Looking for a recommendation for further design software.

I keep hitting facet limitations on openscad.
So I'm looking for a free (so don't say rhino, autocad etc) design program with parametric abilities that doesn't fall over at 6000+ facets.
You try designing a golf ball or pin-board in openscad - just can't be done - at least I don't know how to do it without killing openscad in the process.
The more I look at the parent child command the less It makes sense.

So I need an easy to use cad program - that doesn't require any native artistic skills and can produce complex iterations at a pinch.

It also needs to be downloadable as the wifi in my workshop isn't brilliant and having to use web based packages just isn't going to do the job.
Does it exist ?
And if so - what's it called and where do i get it from :-)

Good free programs are Designspark, 123D and Creo Elements... or so I've heard. I don't use them personally (I do use Creo 2.0 Parametric at work, along with Geomagic and Catia, but apparently it is very different from Creo Elements). I don't that they can only save as native format and stl, you won't be able to export as stp, igs, x_t, etc.

Good luck and would love to hear feedback on which you chose, why and how it works for you!

I should add that if you ever feel like buying a CAD package then I highly recommend Cubify Invent ($50) and Cubify Design ($200).

I've got no problem acquiring commercial software. I just find that opensource is generally better written and easier to use.

And i do mean a lot. The golfball needs at least 3-400 and the pinboard was probably 1200 or so for the one it wouldn't let me render.

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

I've got no problem acquiring commercial software. I just find that opensource is generally better written and easier to use.

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And... If you want a change, you don't have to beg the company to do it. You can dig in and make it happen. :)

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

I've got no problem acquiring commercial software. I just find that opensource is generally better written and easier to use.

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The opensource software I have tried has led me to believe differently but each to his own...

Or to put it another way: I don't need a 10 ton steam hammer to crack a hazelnut.

Just want something simple to use that will get me round the limitations of openscad when it comes to a lot of iterated shapes.

I'd stay away from Cubify Design. You're locked into their file format when saving except for outputting STL files or dwg. I find either DesignSpark or ViaCad Pro the two best options for either free or low cost CAD software.

There is BRL-CAD which is used by the US military so one assumes it has some depth to it. We haven't tried to use it ourselves so we can't comment on usability or functionality but it is free.

I know I'm one of the few Sketchup flag bearers here, but I've found that if you want to do it in sketchup, someone else smarter has too, and they wrote a plugin for it.

http://sketchucation.com/forums/view...p?f=79&t=40505 Is a thread about making a golfball in sketchup. There's a working model linked there too:

Attachment 6501

Rendered and everything too. And if that's all there is to the SU file, then it would convert easily to an STL.

Take a look. I don't understand why more people don't use it, it's a nifty little program that is intuitive and powerful when you add the right tools.

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Originally Posted by dklassen

I'd stay away from Cubify Design. You're locked into their file format when saving except for outputting STL files or dwg. I find either DesignSpark or ViaCad Pro the two best options for either free or low cost CAD software.

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But that goes for most software as export modules need to be licensed. And while it can only save as native and export stl it import step, iges and sat (and solidworks files, if I'm not mistaken).

Plus it is fully parametric... for $50. That alone puts it heads and shoulders above the 'free brigade'.

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Originally Posted by iDig3Dprinting

There is BRL-CAD which is used by the US military so one assumes it has some depth to it. We haven't tried to use it ourselves so we can't comment on usability or functionality but it is free.

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Don't waste your time with this. Tried it once. Didn't find it very productive. I doubt the military actually uses this.

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Originally Posted by Sebastian Finke

Don't waste your time with this. Tried it once. Didn't find it very productive. I doubt the military actually uses this.

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Yes, we were not convinced it would be worth are while investing time in learning it we are just aware that it exists and is free. But you never know, our experience of freeware is that sometimes you can find some real gems if you are prepared to get past, what usually appears to be, a poor interface.

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Originally Posted by iDig3Dprinting

But you never know, our experience of freeware is that sometimes you can find some real gems if you are prepared to get past, what usually appears to be, a poor interface.

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Absolutely. Unfortunately not in this case though. Firstly there is no UI, everything had to be typed in by hand. and the more complex your part got the longer each command got. For jollies I tried to design a little kids' rake for the beach. Took three days; with todays software this shouldn't take more than an hour. I also couldn't save to stp or iges (also done through a command line style editor.) No... not worth it.

