Does anyone have any patent drawing experience? I'm looking to do it on my own and I figure there's some decent software out there somewhere. Thanks.
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7 Answers
For 2d drawings- Draftsight. For 3d drawings- google sketchup. These two software are available for free to use.
You may refer to this link to understand the importance of patent drawings in a patent specification:http://www.invntree.com/blogs/patent-drawings-and-their-importance-in-a-patent-specification
An excellent free 3-D drawing tool is OnShape. It is free and runs within the browser so it works on any computer. Surprisingly capable. You can also generate 2D drawings. Much better than SketchUp for precision drawing. The website provides plenty of tutorials also.
Unfortunately, OnShape changed their policies and now the free license doesn't provide for private documents. This makes the software unusable for patent drawing purposes. It is still excellent software and relatively cheap to use. At this point, I would recommend Autodesk Fusion 360 which is free for educational use and for start-up businesses with less than $100,000 of income.
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1The site says the free version works with "Public Documents" where as the paid version uses "Private Documents". "Public" doesn't sound like a feature desirable for patent drawings.– George White ♦Nov 8, 2017 at 1:39
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SolidWorks, Alibre and Sketchup etc can be used. Please visit this site for a similar discussion.
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You can try fusion 360 - good for individuals..
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1Fusion 360 is free for a one month trial only, then it requires a subscription. It is an awesome 3D CAD software, but overkill for patent drawings.– Eric S ♦Jan 9, 2017 at 2:49
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1Fusion 360 has a free license for hobbyists and startups making under $100k/year "The free Start-Up/ Enthusiast licenses allow you to access Fusion 360 Ultimate with a yearly subscription after the trial period has ended. You can use this license if you are a small business making less than $100,000 per year (or equivalent), or if you're a hobbyist using Fusion 360 for non-commercial purposes." knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/troubleshooting/caas/…– George White ♦Nov 8, 2017 at 0:38
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1@GeorgeWhite Thanks for that update on Fusion 360. When I last looked at it, there wasn't the small business/start-up option.– Eric S ♦Jan 31, 2018 at 15:54
SketchUp Make is the free version and works great. I filed my second provisional patent application using drawings created with SketchUp. You can download thousands of models and take parts or shapes from them, ready made. At the time I started on my first provisional, all I had was MicroSoft Paint. SketchUp makes it tremendously simpler and easier. Change the background and parts colors to white, change the drawing style to wireframe. You can set it to show dotted lines for the hidden parts. Rotate the model for various views. This gives you a look like a drawing, which you can copy using print screen, and paste in MS Paint or another program to make your drawings.
Sign up for a Computer Aided Design (CAD) class at your local community college. With a .edu email you'll have access to the full suite of Fusion360 tools for free. You'll also learn a lot about the basics of design, if you don't already know them. You'll also meet a number of very smart people from a broad spectrum of society.
Went to get DraftSight for free and they no longer offer it free as of the 2019 version. The older versions will cease to run after 12/31/19. As of now it is paid after 30 day free trial.
