Just getting into this 3d printer stuff. I have been able to print stuff that people send me on an stl file. But I want to start drawing stuff myself to print. Any recommendations on software to use? I'm currently using a printer that is 9 years old lol, but it's the companies and should be updating it later this summer.
3d printer software
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Cruzan80
Well-known member
What kind of shapes? Either Parametric CAD (SOLIDWORKS, OnShape, Inventor, Fusion 360), or clay based like Blendr would be the two main directions. How complicated are you making stuff? Tinkercad gets you going with baby steps...
There is a third type of CAD software—direct modelers, such as SpaceClaim.
There is some crossover between parametric CAD and direct modelers. For example, SpaceClaim includes a feature called "block recording," which, for all intents and purposes, functions as parametric history. Similarly, SolidWorks offers some direct modeling capabilities with some click-and-do functionality.
However, the user experience between the two is vastly different. It's unlikely that someone will find both intuitive; most people naturally gravitate toward either direct modeling or parametric CAD. While it's possible to learn both, one will usually feel less intuitive.
neblinc
Well-known member
FreeCad
ArcReactorKC
Well-known member
If you are starting fresh I would go to Fusion 360, or OnShape. Both are parametric. Fusion is the gold standard.
The learning curve on both of them is pretty steep, but in my opinion even more so if you are accustom to something else already. It'll be much easier to learn from scratch I think.
The learning curve on both of them is pretty steep, but in my opinion even more so if you are accustom to something else already. It'll be much easier to learn from scratch I think.
bassJAM
Well-known member
I struggled a lot with tinkercad even after going through several tutorials, but I have some 3d modeling training from college albeit that was 20+ years ago! I do regularly use 2D AutoCAD for work so Fusion is much easier for me, and is free for personal use.
Fusion360 is likely going to have the best videos on youtube to help learn it. There is a free hobbyist version with all the functionality you'll need, just be aware that they could take that "free" license away at any time. There are some popular open source options, I just don't have much experience with them but lots of people recommend Tinkercad
olds70supreme
Well-known member
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x2 for Freecad.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
Maybe if the metric is hobbyists learning via YouTube...
From a market share standpoint, this is like saying IBC root beer is the gold standard, not Coke/Pepsi. F360 lags far behind in terms of industry usage.
CamMark
Well-known member
Solid Edge from Siemens has a free makers version for non-commercial uses. I haven't tried it yet, but it probably will soon. I have used their commercial products for work for close to 20 years. I would hope for a near non-existent learning curve.
Solid Works from DSS also offers a makers version, but not for free. I think the price is reasonable at $48/year and the option for limited commercial use.
I haven't spent enough time with FreeCAD 1.0 yet to have an opinion worth sharing, but it's in my test queue.
F360 seems real popular with the maker community and the subset of makers who are also "youtubers". I'll probably end up trying it out too to be thorough.
Solid Works from DSS also offers a makers version, but not for free. I think the price is reasonable at $48/year and the option for limited commercial use.
I haven't spent enough time with FreeCAD 1.0 yet to have an opinion worth sharing, but it's in my test queue.
F360 seems real popular with the maker community and the subset of makers who are also "youtubers". I'll probably end up trying it out too to be thorough.
ArcReactorKC
Well-known member
Gold Standard for the 3d printing hobbyist.
snorvet
Well-known member
I use sketchup, but recently downloaded Fusion 360 that I have yet to use.
I should have added that there is a free trimmed version of Spaceclaim called Design Spark Mechanical (all part of Ansys), the UI is nearly identical to Spaceclaim, so its easy to grow into.
I'm biased though; i'm running Solidworks, Fusion360 and Spaceclaim, and 95% of the time I'm jumping into Spaceclaim. It usually allows me to knock out in 5 min what it takes 30 min+ min to do in the others; results being identical.
For a hobbyist its nice having access to multiple systems considering each tends to have useful wizards that others don't.
whateg01
Well-known member
The resources available for learning fusion are very good. I do use it. However, I really hate the way Autodesk jerks users around with their constantly changing feature set. There is no end to the Autodesk apologists out there defending what they do which is also kind of annoying to me. But the software itself is pretty decent for a hobbyist to use. One thing I do not like about fusion is the fact that they push updates and you are stuck with them. The last update prior to the current one coincided with a Windows update and since those updates I get a bsod on my laptop about every other use and there's no way to go back from it.
