cad software

[Patrick Smith]

Just curious what you guys are using ? I have tried a few but have not settled on one .

[jimc]

Rhino3d

[Brooke Hedrick]

GeoMagic Design, formerly Alibre.

On Dec 18, 2013 4:27 PM, "jimc" <xtremekr...@gmail.com> wrote:

Rhino3d

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[Dale Reed]

OpenSCAD.  If you have done some programming, or learned Set Theory in 8th grade math, or if you use Visio for 2d and are familiar with the Union, Difference, and similar operations on 2d objects, it will come naturally.  It's text driven, which puts some people off.  But I can't drag a 9.85 mm dimension in most of those mouse-driven packages.  In OpenSCAD it's a natural -- just a parameter in a cube() or cylinder() or similar operator.  Some of the operations are just too nifty, like minkowski() (make a rectangular case with rounded edges and corners by combining a cube() and a sphere() )  and hull() -- does a "convex hull", which, for two cylinders, results in what you would get if you wrapped wrapping paper around the two cylinders.  Stuff like that.

 

Also, if you want to make things that work with the Customizer on Thingiverse, you'll want to try OpenSCAD.  The Customizer works with the OpenSCAD source you provide to feed in dimensions, selections, text and other input from the user into variables that then create a customized-for-the-user STL.  I'm working on a customizable display stand for my calculator collection: enter the height, width and thickness of the calculator, the thickness of the soft case, and the height of the manual, and it makes a stand that holds all three --- with a bar at the bottom front for attaching a pretty-printed label (like from a Brother or Dymo labeller).

[Ketil Froyn]

I use freecad because I'm an open source geek. Here's a tutorial I did on some freecad design basics. It creates good stl files too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tyuIIk0M3E

Cheers, Ketil

On 18 Dec 2013 23:17, "Patrick Smith" <pcsmi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Just curious what you guys are using ? I have tried a few but have not settled on one .

[Earsmith]

I use Blender. Free and powerful. Started on Lightwave and dropped modeling for, well lets just say a long time.  STL file creation is sketchy if your saving along the model creation  process so I use .obj file format. Final model then is saved as .stl.

[Patrick Smith]

Thanks for all the replies !!! I have tried some of those . Free cad looks worth investigating ...I have blender still on my machine but was a bit overwhelming . I will have to give free cad and geomagic a look . I am on a budget so I don't want to spend a thousand dollars on software !!! Opens cad looks interesting but I think it is a bit beyond me ! I live tinkercad for simplicity ....it just isn't advanced enough to do some of the things I need !!!

[Matt Minuti]

I teach OpenSCAD to 6+ graders and adults, and they all pick it up pretty fast. Some later try something more conventional like Inventor or Solidworks or Sketchup and end up prefering OpenSCAD. Though it looks scary, give it a shot, it's worth it. Just remember to use  comments, too easy to get lost otherwise!

I'll also throw in a vote for FreeCAD, though it can be a little buggy at times. Personally, I bounce between the two of them depending on what I'm working on.

On Dec 19, 2013 7:21 AM, "Patrick Smith" <pcsmi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for all the replies !!! I have tried some of those . Free cad looks worth investigating ...I have blender still on my machine but was a bit overwhelming . I will have to give free cad and geomagic a look . I am on a budget so I don't want to spend a thousand dollars on software !!! Opens cad looks interesting but I think it is a bit beyond me ! I live tinkercad for simplicity ....it just isn't advanced enough to do some of the things I need !!!

[Wayne Newberry]

I use Inventor Pro and Fusion for exporting. 

I  need to look into some of the other programs for editing stl files.

I'm actually looking for a good program for my students- Autodesk is so expensive....

On Wednesday, December 18, 2013 5:17:05 PM UTC-5, Patrick Smith wrote:

[Patrick Smith]

Yes auto desk is out of reach for me....I liked solid works but still to pricey ! Some interesting options have been brought up for me to check out ! Hopefully I can settle on something and get to designing !!! Again Thanks for the info !

