Not sure if this even belongs here but I’ve done a search and didn’t see what I was looking for so here goes…
Having done my first 20 or so prints from the Bambu Handy app using models directly from MakerWorld I recently tried my hand at downloading models from other sites such as Thingiverse, loading them into Bambu Studio and printing from there to my X1C.
So far…so good.
But the real reason I purchased a 3D printer was to design & print my own creations and I have had for some time maintained a list of ideas and things I would like to print so feel confident enough to take this next step in the near future.
What software should I be looking at to design/draw/export 3D models so I can print them? Having never used any 3D/CAD type packages before I would at this stage forsake features/complexity for ease of use as I consider myself more of a Visual Basic type of user than a machine code/C++ coder by way of comparison.
Having said that I would rather not go through two learning curves if/when I outgrow any first choice of design program but even that would be preferable to jumping at the deep end with a fully-featured but difficult to understand program.
Something along the lines of a Photoshop Elements maybe upgrading to full blown Photoshop at some time in the future should Elements limit my abilities - unlikely but something to bear in mind to lessen the learning curve(s) as they at least bear a family resemblance.
Can any of you guys give any recommendations please as to what software I should be looking at? Doesn’t necessarily have to be free as I have no problem paying for a decent program that does what I want to do and suits my way of working.
If there might be PC & Mac versions of the same program then great but not essential as I can work with one or the other.
All depends on what you intend to design.
If its engineering parts then you could use Autodesk Fusion. (or SketchUp)
If its more figurines and items that are more organic then you would be looking at something like Blender.
My items are more engineering so I use Siemens NX12 and SketchUp.
Never been interested in figurines or that type of thing (that’s not to say I might be asked to create on in future) so I guess more on the engineering side of things.
Looking at my list I have items such as a custom toolbox for my printer to hold tools, consumables etc, phone mount for my motorbike, a couple of small display holders, collect removal tool, Apple Watch Band holder and a case to hold magazines and maybe small tools for my air rifle.
Well I’ve just taken a look at Autodesk Fusion…and the price has taken my breath away!
£462 for the first year and that includes 30% off so £660 a year after that before any price increase!
Figured I’d take a look at Sketchup which was even more expensive at £645 not including 20% VAT so £774 a year!
I loathe subscription packages but it seems to me that is the way things have been headed for some time now and as I reluctantly subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud I just checked to see if that might include a 3D modelling package but it seems that their offering Substance is not included and subject to an additional £40.45 per month on top of the £48 a month I already pay for the 35 other apps included in their so-called All Apps package!
Ouch…I’d not factored in spending that kind of money so that’s me out of play. I’ll keep looking and hoping for something more reasonably priced towards us mere mortals if such a package exists.
Thanks Jeff…I did notice TinkerCAD when browsing earlier so I’ll take a look.
I also overreacted when looking at Sketchup as my eye was drawn towards the Windows only Studio version where there were in fact a couple of other versions named Pro and Go for a more reasonable £301 and £103 per annum respectively.
They also offer Sketchup Free which looks to be platform agnostic as it appears to be web browser only so now my blood pressure has returned to near normal I’ll take a closer look…
Autodesk Fusion 360 for personal use is free online CAD for 3 years for qualifying non-commercial users. A hobbyist user must generate less than $1,000 USD in annual revenue, using Autodesk Fusion for home-based, non-commercial design, manufacturing, and fabrication projects.
I’ve been using the free version for about eight years, so I don’t think they enforce the 3 year rule. It does more than I need for 3D design of functional items. They also offer a $150/year subscription for startup companies.
Onshape also gets good reviews. I’ve only played with it, but it looks like a capable option. I was a little put off by the requirement that models be public, but with an obscure file name it would be hard to find a particular model, and I don’t need much security for my door stop design.
If you are making functional items you definitely want a program that is parametric, so that your prototypes are easily modified. For more artistic and decorative items, Blender seems to be popular.
I use Fusion extensively. There is a free version as noted. It’s a decent full featured cad program and is mostly well developed. It’s an oddity from Autodesk, for sure. They aren’t usually one to be so… giving.
Samish. I just switched to the paid version more recently. Feature wise you get some stuff, but it wont be worth it for most people.