PCMusicGuy
Well-known member
it depends on how privacy focused or online you'd like to be. I would use TinkerCAD if they had an offline program.
For 100% offline and no user data collection, FreeCAD or Blendr are pretty much your only good options that you can find how-to's and support for. I use Fusion360 (set to offline mode) for my modeling needs, but will occasionally use FreeCAD.
For 100% offline and no user data collection, FreeCAD or Blendr are pretty much your only good options that you can find how-to's and support for. I use Fusion360 (set to offline mode) for my modeling needs, but will occasionally use FreeCAD.
well the OP was asking about 3D printing and designing his own models. Among that demographic Fusion is either Coke or Pepsi depending on who you ask and how yo
Another vote for Fusion! I tried most of the others mentioned here and Fusion is by far my favorite. In the world of people 'getting into this 3D printer thing' Fusion is Coke or Pepsi For sure. From Wikipedia: 'Fusion has continued to own a large percentage of the CAD package market share throughout 2018 and 2021. This software's wide range of features and pricing make it a choice for beginners, hobbyists, and professionals. Fusion, as of 2021, dominated the CAD package market share when it came to overall top packages and hobbyist purchases.'
Cruzan80
Well-known member
I will just leave it as "Opinions differ". I have been in this space since before F360 launched, and seen lots come and go. IMO, F360 had a lot of initial hype within this demographic, but has coasted for multiple years off that initial hype. The changing UI, the removal of free features, etc that have broken multiple tutorials has left a sour taste in lots of people.
Given how many non-professionals here own Snap On, this is a bit like saying "Craftsman is the gold standard for hobbyists". That would probably be a better example. Not that it is bad, but at a price point (free option) that does enough for some/most. Other could argue Power-Kraft, SK, or others are the same (OnShape, etc), or there are the actual big guns you pay for SO, Mac, Cornwell (SW, Inventor, Revit, Creo).
Solidworks maker for $48 a year, and it's a great software.
Onshape is free.
I use both of these and both work good but I'd pick only 1 to try to learn. even from the list of other suggestions above.
Using multiple CAD software will confuse you more than help, especially starting out as the Icons and steps to create parts are different for each software.
Onshape is free.
I use both of these and both work good but I'd pick only 1 to try to learn. even from the list of other suggestions above.
Using multiple CAD software will confuse you more than help, especially starting out as the Icons and steps to create parts are different for each software.
wantedabiggergarage
Member Emeritus
Should we be asking what OS the OP is running, or is all of these cross platform?
The thing is if you learn Fusion 360, professional programs are similar so you can easily switch programs later. I learnt on Solid Edge which works the same and I still have the licence for it. I changed to fusion 360 soon after I got into 3d printing but I'm probably going to switch back. Fusion 360 still works fine for me but the editable documents limit is slightly annoying.
Every time a topic like this comes up I read about the free version of Solid Edge but I keep forgetting to test it.
Every time a topic like this comes up I read about the free version of Solid Edge but I keep forgetting to test it.
Everyone will have their own opinions and preferences, no doubt. I love Fusion, but no one package is going to please everyone. We're lucky to have so many choices! My point, for what it's worth, is just that Fusion is indeed highly popular, I think for a reason, as shown by most market share reports such as the one below. Saying it lags far behind from a market share perspective (and like IBC root beer compare to Coke and Pepsi) is inconsistent with all the public data I've seen. I'm sure there are industries and market channels where Fusion lacks Market share, but as it pertains to the OP's question, here is some hard data.
BearsFan315
Well-known member
really depends on you and your style...
i am certified in a few 2d & 3d software, been doing it for 30 years, 3d kicked in around 2010. I am Autodesk lover, AutoCAD & Inventor, but our company changed over to SolidWorks and got trained on that. I have to train several dozen users in our company, and maintain update, and customize the software. training is always fun
You can make about anything your heart desires IF you know what you are doing. they all work about hte same, BUT it is HOW you get there with the software, and when I train end users I always say there is MORE than a dozens ways to get the end result, but what is YOUR design Intent !
download the free samples and play with them see what makes sense to you.
