Cad software?

Cyber-Mav · 31 Jul 2023 at 14:28

Wanna start making my own stuff but wondered what software to use thats more focused on 3d prints.
I see there is stuff like autocad, solidworks etc which is more suited for 3d prints?

brendy · 31 Jul 2023 at 14:37

Fusion 360 is free with project limitations but is usable. I tried it, but coming from an IT non CAD background, its hard work learning and wish there was something easier, not tried the sketchup type stuff yet though.

Cyber-Mav · 31 Jul 2023 at 18:12

cool, will look into it

wafflecart · 31 Jul 2023 at 19:31

fusion 360 is the way to go. Hard to grasp at start but it will click soon! Think of a simple project to do. My first project was a yoyo, this model:

Printables

www.printables.com

gitbags · 1 Aug 2023 at 02:19

Another vote for fusion for engineering/practical style prints.

Cyber-Mav · 1 Aug 2023 at 07:41

Good stuff, first task is to make a replacement knob for the air fryer.

Chaos · 1 Aug 2023 at 13:23

A while back I bought a course on Udemy called Designing for 3D Printing with Fusion 360 by Vladimir Mariano which was quite good.

Freecad is another option if you dont want to deal with the cloud.

This looked like a good Freecad playlist -

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWuyJLVUNtc0UszswD0oD5q4VeWTrK7JC

brendy · 1 Aug 2023 at 13:27

Chaos said:
A while back I bought a course on Udemy called Designing for 3D Printing with Fusion 360 by Vladimir Mariano which was quite good.

Freecad is another option if you dont wont to deal with the cloud.

This looked like a good Freecad playlist -

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWuyJLVUNtc0UszswD0oD5q4VeWTrK7JC

Cheers for that, going to watch them and see what I can learn.

IanAG · 1 Aug 2023 at 18:50

My "designs" so far have been limited to Tinkercad which was ok for basic bracket type stuff.

Teaching Tech has been doing a series on Onshape which seems a decent option also. I watched the first few initially but really need to invest the time myself, scary to see it started 10 months ago now!

Cadder · 1 Aug 2023 at 18:57

The likes of AutoCAD, Solidworks and Inventor can be used to make 3D prints but the licenses are expensive.

There is no shortage of free CAD software - Blender, Fusion 360 for example. MeshMixer is also very useful for preparing CAD files for printing. It can repair bodies and set up better supports than some stock 3D printing software.

fish · 1 Aug 2023 at 19:32

fusion 360 is good for free and also has some nice cam features at home. I prefer solidworks at work but that is what i was taught on and i'm one of the very few user of it.

Hawk Tuah · 1 Aug 2023 at 19:58

Fusion 360 here too. Wasn't too hard to figure out after following a few online courses covering the basics. I expect I'll never need 90% if the features, but you can do a lot with sketching, extruding, copying and mirroring.

xxalxx · 2 Aug 2023 at 18:00

Fusion 360. Once you learn the workflow it’s hard to beat.

I also have access to the full SolidWorks suite and Inventor etc (wife is a design engineer) however I always end up going back to Fusion.

FreeCAD sounds like it should be good, but I find the workflow and the interface terrible.

If you are happy with your designs being public, then also look at OnShape.

Cyber-Mav · 3 Aug 2023 at 08:45

Got fusion installed now, will need to watch some guides for how to use it

Zeeflyboy · 3 Aug 2023 at 09:02

I use fusion, it’s very good and worth learning. Lots of videos on YouTube if you get stuck.

Mysterae_ · 3 Aug 2023 at 09:31

Try out DesignSpark from RS Components.

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/mechanical-software

Nice integration with many components from RS and as usual with these things plenty of tutorials on youtube.

embalse · 7 Aug 2023 at 10:23

brendy said:
Fusion 360 is free with project limitations but is usable. I tried it, but coming from an IT non CAD background, its hard work learning and wish there was something easier, not tried the sketchup type stuff yet though.

All these programs have a steep learning curve if you've never attempted them before, My vote goes to blender to create and...

Home | Simplify3D Software

www.simplify3d.com

to print. Which is as simple to use as it gets....
.

Scougar · 10 Aug 2023 at 15:27

A downside of fusion is that with some complex models you need to disable history just to get it useable. If you don't there are times when the entire thing can freeze for minutes at a time, which is insane for a simple action.

I use fusion and do like it. They do seem to be going down the route of milking their users rather than inspiring people (they keep removing features, and making them available to the paid versions). Also... Be careful with the licensing, as fusion can stop you selling stuff if not careful. Don't use 3mf file format as it trackable.

Zaf · 2 Sep 2023 at 08:09

Scougar said:
Also... Be careful with the licensing, as fusion can stop you selling stuff if not careful. Don't use 3mf file format as it trackable.

If you are using Fusion and want to start selling your prints, you should pay for a license, which is pretty cheap compared to other CAD software for commercial use. I completely disagree with not using 3mf to try and hide what you are doing! Plus stl sucks!

Scougar · 2 Sep 2023 at 14:18

Zaf said:
If you are using Fusion and want to start selling your prints, you should pay for a license, which is pretty cheap compared to other CAD software for commercial use. I completely disagree with not using 3mf to try and hide what you are doing! Plus stl sucks!

They allow upto a certain limit on the hobby license btw, which is what i have.