The big thing you have to know and understand with Fusion is that it’s a cloud product. Fusion runs locally, but it’ll store your files in the cloud, and do other misc computing stuff. It’ll want to check in and all that. There’s no easy way to manage your files locally, as it’s just not built for that. I pesonally like it, because I can go anywhere, install fusion, and have access to my files.
One of my favorite old school cad programs, that you can buy an actual not-subscription license for, is Rhino 3d. https://www.rhino3d.com/ It’ll cost ya (1000 usd), but it isn’t a subscription. It’s a bit more advanced of an application than what something like Fusion is. Do you need all those advancements though? Probably not. In the world of 3d printing, Fusion can pretty much do everything you’d need.
Blender and Solid Edge Cad - community edition which is free for non commercial use. If you want to take your model from cad to blender you can export it as a step file and you can save it directly to the slicer software in its format or step…
Blender is completely free, SolidEdge by Simens - not to be confused with Solidworks by Dassault Systems is free for non commericial use - Enjoy.
Can’t help but add FreeCAD to the mix. It’s been 22 years, but they finally released version 1.0
I’ve flip flopped between it and Fusion 360 and I can say Fusion is most definitely easier to use. Way less fiddly and and more forgiving if you don’t know what you’re doing. I always go back to FreeCAD though since it still meets my needs and I don’t have the limitations that Fusion has with their free tier license. Maybe when I have more dedicated time for CAD design I’d pay for it to get those features, but for now I’ll be sticking with what I know.
I’ve looked at Onshape multiple times since it’s highly regarded. I just can’t bring myself to use it since the free tier makes all your models public. Not like I design anything worth stealing or can’t be seen by the public, it’s just something I don’t want to do.
If you do want to try FreeCAD for whatever reason, MangoJelly on Youtube has great tutorials that I highly recommend.
The problem with current functional CAD programs are designed for a pro user. Someone in an office, collaborating on a team, creating drawings and possibly CAMing it to a machine. I haven’t found a perfect CAD software for 3d printing. Not organic shape stuff covered by blender.
I don’t like cloud based because what happens to the models when you stop paying or they change their terms, like Autodesk does from time to time.
So I like buy once and pay yearly maintenance. Check out Alibre hobby version as I can get it to create any functional models that I need.
Someday we might see a package for hobby 3d printing. My guess is that design functionality will show up in the slicer programs in the future. They only need to figure how to make money on that.
I’m in a similar situation. If you want a free CAD program to design 3D printed parts, take a look at the aptly named FreeCAD. It’s free to learn with many YouTube tutorials. I find Mango Jelly’s series very helpful (in spite of the name.) He recently released a 1 hour crash course which would give you a good overview to see if it is right for you.
Yes, Fusion needs to check in every two weeks if you run it offline. You don’t have to do anything with it online. Just let it check for updates, then go offline again.
The cloud storage is the default, and is convenient, but it is not a requirement. You just have to remember to Export the .f3d files (and other formats) to your local computer instead of Save to the cloud. The local files can be edited, backed up, moved like any other local file while remaining offline.
Also, your “Editable” cloud files (limit of 10) and recently opened “Read only” cloud files (unlimited storage) are apparently cached locally. At least, I can load and edit them in offline mode. You can easily change the Editable/Read-only status of your cloud files.
It’s not really built for it though, is the thing. Key word there is export.
Something like Adobe and it’s cloud, or Microsoft’s office products, they more seamlessly let you choose between the cloud or your local drive.
In Fusion, when you’re working with files like that, you’re importing and exporting them. Not opening and saving them.
Which features you use within Fusion can affect this too. There are functions within Fusion that rely on the cloud. With the configurations, which I often use, it makes the whole working locally thing kind of… sloggish. You can export configurations, but to export the file as a whole requires the cloud. Other files like step files, or regular fusion project files might be easier to “open” but opening those files setup with configurations is an import process. You have to import it to the cloud first, you can’t just open it.
I’m not sure about more complex builds that have multiple linked parts across multiple files. I haven’t tried exporting any of that stuff as such, but I can’t imagine it’d retain the links between files.
Hi GlynH.
As others have pointed out, you ca get free versions of both Autodesk Fusion and SketchUp.
Just check out what programs others have said as well and just pick one that suits you.
