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  1. #21
    Super Moderator Geoff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ama-fessional Molder View Post
    Blender is pretty lackluster for dimensional work.

    Sketchup is wonderful if you have no idea what you are doing, but you have to make sure your geometry is proper. I have years of practice with the software, but it only takes minutes to get the basics down.
    Blender is perfectly fine for dimensional work, I'm not sure what part of that you missed. I've been using it for , well I forget now since it came out.. and it's metrics have always been spot on, especially when it comes to 3D printing. Like most Software you need to actually learn how to use it correctly. Many people get scared of it's interface, but it's fairly intuitive.
    Hex3D - 3D Printing and Design http://www.hex3d.com

  2. #22
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    True but if you've ever used Solidworks, SpaceClaim, DesignSpark or even Sketchup, Blender is a joke for CAD at least in the mechanical sense. If you have the coin to spend SpaceClaim can't be beat. For free packages, DesignSpark is very very nice.

  3. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by curious aardvark View Post
    But does anyone who's not a commercial cad designer actually NEED commercial cad software, when there's so much around that's free ?

    I'd say not.
    Maybe, maybe not.

    As a professional design engineer I have had the pleasure of working with many different softwares over the years and every now and then I will try a free software, just for larks. Let me tell you, there is no comparison between free and paid-for. Yes, you can do basic designs with the free stuff but to really take your designs to the next level its worth it to spend a bit on software.

    CA: you bought S3D, right? Why not just use the free slicers?


  4. #24
    The free stuff I have played around with:
    Blender
    Sketchup
    BRL-CAD
    Creo Elements
    FreeCAD
    123D Design

    Day to day I use Catia, Powershape, Geomagic Design and Moi3D. Even simple software like Moi3D blows the free stuff out of the water. And I don't get this culture of paying for a slicer but not for a modelling program. Its like playing a £10 guitar through a £1000 amp... makes no sense...


  5. #25
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sebastian Finke View Post
    Maybe, maybe not.

    As a professional design engineer I have had the pleasure of working with many different softwares over the years and every now and then I will try a free software, just for larks. Let me tell you, there is no comparison between free and paid-for. Yes, you can do basic designs with the free stuff but to really take your designs to the next level its worth it to spend a bit on software.

    CA: you bought S3D, right? Why not just use the free slicers?
    that's easy - the only ones that work without any hassle on a replicator clone are makerware desktop, which I have a few major issues with and rep g - which, if it were a joke, would be in extremely bad taste.

    The only off the shelf hassle free alternative to these two for a rep clone is simplify 3d.
    Otherwise I'd be using cura. Which is very similiar to s3d, just doesn't do x3g files.

    It wasn't a case of I prefer to pay for software - there wasn't any real alternative.

    with cad packages - there is a LOT of realistic alternatives to commercial packages.

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