[Brooke Hedrick]

OpenSCAD is great.  I have used it too.  It is how I got started.  But, if your model is very complicated a "gui" tool that lets you make changes and see them instantly _while_ making the changes goes a long way in saving lots of time.  These tools make it easier to be creative as well.  If you are math/formula person and can see in your minds eye what the command you are typing will cause the object to look like ahead of time, OpenSCAD is excellent.  Being a parametric tool is often given as one of its biggest strength, but there are gui tools out there that are also parametric.  The biggest plus on OpenSCAD is being able to share your design and let someone else change it without having more than the fairly small OpenSCAD viewer/import/export tool.  Low barrier to entry on cost.

The gui tool I tried, but had no end of issues with was Sketchup.  It was either horrible at making sure the model was closed, or did not make it obvious on how to make sure to keep the model closed.

For free, I really like Tinkercad too.  It is on the web, so is easy access, and does a great good job at being a starting gui CAD tool online.  It also makes it easy to share your designs.  Low barrier of entry on cost and ease of getting started - if you are a visual person anyway.

On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 9:01 AM, Patrick Smith <pcsmi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes auto desk is out of reach for me....I liked solid works but still to pricey ! Some interesting options have been brought up for me to check out ! Hopefully I can settle on something and get to designing !!! Again Thanks for the info !

[Joshua Wills]

http://www.designspark.com/eng/page/mechanical is a free (though I believe closed source) program that seems fairly powerful - I haven't used it as much as I'd need to to make a real recommendation, but it's worth looking at at least.

[Matt Minuti]

Designspark Mechanical is also free for business use, if I read the EULA correctly. Not cross-platform, but a beggar can't be too choosy... :)

On Thu, Dec 19, 2013 at 2:19 PM, Joshua Wills <joshe...@gmail.com> wrote:

http://www.designspark.com/eng/page/mechanical is a free (though I believe closed source) program that seems fairly powerful - I haven't used it as much as I'd need to to make a real recommendation, but it's worth looking at at least.

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[Patrick Smith]

Grabbed a copy of free cad and design spark and still have Openscad on my machine. I have been bouncing between tinkercad and 123 design from auto desk which is free . I am visual and thrive in tinkercad I love how easy it is to do the simpler things. I think I will try to get used to a few different programs and see where it goes from there. Thanks for all the great suggestions !

[jimc]

pat, tinkercad is funny. everyone says its so easy but i actually find that it is actually sooo basic that its difficult. in other words the total simplicity is due to a lack of tools so to do very basic stuff where you are using just standard solid shapes and putting them together it is easy but beyond that, to do anything it gets extremely hard because there is such a lack of features. its like giving a cabinet maker just a hammer and a tube of glue and asking him to build you a roll top desk. i do have my 9 year old kid on it to just get his feet warm with this stuff though. between that and the minecraft it should get him used to working in a 3d environment. i just fine it very frustrating because i want to do something or need something a certain way and i just cant do it while in rhino....they have a tool for that.

i tried alot of the free programs. tinkercad, 123 design, sketchup, etc. a friend of mine does a ton of 3d motion graphics and he uses rhino in his workflow so he recommended that to me. luckily i can use one of his licenses. i bought a 15hr training video series that was done really well. i watched it and when i was done, that was it. it got me going with it pretty well. overall its a very easy program to learn yet its still a professional program. plenty of tools to do what you want. its not the type of software for making sculptures or video game characters, organic shapes. its more of a precise modeler the way solidworks is but without the parametric features. i know you dont want to spend the grand for the software BUT you can get it for free. if your on a mac, there is a mac version that you can download at no charge while its in development. its about 90% functional. just some of the more obscure features arent working yet. for pc, you can download the version 6 which is in development. that would mostly be working except the new features they are adding or changing from version 5.

[Patrick Smith]

I will give rhino a look !!! I know what you mean about tinkercad. That's my problem I want the best of both worlds . Easy mode but with advanced tools for mechanical drawing !

[jimc]

well for mechanical drawing and parts rhino is fantastic because its nurbs based. basically you start with drawing lines, joining them then extruding them. all your projects and parts usually start as a 2d just like in adobe illustrator or coreldraw. all using exact dimensions and angles.

