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My Cousin just got a reprap 3D printer that his nephew build for him. Unlike be this guy likes to create his own stuff. Anyway, he doesn't have a tremendous amount of 3D modelling experience, if any at all. What would be the best software to recommend for him base on his lack of experience in the field? Sketchup? is that the easiest to use? Photoshop? Any ideas?
thats a loaded question larry. the simple programs are simple because they are not overloaded with tools and functions. they are limited to working with basic shapes and when you try to do something other than that they become very difficult. the so called simple programs like tinkercad and 123d design and sketchup did nothing but get me frustrated. i got a video course for rhino and after watching that it was so easy to make stuff its not funny. very powerful.
I found FreeCAD easy as a 3D Modeller, there's plenty of export options and you can export models to Blender as well as .stl's as meshes. You can sketch, dimension and build the 3D model from that as well as being able to solid model.
Of course, it all depends on the type of modeling you do.....engineering..architecture...sculpture. I have used several that include Sketchup, OpenScad, TinkerCad, and Cubify Invent.. I would forget Sketchup as it is a surface modeler and after you spend lots of time making your model just right, it won't print or chances are it won't. Don't invest your time, like I did, learning Sketchup. Having said that, I think TinkerCad is a good first time user program for 3d modeling. It's free and gets you the basics. It works with combining easy shapes and using 'holes' to remove material. This creates some impressive designs. My current favorite is Cubify Invent. It is an awesome program with lots of features and is only $48. I think Cubify Invent is a good second program; easy to learn and lots of good videos online via You Tube. Then, there is openScad. It's programming 3d modeling. Yes, it's difficult to learn but it's great for parametric modeling where it does all the calculations for you based on input parameters. Hope this helps...happy printing!
I would recommend skipping all the lesser used beginner's tools and get a package like Rhinoceros. As said above, it's not that hard to learn and you can make almost anything with it. Then later you can get the free Grasshopper plugin and gradually become a Rhino expert. I would go for a package that some professional companies use as well, and invest some time studying it, so then you may have a head start if you ever want to get a job in art/design.
If you just want to have some fun, you may want to try out the free sculpting program Sculptris. It's awesome and incredibly easy, you hardly need any instruction and can just start playing around with it. I've used it for some professional sculpting work for 3d printable items as well. Then you can get a free STL editor like Meshlab and Netfabb to hollow out and fix up your piece and convert it to a printable STL.
Have fun modeling!