google search results. Most are real snoozers. Ubuntu comes with QCad as an installable package, which looks a lot like the older versions of Autocad I've worked with. Because I've got QCad, that's probably what I'll go with. I was just wondering if anyone knew of some really neat, obscure CAD program that might have just come out.

Beanbag
 
Well, QCad appears to work. Everything, that is, except for recognizing there's a printer attached. All the other applications see the printer.

Browsed the Ubuntu forums, found a link that gave a fix, but it doesn't work. I get an error message about not being able to stat a file (probably means it can't find it).

Complicating the issue is that the fix needs to be dome as the root user. I tried it with sudo, which didn't work, then activated the root user password only to discover that the system administrator can't log in through the usual log-in screen. Absolutely no clue anywhere in the documentation (and I looked for about two hours, found some useful info but nothing on what the current problem is) on how or what to do. Seems they set up Ubuntu where an idiot can't mess it up too badly, but failed to make available to the idiots the knowlege on how to get in deeper once they aren't as ignorant.

Any clues out there?

Beanbag
 
You can usualy switch to root user with the su command. On the command line type 'su' you'll then be prompted for the root password. Although if Ubuntu installs with a very high security level only certain users (that belong to the wheel group) can become root.

Can you print to a file or PDF and then from there to your printer?
 
QCad doesn't see any printers at all. I don't see a PDF option for that application (though I might have missed it -- wasn't looking). So, what I understand is that IF the root password is activated, I can get root access with su. Have to try that. I deactivated the root password after the first attempt to solve the no-printer problem failed.

Beanbag
 
Print to file is usually an option in the print dialog. It will make a post script file. If your printer supports post script you can send it straight to the printer or you can use the CLI utility ps2pdf and convert to a PDF file.
 
Just in case you are still stuck on the root thing:
Open a terminal and type: sudo su
It will then ask you for your password, so enter your normal user password.
You should now be root.
 
Figured out how to get logged in as root -- set the root password and su my way in from a terminal. Found my way to the directory where the fix was supposed to work, and discovered no files that matched what the commands were supposed to work on. I suspect it's something to do with the fact that I run Gnome, and QCad is looking for something KDE-related. When I get a chance, I'll bring up KDE on one of my machines and see.

Man, this is like the old days, chasing drivers for Win 3.1.

For the most part, Ubuntu works well as long as you stick with common applications like browsing and word processing. So far, it's cost me nothing but time as I've been feeling it all out.

Beanbag
 
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