[Patrick Smith]

Sounds very promising ! Will download it tonight and give it a go !!!

[Patrick Smith]

I must say that the trial of rhino was is exactly what is was looking for !!! Spent a great deal of time working with the tutorials and I have got to say this is the one for me !!!! Simply a superb product !!! Thanks again for all the comments and help .

[DIY3D]

NIce to hear, I' am using Autodesk Inventor too. You're students  can download the student version for free.
Autodesk Inventor 2014 can save part files (.ipt)  to .stl ( click Print > Send to 3D Print Service > Click Ok and save as .stl

Kind regards,

Marco 

[quaverf]

Patrick, I started using Autodesk Fusion 360 a month or so ago.  Very impressive software package that is currently free.  Its a "fusion" of parametric and direct modeling environments.  You can do some pretty amazing things with it as it features a T-spline surface modeler integrated with conventional CAD modeling tools.  Think Rhino and Inventor combined.  They have a fairly extensive library of customer designed components to review so you can get a good idea of what the software is capable of.

Autodesk is pushing hard to bring capable tools to the 3D printing/Maker community.  I have used Catch and MeshMaker and found them to be very useful and easy to use.  They now have a complete slicer/gcode package for 3D printers (free) as well though I have not tried it.

Rick

[Matt Minuti]

What slicer package does Autodesk make? I hadn't heard of them having any offerings along those lines...

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[A. Elias]

I've used MeshMixer for support material and to some extent have been happy with it.  I'll try to upload some little Christmas trees I was making for my son.  The support material literally snapped right off and they use supporting pillars.  

[jimc]

rick, i just checked that fusion out. looks interesting. i personally dont like the "cloud" idea. if i worked at a design firm that might be nice. i read there that they might release a standalone version. in any case it looks like it has promise. combining mechanical modeling with the sculpting. pat has already bought rhino and i supplied him with my training course for it. when the time comes though autocad makes t-splines plugin for rhino as well so you can do all that stuff right in the rhino interface. i have not tried it yet. once i know rhino like the back of my hand i will move onto that. i have seen demo videos for it and it certainly looks like it makes modeling organic shapes much easier.

[quaverf]

Matt,

Meshmixer is the support generation tool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFTyTV3wwsE

The export obj file from Meshmixer can the be loaded in the Autodesk 3D print utility for slicing and gcode generation.

http://apps.123dapp.com/3dprint/install.html

I have not used the print utility.  Meshmixer is a nice utility that can be used for editing and creating all sorts of mesh solids.

[quaverf]

jimc,

I have been impressed with Fusion 360.  I too am not a fan of working in the cloud and initially very skeptical.  I must say, however, that the software has worked virtually seamlessly.  I thought there would be delays, freezing events, glitches, etc due to latency issues but I have experienced none of these.  I have even been working on a model and lost internet connection without issue.  The software apparently simply saves a local copy until the internet connection is re-established.  You can work off-line in this condition.  I have read that they may put a "switch" in the software that will allow the user to select off-line use even when service is available.  You can export STL files with very good viewing and resolution controls.  It also includes something of a poor-mans PDM vault feature were versions are progressively saved and assembly associations can be created from existing components.

Over the years I have used ProEngineer, SolidWorks and Mechanical Desktop and of coarse Autocad.  Very capable modeling tool.

Rick

[Patrick Smith]

I am loving rhino ! But still wonder about solid works ! Any body use the latest version ? Is it the best ? Thoughts ?

[A. Elias]

I use SW2013.  Being new to 3D design it was easy to learn for me.  Select sketch plane, sketch then extrude or cut.  Pretty simple.  Doing curvy surfaces is a little more difficult and I don't have much experience as I was just playing around when trying to do something more organic.

If your doing figurines or other stuff I wouldn't recommend it.  For actual mechanical parts which need to fit together well in an assembly I would.  

Adam 

[Trevor Lewis]

I'm a big fan of Inventor, particularly with the recent addition of CNC toolpath generation. It's nice having just one piece of software for either additive or subtractive manufacturing.

