Software to model in 3D

[levalencia]

Hey guys, probably this has been asked a lot of times, but as a newbie, Id like to know which software should I use to model my 3D objects, I have heard great reviews about blender I guess because its free its the most widely used, but for you guys which ones are the best?

I havent ever designed a 3d Model, and If I want to learn, I need to chose a software from the beginning and not try to learn many different applications

Please also give me opinions about non free software


Thank you

[LambdaFF]

Yes, this has been asked a lot of times. Especially around here. Feel free to look around :-)

[Sebastian Finke]

Have a look at the ones listed below. I only included links for the free and budget ones. If you're willing to drop some serious cash then google the pro stuff. For a beginner I highly recommend the Cubify range...

Free:

FreeCAD
123D Design
Creo Elements/Direct
SketchUp
OpenSCAD
BRL-CAD
SolveSpace

Budget:

Cubify Invent
Cubify Design
Cubify Sculpt
Moi3D
VariCAD
SolidFace

Pro:

SolidWorks, Creo, Catia, Geomagic Design, SolidEdge, TopSolid, NX, Inventor.

[levalencia]

lol there are so many to choose from,

[Sebastian Finke]

lol there are so many to choose from,

I know. Isn't capitalism awesome?

Seriously though, go through the sites. Do the trials (if available). And remember that paid-for software will always do a better job than free software.

[awerby]

The choice of software really depends on what you're trying to design. If you're trying to produce mechanical assemblies, then you'd ideally want a history-based solids modeling program (Cubify Design, for instance), but if it's an organically-formed decorative item, you're going to be more successful with a "virtual clay" direct modeling application (like Cubify Sculpt).

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[levalencia]

thanks a lot for your help.

so there is basically no software fits all needs

what I am looking to print is things like mobile phone cases, keychains, 3d selfies, lamps,. etc, those kind of stuff that can "easily" be sold,


And another question is there a standard file format across all these applications? I meant if I purchase or download a mode from any website, can I open it from any of these apps?

[levalencia]

this looks like a nice way to select one https://i.materialise.com/blog/top-2...or-3d-printing

[Bobby Lin]

Here's my recommendation list for you. I hope this helps!

Expensive but Good
SolidWorks is almost an industry standard. I am personally pro-efficient with SolidWorks already even without formal training, which means it has a good intuitive user interface and great community support. It is very rich in features as well. Too bad it costs several thousand dollars. (if you are actually a student, learning SolidWorks is highly recommended, try to obtain an education version)

Autodesk Inventor is almost on par with SolidWorks with very similar features. I’ve tried it briefly. I simply do not have a reason to switch to Inventor from SolidWorks.

SolidEdge was used at one of the places I worked for. It’s not bad but definitely doesn’t shine above the other contenders in this classification.

Free and Good
By “good”, I mean it meets a few certain criteria: dimensions can be typed, can export to a format like DXF or STEP or IGES, and good general software quality.

I try to share STEP files or IGES files whenever I can, so if you need to open my files, try one of these software. I believe being able to share designs is more important than free-ness of software.

Onshape claims to be created by the creators behind SolidWorks. What makes it special is that it runs in the browser using WebGL (it can also run on mobile devices this way). It has many collaboration features, version control (like git), and even real-time multiple user collaboration (just like Google Docs). Designs are saved online, but it can also import and export a wide variety of formats, including STEP and even SolidWorks. It certainly feels like a really lightweight SolidWorks. It is a “parametric feature-based solid modeler”, with support for assemblies. It isn’t missing anything in a way that I would consider a show stopper. Their business model is somewhat similar to GitHub. If you want to use Onshape for free, you are limited to 5 private files but unlimited number of public files. If you pay them a monthly subscription, then you can have unlimited number of public files and manage multiple users within an organization. Onshape is currently in public beta and I encourage everybody to try it out.

Autodesk 123D meets these criteria. The disappointment is that it is not “feature-based”, so the workflow might take a bit longer than using SolidWorks. It’s good to pre-plan your model really well before bring it to the 3rd dimension. (think about how to make your object in a “subtractive” method first, as if you were carving it out of wood, my point is: you don’t have many opportunities to fix mistakes)

Autodesk Fusion 360 is very similar to 123D but with more features. It is more forgiving than 123D in terms of letting you edit the thing you already created (it is sort of “feature-based”). It is It is free only for certain people, but hobbyists are apparently included so yay for that. It can import from and export to a ton of file formats. The paid version isn’t outrageously expensive.

DesignSpark Mechanical is similar to 123D, but with more focus on electronics and pushes products from “RS Components International”. It can export to DXF but not STEP, so it is not completely recommended (the DXF contains lines in 3 dimensions but does not describe solids, you end up with a wireframe model if you try to import it).

Cheap and Almost Good
Cubify is feature-based and parametric with an interface that can compete with SolidWorks. It is cheap enough to recommend, except it only saves/exports to 2 file formats, a proprietary format and STL. If it cannot export to STEP or DXF (or similar) then I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it. Their customer support stated that there are no plans to add that feature. (I should note that importing STEP is supported, just not exporting)

SolidFace is feature-based and parametric with an interface that looks like somebody just stole SolidWorks icons and changed some colors, but the actual UI layout is terrible, and depends on a lot of keyboard commands. I couldn’t figure out how to edit the length of a line I just drew. I would not recommend this software.
Others

OpenSCAD, and similar languages, are great when they are really applicable to your specific situation. But if you are a newbie, do not start off designing stuff using code as a learning step!

OpenJSCAD is like OpenSCAD except in JavaScript and can run in a browser.
I do not do much “organic” modelling. I hear that Blender is a good free program. Personally, I’ve used Rhino 3D back when I was in high school.

Geomagic is basically the the old Alibre Design, except now they belong to 3D Systems. It’s in the same class as SolidWorks. (Note that Cubify is also owned by 3D Systems and has a backend based on Alibre Design)

[MechaBits]

If you want to get a job Solidworks would be high on the list of software to learn, or Catia/Inventor/Pro-E

But if you want to try something different have a go with IRONCAD or Innovate, A joy to Use, Fast, Featured, Opens most things, they have free trials & student deals, and also the free Composer.
http://www.ironcad.com/index.php/lat...5-new-features