Just an FYI Fusion was developed as a Freeform Modeler for doing organic design, where Inventor was for Rigid design. It is amazing how they both have transformed and integrated with each other. also a fun part of being on the software test teams been doing ti far too long. started in AutoCAD in DOS r12c2
i am certified in a few 2d & 3d software, been doing it for 30 years, 3d kicked in around 2010. I am Autodesk lover, AutoCAD & Inventor, but our company changed over to SolidWorks and got trained on that. I have to train several dozen users in our company, and maintain update, and customize the software. training is always fun
You can make about anything your heart desires IF you know what you are doing. they all work about hte same, BUT it is HOW you get there with the software, and when I train end users I always say there is MORE than a dozens ways to get the end result, but what is YOUR design Intent !download the free samples and play with them see what makes sense to you.
Just an FYI Fusion was developed as a Freeform Modeler for doing organic design, where Inventor was for Rigid design. It is amazing how they both have transformed and integrated with each other. also a fun part of being on the software test teams
been doing ti far too long. started in AutoCAD in DOS r12c2Not sure a survey by 'cnccookbook' is hard data, but it may be indicative of a hobby cohort within their reader base.Everyone will have their own opinions and preferences, no doubt. I love Fusion, but no one package is going to please everyone. We're lucky to have so many choices! My point, for what it's worth, is just that Fusion is indeed highly popular, I think for a reason, as shown by most market share reports such as the one below. Saying it lags far behind from a market share perspective (and like IBC root beer compare to Coke and Pepsi) is inconsistent with all the public data I've seen. I'm sure there are industries and market channels where Fusion lacks Market share, but as it pertains to the OP's question, here is some hard data.
It's true that very few large professional organizations use fusion360, and the reason is simple; it just can't handle large assemblies.
A plane, car, and gas turbine, etc can have 10,000+ parts with multiple teams of people co-working the assembly.
I think the analogy in comparing fusion360 is less similar to a tool brand and more like comparing a moped to an excavator, yeah they can both get you from point A to B, but.... the moped won't move earth.
CREO, CATIA, Siemens NX dominate this world, and fusion360 doesn't have a farts chance in a hurricane of taking over short of being rebuilt from the ground up.
smackey05
Well-known member
I'm a mechanical engineer. I started using Solidworks in school, used it all throughout my career.
For a home license, I have Solidworks for Makers $48/year and Fusion 360 (Free for non-commercial uses)
Solidworks is still my favorite of all, but I'm just learning Fusion 360. Both will output step files that you can use for 3D printing.
For a home license, I have Solidworks for Makers $48/year and Fusion 360 (Free for non-commercial uses)
Solidworks is still my favorite of all, but I'm just learning Fusion 360. Both will output step files that you can use for 3D printing.
You might find SpaceClaim interesting because of its origins and its connection to SolidWorks.
While SpaceClaim isn’t a direct replacement for SolidWorks, it takes a very different approach to CAD—one shaped by the same chief engineer who played a key role in both. This contrast makes for an interesting comparison.
SolidWorks–SpaceClaim Connection:
Mike Payne, a co-founder of SpaceClaim, was previously the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at SolidWorks in its early years.
Before joining SolidWorks, Payne was a key figure in the development of Pro/ENGINEER at PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation).
After leaving SolidWorks, he co-founded SpaceClaim in 2005, focusing on direct modeling CAD technology.
If you're interested in how CAD software evolves based on leadership and engineering philosophy, SpaceClaim is worth a look.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
Interesting. The start of OnShape was from Dassault code-monkeys, and they brought PTC on so they could do what they liked, and have someone else manage the business side (my understanding, talking with people who work/worked there).
Trend, much?
Trend, much?
What's your opinion of the Maker version of Solidworks vs the coml version? I've never looked at the maker version, but have learned 5 coml CAD packages thru school and work over the years and Solidworks continues to be my preferred but no way can I justify the full version for home use.
Indexmill
Well-known member
Does PTC and ProE still exist?
Its CREO now.
Its near impossible to make big changes to these massively adopted systems. Whole companies depend on nothing changing, or changing very slowly.
To try something meaningfully new they really do need to create something from scratch.
smackey05
Well-known member
They seemed to be the same. I never tried to do anything extremely intensive, but I didn't have any limitations. I would have stuck with it over Fusion360 if the license wasn't $2000....
I do sell some car parts through my website which are modeled. Only way to legitimately do it was with a commercial license.