3D Printing Best Modeling / Creation Software?

[Nifty]

P.S. I Feckin hate having to watching YouTube..

Really, how come?

I'm amazed at how much I've been able to learn and apply by watching youtube videos. Everything from troubleshooting then fixing a broken gear on a clothes-washer to learning CAD for 3D printing.

Heck, now that I think about it, I can't imagine what I'd do (i.e, how I'd learn as effectively and quickly) without Youtube?!?!?

 

[Nifty]

Oh, and regarding software:

I've really enjoyed learning OnShape! It's got a really clean interface and I love that it's web based and free!

That said, I do still find myself running to tinkercad quite often when it's something quick/dirty and/or I'm in a rush and the things I need to do are above what I currently know, and I don't have the time to try to learn to do it in OnShape.

All that said, I really wish I would have tried and stuck with parametric design (Fusion 360, OnShape, etc.) years ago when I first stated this hobby.

 

[FryingSaucer]

I may find time and patience to venture into FreeCAD over the summer, It’s not that I’m reluctant too, it’s just hard to retrain myself into using something else, and I don’t have any more big projects on right now to distract me, so maybe this is my chance..

Like you OpenSCAD is what I use. Unlike you, I print a model maybe once a year, and I have to refresh my memory how to design parts. So I have to remind myself what Minkowski is for example. Each time I think maybe I'll learn something else, then just go back to OpenSCAD because it's familiar.

All I want to do now is create a very simple model that probably will need Minkowski and a few other things in SCAD that I've forgotten about. But I've just watched the really good FreeCAD video above. It's tempting to try that. But I know that instead of printing the fairly simple model the wife wants, I would spend a lot of time learning FreeCAD before actually producing anything.

So did you try FreeCAD?

 

[The Hat]

So did you try FreeCAD?

Yes I did and am no further along with it, and after a considerable amount of wasted time, I drifted back to my old and comfortable friend “OPENSCAD”, its far less frustrating because you can at least produce something a lot quicker..

P.S. When it comes down to it, I reckon I’m just to Feckin lazy to change..

 

[ninj]

There's a new series of well-presented Freecad beginner tutorials:

 

[The Hat]

There's a new series of well-presented Freecad beginner tutorials:

Getting started with Freecad works great in their tutorial, but when I try to apply it to something I want, I fall flat on my face, it’s like learning the alphabet, after the ABC, what comes next… Difficult !..

Despite having used several different packages, and never quite getting to finish out a project, or even liking some of the Feckin software, including "Fusion 360", I have always managed to get good results using “OPENSCAD”, at least for now..

It’s not that I wouldn’t like to be better at design, I most certainly would, but my abilities are not quite up to scratch, I do take several goes at things before I get what I want, even then I sometimes go back and redesign it just because I can..

I have used Minkowski in several of my projects, but it took time to achieve, mostly I abandon the Minkowski method and make it up my own way.. If it stops been fun.. I’m lost..

 

[FryingSaucer]

Despite having used several different packages, and never quite getting to finish out a project, or even liking some of the Feckin software, including "Fusion 360", I have always managed to get good results using “OPENSCAD”, at least for now..

For me, one advantage of OpenSCAD vs Fusion 360 is that I have anything I created with OpenSCADis on my PC. I did actually create something quite useful in Fusion 360 and it would have been more difficult in OpenSCAD. But my Fusion 360 model is in the cloud, I had a trial version of Fusion 360. I don't know if I can still access my account if I wanted to change my model..

Getting started with Freecad works great in their tutorial, but when I try to apply it to something I want, I fall flat on my face, it’s like learning the alphabet, after the ABC, what comes next… Difficult !..

I thought the first two tutorials on FreeCAD were great. I also like that FreeCAD will store anything I do locally on my PC. I'm motivated to use it.

I too find that trying to develop something with a new tool is very different from watching a well crafted tutorial. But anyway I'll give it a go.

 

[stratman]

Unless things have changed, you can save locally with Fusion 360.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/supp...local-archive-back-up-file-in-Fusion-360.html

They sure do not make it easy!

 

[FryingSaucer]

Unless things have changed, you can save locally with Fusion 360.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/supp...local-archive-back-up-file-in-Fusion-360.html

They sure do not make it easy!

Well, it's good to know it's possible to keep local copies. But I agree, it's not exactly simple. So I prefer using software like OpenSCAD where by default designs are saved where you want them to go.

 

[FryingSaucer]

Getting started with Freecad works great in their tutorial, but when I try to apply it to something I want, I fall flat on my face, it’s like learning the alphabet, after the ABC, what comes next… Difficult !..

I've just watched my third tutorial in the FreeCAD Academy series. It constructs a simple part with a hole in it. The tutorial is in two parts. First it creates the part the way the official documentation says to do it. Then it shows that if you do this and subsequently make any changes the (worm)hole reappears on a different side from where it was before. So the second part of the tutorial says, no don't do what the documentation says. Do it this way (which is more complicated but works).

At least the tutorial is honest. It's describing the product, warts and all.