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"He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin!" --Horace

[Big JIm Slade]

I use Turbocad. The reason I use it is 1) it was the first CAD program I tried and 2) it is by far the easiest CAD program to use. I was able to figure out Turbocad with no experience and no books or videos. Everything that was not intuitive I could find an answer to by asking in their forum.

I've tried nearly everything else since then. I cannot believe how other programs make complex what Turbocad makes simple.

[jimc]

pat, i did a lot of reading on both solidworks and rhino before i chose. here is what i found are the differences. as you can see already from using rhino, its precise so you can make mechanical parts of any kind while its also good at doing complex surfaces like ornamental models with a lot of curves etc. you can basically do mechanical stuff while still doing the artsy stuff as well. for mechanical stuff it can make any part you want to make but you need to know what it is you want and that it will work and work with other parts that interact with it. for solidworks, its parametric and more mechanical engineering. great for making mechanical parts but not the freeform, curvy or ornamental stuff. solidworks is good for making assemblies because it knows all your parts and how they interact with one another. you can make you model function with all the parts working as they should. take our m2 printer for instance. solidworks is great for designing the entire printer within the software. you can see everything work and interact with one another. if you decide to increase the size of the bed SW would know to increase spider size, hardware, belt and linear bearing lengths. rhino is great for reverse engineering some of the parts or designing say the spider or any one of the parts on the machine. neither one is for sculpting or making characters, etc. for me, since i am not designing an engine or transmission i chose rhino. its a good middle ground between the engineering softwares and the sculpting stuff. with a few different plugins like tsplines or grasshopper, rhino can be extremely versatile. seems to be perfect for what we do on 3d printers. 

[Patrick Smith]

I really appreciate the info and recommendation !!! I am super happy with rhino !!! thanks again !!! I see solidworks as being of interest for your M2 analogy. I have a design that has been waiting to get out and now I have the tools. Just need to figure rhino out a little more . I am close to being able to draw what I need to. I still run into instances where I see it in my head and cannot translate it properly in rhino ....yet !!! Again thanks for all your help !!!

[jimc]

yeah me too. i can make a mechanical part in no time but when i get into the complex or ornate surfaces. that stuff you gotta think about a little. its funny, i grew up doing alot of wood working, furniture, etc. when i get stuck i actually think about how i would make something in wood. it actually works really well in rhino. breaking pieces down into their individual shapes then joining them together. kinda funny how that works out.

[Patrick Smith]

Yea...ornate stuff is of interest ummmm let's see....When I retire !!!! I do large metal fab as part of my job and can always see it in my head before I build it and very rarely draw it...except for maybe an odd dimension or two !!! I will have to keep in mind the wood working method !!!

[Jamil Fakhouri]

Autodesk Inventor

[Jin Choi]

Resurrecting this old thread with a new find. I've been playing around with DesignSpark Mechanical, which has not gotten a lot of press, but which has turned out to be fantastically useable. It is usable for free with no restrictions, and it is "based on" SpaceClaim. Not having used SpaceClaim myself but having watched some videos, it looks to be almost entirely the same, with only some professional features like various import/export formats missing. SpaceClaim is a legit modeling program, with "call us for a quote" pricing, so to have something of its caliber for free is a great find.

The website makes it seem like DesignSpark Mechanical is mainly intended to be used in conjunction with their DesignSpark PCB layout program, to make enclosures and such, but it is really far more useful than that would make it seem. I don't have a wide range of experience with CAD systems, but I would say it lives firmly in the direct modeling genre, with some parametric features. You use sketches mainly to create solids. They don't stick around, like in SolidWorks. Then you work on the solid models directly using some pretty intuitive pull/fill tools.

I don't think it would be of interest to anyone who is already familiar with a CAD program already, but for anyone who hasn't already found a suitable system to their liking it is certainly something to check out. It is a solid combination of power and freeness (in cost; it is not open source). I would compare it to AutoDesk Fusion 360, except that it's not cloud based, and Fusion 360 is free only if you are a student or an "enthusiast", which I suppose is fair in that most people looking for a non-professional price aren't professionals. I've also taken a brief look at Fusion 360, but the UI will take some getting used to before I can make a fair comparison.

