Do i have to learn CAD

[jimc]

hmmm never heard of eureka. i just checked it out and looks perfect to teach my 10 year old with. i had him try tinkercad. i hate it and so does he. maybe ill try it out to see if its good for him. i was going to teach him rhino because i know it well but i think at 10 its just slightly over his head. at 12-13 he could prob handle it. thanks for the link mike!

[Tesla]

If you want to be able to make some things relatively quickly, prior to gaining expertise in an advanced modeler like Blender, you could try something like Eureka. I use it when I want to make basic household items, because it's very fast and easy, and because you can't make unprintable objects with it. I only use a more advanced modeler if I want to make more advanced objects.

http://eurekatec.com/home.html

Nice! thanks for the link

[DangerousThing]

I like Modo, but I can use Blender.

[HummaKavula]

If You can get an access to Solidworks i would very much recommend it (it's expensive, though). The possibilities are immense and although the learning curve may prove a bit steep for a complete 3D novice, it pays off later on. I don't know what do you plan to do in 3D printing, but in the future Your needs may extend further form laying plastic layers and then You need CAD drawings. That's especially true when you do some models of boats, planes or automobiles.

[DangerousThing]

If You can get an access to Solidworks i would very much recommend it (it's expensive, though). The possibilities are immense and although the learning curve may prove a bit steep for a complete 3D novice, it pays off later on. I don't know what do you plan to do in 3D printing, but in the future Your needs may extend further form laying plastic layers and then You need CAD drawings. That's especially true when you do some models of boats, planes or automobiles.

Both Blender and Modo can do all of that with much less training than Solidworks for a fraction do the cost. That's why I don't list 3dMax or Maya, because they cost much more than the combination of both 3d printers I have on order.

There is also Wings, but I don't know that personally.

There is also FreeCAD, which does some things very well.

I strongly suggest not investing much until you know that you're going to stick with 3d work. Now, if you have access to Solidworks through work or school, you might want to try it out. One thing I've found over the years is that taste in 3d applications is a very personal thing.

[HummaKavula]

I've used FreeCAD. Buggy as hell. There's a reason for software being in 0.13 release. However i'm not some fanatical salesman of Solidworks. I wouldn't use it on my own if I had to buy it for my own money. At least not for 3D printing modeling. And I fully agree with your last suggestion.

[Charles]

Strongly recommend Solidworks, it's the industry standard for product design.


Edit: It's also called a parametric program allowing you to edit any features you have made.

[MakerTed]

I design stuff, but my knowledge of CAD is very limited. You can use programs like FreeCAD and just experiment with it. There isn't too much you need to know in order to make a cool 3D design.

[old man emu]

I've just come across a free CAD program called 123D Design. It seems to have all the attributes of a good CAD program.

www.123dapp.com/design

Old Man Emu

[jimc]

ome, if your already using rhino then you will be taking about 100 steps backward going to 123d design.