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I am looking for some software to create 2D designs with a high degree of accuracy. To lend some background, what I've been doing is drawing diagrams in Autodesk Inventor, creating 1mm extrusions of the parts I'm interested in, transferring them to top down diagrams and then exporting them to GIMP to add colour and apply finishing touches. As I'm sure you can guess, it's an arduous process, but I've not found any other software with the extensive 2D manipulation capabilities provided by Inventor. It allows me to apply specific constraints, manipulate sizes of graphics to a tiny degree and use their extensive range of tools and tricks to get the exact designs I'm looking for.

But to cut down the process, I'm looking for some software that can allow me to still do that kind of thing, but without the emphasis on the 3D design elements of Inventor. Ideally, letting me still create very accurate and fine-grain designs, but with added tools like area fill or changing line colour, and saving straight to image files. Does anyone have any recommendations?

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  • As you have noticed the solvers is a mechanical CAD thing and does not generally exist anywhere else. Many mechanical cads have thsi feature but alas they dont have the coloring features. I think NX might come close but i would have to test.
    – joojaa
    May 6, 2017 at 16:53
  • Also you can look up solvespace.com/library.pl for a solver that you can bind anywehere. I would suggest binging it with inkscape
    – joojaa
    May 6, 2017 at 16:59

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Consider adding some 2D CAD capability to an already useful drawing program. Check this: Hotdoor Cad Tools for Illustrator. Surely well below the possibilities of premium CADs, but it might still be useful.

I have not used it, only seen the ad.

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  • Yes but the asker is asking about a geometric solver, not simple drawing tools (if he were then the answer would be illustrator or inkscape). Which is different form the way hotdoor works. Without a solver the work gets 10 folded. Liek i said it is as if only mechanical cad applications know of this kind of feature. Its like having Sketch but with gui customization primitives with no coding input. He is asking essentially same question as graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/49578/…
    – joojaa
    May 7, 2017 at 9:06
  • @joojaa The ability to solve constraints was pointed to be useful, but not a first priority must. If it's essential, the asker surely rejects this suggestion.
    – user82991
    May 7, 2017 at 9:18
  • No it was pointed out to be essential.
    – joojaa
    May 7, 2017 at 9:48

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