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Firstly there is no UI, everything had to be typed in by hand. and the more complex your part got the longer each command got.

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I like the sound of that :-) I'll give it a go.

And I tried sketchup - absolutely bloody useless. None of the tutorials I followed worked. Couldn't even find the centre of a cube to push in to make a box. It just wouldn't do it. At which point, after a few hours I gave up, tried openscad and had made abox inside a minute.
Horrible software. And not exactly 3d print friendly.

brl cad is weird. Currently looking at tinkercad.

Ah - web app.

lol what i actually want is someone to fix openscad so it uses multile cpu cores and doesn't have a facet limit. lol
Haven't found anything I can't make with it yet - the scripts for the pinboards and golfball style glandes work great, till openscad dies on me.
OH well.

Seriously, give the free ones I mentioned in my first post a look. They are the closest you'll get to professional CAD without paying.

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Originally Posted by Sebastian Finke

Good free programs are Designspark, 123D and Creo Elements... or so I've heard. I don't use them personally (I do use Creo 2.0 Parametric at work, along with Geomagic and Catia, but apparently it is very different from Creo Elements). I don't that they can only save as native format and stl, you won't be able to export as stp, igs, x_t, etc.

Good luck and would love to hear feedback on which you chose, why and how it works for you!

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I only want stl files :-)

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DesignSpark PCB is a free-of-charge schematic capture and PCB layout tool for electronics design automation (EDA), for use by professional electronics design engineers, hobbyists, educators and students.[

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well that's out.

creo elements:

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Download this free 3D CAD software and create assemblies with up to 60 unique parts.

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Hmm, I want something that'll handle hundreds of unique parts.
Might be useful for other things though - I'll look at it :-)

the autodesk stuff is all online and facebook linked. That just makes me shudder.

I know, I know, I'm a fussy bastard.

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

Or to put it another way: I don't need a 10 ton steam hammer to crack a hazelnut.

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Maybe not but I suspect the 10 ton steam hammer would be a lot more fun than a pair of pliers. ;)

See here:

DesignSpark Mechanical. This is a free MCAD package, exactly what you want.

Autodesk 123D. This version is downloadable, not online. And is very popular.

Creo Elements. I use Creo Parametric 2.0 at work along with Catia and Geomagic Design. While Elements is quite different from its big brother I can assure you that PTC make very powerful software.

All of the above save in native format and export stl's too, again exactly what you want.

cheers mate - hadn't seen the standalone 123d before :-)

The designspark is $800 - lol no chance. I grumbled enough when I bought simplify3d.

The creo thing just doesn't do enough parts.

I'll sit down at the weekend and have a solid look through the ones I've now got.

Thanks guys :-)

CA... did you miss my post?

DesignSpark isn't $800, it's free.

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Originally Posted by dklassen

DesignSpark isn't $800, it's free.

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design spark is just for pcbs - designspark MECHANICAL is not free.

marm - saw the post. I just really don't get on with sketchup. I tried to make it do simple things for a while and it just would never work the way the tutorials said it would.

And I could possibly make an stl file of that model work in openscad. But I,m not actually designing a golf ball - that's just the only reference most people will understand :-)

I'm actually trying to design a more aerodynamic sling glande with patterned dimples. But the start is currently a sphere which i then stretch into a variety of different glande sizes and shapes.
Hence the golf ball reference.
I'd probably be better off adding the dimples after resizing as otherwise they'll be stretched and not round.
But 364 round spheres with decent facet numbers crashes openscad every bloody time.
So I haven't really got to grips with the actual better design side yet.

The idea is to eventually make a missile I can break the current world sling record with.

And that's around the 480 yard mark. So it's not going to be easy :-)

DesignSpark MECHANICAL is in fact free. I use it almost everyday. You're looking at their new add on modules

You can download it right here... for free.

http://www.rs-online.com/designspark...age/mechanical

Well, I'm going to take a look at design spark. downloading now.

Interesting project CA. What material are you going to use?

Another one: Solidface.

At $999 its not the cheapest and Cubify is probably still the better purchase but thought I'd add it anyway...

What about FreeCAD. We are currently investigating this at the moment, trying a couple of tutorials. The tutorials are quite useful although some are unfinished. We also spent a lot of time looking for functions that didn't exist on the version we were running, which was the default for Ubuntu (which isn't up to date).