Cad Software For 3d Printing – Modeling is one of the most important 3D printing skills. Without it, you will not be able to use your expensive equipment, which will soon become a useless toy collecting dust in the closet. In this article, we’ll review both entry-level and professional-level programs to help you become proficient at creating 3D printed models.
The most popular software of this type is CAD (Computer Aided Design). This technology essentially replaced freehand drawing. CAD software allows you to model an object from a headphone cable clip to a rocket launcher. The technology works on the principle of geometry. It is based on a two-dimensional technical drawing of an object. The software automatically performs all mathematical calculations, making it easier for engineers, designers and developers to manage their work. The advantage of this software is in the accuracy of the calculations required in mechanical engineering or in the design of technical elements where exact dimensions are important.
Cad Software For 3d Printing
The simplest computer-aided design systems are aimed at creating two-dimensional drawings and related documentation. More complex programs allow you to develop a 3D object based on existing standard models.
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Slower programs go beyond CAD and into creative 3D modeling. Here we are initially dealing with a three-dimensional shape, not a flat model. The use of such programs requires professionalism and at the same time offers more opportunities to solve complex problems that are not provided by automated algorithms, but often without a clear reference to the dimensions.
We open our rating with a free program with a simple and intuitive interface, available even for commercial use. With it, we can design both small parts and an entire building. FreeCAD will be good for beginners in 3D printing. In this software, you create a 2D sketch and then export it to a 3D model. The program interface is divided into modules, such as “Drawing”, “Rendering”, “Architecture”.
We have already mentioned its convenient workspace with options such as: zoom, change angles, control the camera. The top toolbar contains all the tools needed for modeling. On the left, find switchable modules. At the bottom of the screen are template properties. It is convenient that you can open several drawings at once in different tabs and switch between them if necessary.
This software is not inferior to its paid counterparts in terms of feature set. Also, it is an open source program. Advanced users can add additional options not provided by the basic configuration using the Python programming language.
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An obvious advantage of the program is its compatibility not only with Windows and MacOS, but also with Linux.
It is worth noting that Freecad when saving files Freecad uses its own extension, so when loading projects from third-party programs, errors and inaccuracies may occur.
If you’ve never made models before, you’ll definitely be fine with this software. It is designed to teach children about 3D options and is suitable for designing and 3D printing at home.
You don’t even need to download Tinkercad. This Autodesk service is available online. To get started, you must log in as a student, teacher or personal user and use the service for free.
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You can start modeling the service workplace using the already existing forms, or you can create a new project from scratch. The work in the application is accompanied by reference materials developed specifically for the study. “Group”, “Correct” and “Align” are the main tools here. In addition, there are saved works of other authors in the software, most of which you can modify and then print in 3D.
Users of this service work with 3D shapes, but you can also convert 2D sketches into 3D models. The program saves the finished projects as stl, obj and svg files. This is very convenient, since you can open them in another, possibly more professional software. The stl format allows you to import the file into a third-party slicer for 3D printing.
Tinkercad is actually a free training service for beginners that will become a guide to the world of cutting-edge CAD software.
It’s Autodesk professional software, but it’s licensed free for students, personal users, and small businesses as long as you use it for non-commercial purposes or make less than $100,000 a year as a startup. The license is issued for one year with the possibility of extension. In particular, the personal and student versions do not have the full set of features available in the commercial version. However, its absence is not important for the average user.
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As for the interface of the program, it is easy to use, but since the software is full of different options, a beginner will have a hard time understanding it right away. The software has extensive capabilities for solid modeling. The tools here are no different from the classic ones, but there is a timeline, thanks to which you can return to each stage of modeling and make changes to it. Here you can also get to spline modeling, manual control of 3D curve parameters or automatic dimensioning.
Fusion 360 is ideal for working with drawings, which justifies its rating in our CAD software review. You can set the necessary drawing parameters. It is also possible to create specific patterns using mathematical functions. In this case, all elements associated with the given value will change. For example, a gear can be created by specifying the module and the number of teeth.
This software has a gallery of models of the most popular engineering parts and an option to import and edit a 3D scanned object.
Fusion 360 supports more than 50 file formats, such as sldprt, sat, iges, step, stl and obj, but saves the project as f3d files.
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This software does rendering and animation and supports an engineering analysis feature where you can see the weak points of the model being used.
For 3D printing, this CAD software has its own cutter, that is, it cuts the model to prepare it for printing. Also adds support for printing output items here.
The only thing: a clear interface, access to the library of templates created by other users.
It is a simple software popular among architects. People use it to design buildings and even cities. This software belonged to the company Google; most of the structures on Google Earth are designed with their help.
What Is A 3d Slicer?
This software has a free version for non-commercial use. The manufacturer offers the reduced version of the SketchUp Make option and the full but expensive SketchUp Pro.
All 3D objects in Sketchup are built from drawings, which in turn are made of simple elements: lines, arcs, rectangles, etc.
It is important that each step is accompanied by educational materials, which makes it easier to learn the software. The virtual assistant tells you what to do next. The user-friendly interface makes it easy to work with this software.
The resulting projects are saved as skp files. Users of the software can import and export files with extensions dwg, ddf, jpg, png, psd, obj.
Free Cad Software For Mac 3d Printing
This software, like its counterparts, has a library of popular templates that you can download for free. It supports additional plugins for exporting, rendering and creating physical effects. There are free Ruby extensions for Sketchup, but it is closed source software.
In particular, this software is not compatible with Linux, and its current versions are not suitable for 32-bit systems.
This free 3D editor is used not only for 3D modeling and rendering, but also for animation, sculpting and computer games. Yes, there’s a game engine, as well as paint brushes and animation tools, including skeletons; it also has textures, renders for visualization, a basic video editor and of course great 3D modeling capabilities, otherwise Blender wouldn’t be on our list. While we are discussing CAD software for 3D modeling here, we will not go into detail about the rendering and animation capabilities of the software.
This software has a rather complex interface. It is not surprising, since it combines a large number of options. But you can work faster if you configure keyboard shortcuts. The software runs smoothly on Windows, GNU/Linux and MacOS. The installation file weighs about 200 MB.
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Blender goes beyond CAD software. Here we can work with 3D models right away. Among its options you will find primitive object design. It is also possible to work with polygons or NURBS- and Bézier curves, as well as the basis of metaspheres, Boolean operations and Subdivision Surface. Basic carving tools are also available. The software gallery has many modifiers. These options allow you to perform actions on an object or assign properties to it.
It is important to note that when dealing with polygonal modeling, remember to make sure that your object has closed geometry.
This software is not suitable for professional engineers and architects, but it is good for home 3D printing.
This simple computer-aided design system built on top of existing Qcad software for