I'm also very pleased with OpenSCAD, but if you want to, say, round some edges on a model or make angled planes meet at a particular point, there's a lot of trigonometry and head scratching involved.

[Tim]

I've been working with Wings3D.  It took me about a day to get my head around the concept of subdivided polyhedrons, and another day to get proficient at it.  A day after that, I designed a complicated piece to replace a broken part on a toy, complete with drill holes and countersinks.  It fit perfectly on the first print.  Having used OpenSCAD, it took a little while to get used to not being able to do boolean operations.  A drill hole in Wings3D is a complicated operation, but once you understand the procedure, it's pretty straightforward.

Then I tried working with Blender.  My opinion of Blender can be summed up this way:  If you build pianos upside down, there will still be piano virtuosos.  But that doesn't mean that you should build pianos upside down.

[Toby]

On Monday, March 24, 2014 8:34:32 AM UTC-5, Tim wrote:

Then I tried working with Blender.  My opinion of Blender can be summed up this way:  If you build pianos upside down, there will still be piano virtuosos.  But that doesn't mean that you should build pianos upside down.

 

That made me laugh.  Very apt description of the problem.

I've been looking for the right interface for 3d modeling for 30 years.  So far it just hasn't happened.  I don't like the way you're forced to think conceptually about every move you make and don't get any useful feedback from your hands.   It just kills the whole process and turns design into something more like a parlor trick than a creative act.

I just ordered a Lenovo thinkpad yoga, which is a pc that converts into a tablet and can take input from a pressure sensitive digitizing pen.  I want to start experimenting with 3d modeling software where you are drawing directly on the screen and where you don't have to move your drawing hand or shift your gaze in order to change modes.  I figure one hand can be hovering over on-screen icons while the other hand is doing the work, so the switch in modes happens as soon as you want it and doesn't interrupt the process.

[Jin Choi]

For that sort of intuitive direct modeling interaction, you simply must take a look at DesignSpark Mechanical. Or at least some of the YouTube videos. This one is pretty good, I think. It is for SpaceClaim, but DSM is very similar. http://youtu.be/44UNSrfU6As

One thing thing I've found that greatly improves my interaction with any modeling program that supports it is the 3DConexion SpaceNavigator 3D mouse. It is super well built, heavy as a brick (which is good because it doesn't move), and makes manipulating your view as you work so much better. Highly recommended.

[jimc]

thats funny you mentioned that mouse jin. i was just looking at that last night and was really tempted to pick one up. watched a couple good videos on it. looks like a nice piece.

[Toby]

Jin, I did download DesignSpark last night based on your post about it.  But that 440 MB zip file scares me.  It's still sitting there in my download directory tempting me to click on it. But I don't have that much room left on this laptop.  If it's a 440 MB zip file, what happens when it expands?  Did they not do any compression on the files?

[Jin Choi]

The size of the installed folder is 478 MB, so it doesn't explode, no.

[Dave K]

I've been using DesignSpark for quite a while now, and it has become my go-to as far as CAD goes. I can't justify the cost of a commercial package.

FreeCAD is another one I used quite a bit before DesignSpark. FreeCAD has a lot of potential, but it can be really quirky. It has Python scripting capabilities that let you access the OpenCasCade kernel underneath FreeCAD's user interface. I haven't gone there yet, so I can't report on how well the scripting integrates with the FreeCAD software overall.

[Bret Allen]

I'm currently using Alibre Design Professional. I'm pretty happy with it since I'm usually only designing mechanical parts, not ornamental stuff. Unfortunately, it's now owned by 3D Systems and has been renamed Geomagic Design. It used to be a pretty affordable professional CAD solution. Parametric design, able to make engineering drawings, sheet metal parts, lofts, surfacing, assemblies etc... But it's not priced as well as it used to be and the support is now horrible since 3D Systems got a hold of it. (

[Steve T]

Cinema 4D Studio. Nurbs, splines, textures, particles, animation, wind, sun, rain, topography, vegitation, cameras, extrude, erode, slice, deformers, reformers, and more. It's a beautiful beast. I can open it. LOL. TurboCad.