In addition to renting a 3D printer system, would you also consider renting CAD software?

Recently, Ashlar-Vellum offered their line of CAD programs under a number of licenses, including permanent, one-year, and monthly rental. Though Ashlar’s software is highly respected (especially by industrial designers), the company isn’t one of the big players in the CAD business.

Siemens PLM  is one of the big players and has revisited the idea of renting CAD software—but with a new twist. They partnered with Local Motors, a company that does crowd-sourced design of cars. Members of the Local Motors community can rent (actually “subscribe,” but with enough flexibility that it seems like renting) a special version of Solid Edge called Design 1, for $19.95 per month. To read more on this idea, click here.

If renting CAD software isn’t for you, here are thousands of kinds of free CAD software available.