Hello,
I am just starting with 3D printing and have tried out Adobe Photoshop 3D features, google sketchup, 123D Design and 3DS max 2015. I found 123D Design the easiest to use but am not sure if it is the best option when it comes to building printable 3D models.
Which program do you guys use?
Thank you!
-Alex
Hi Alex,
Can you tell us what type of models you want to create?
Figurines, household Items, Jewelry, ā¦ The Choise of model depends on the type of model.
I.e. with 123D Design its not posible to sculp.
I have tried Antimony by M Keeter https://github.com/mkeeter/antimony. This is software for Mac and Linux so far, not Windows. Itās very good for making technical 3D models, where you can build it up from building blocks into something that is strictly designed.
If you are trying to create functional prototypes try onshape.
Hi Alex
we develop 3D Slash, Minecraft look&feel 3D modeling tool : design with cubes & shapes, play on size of pixels in order to get Mesh & manifold garanteed STL files for 3D printing. Online & offline available (for improved UX ; Window-Mac-Linux)
please find our HOW TO here. Iāll be happy to help!
Enjoy your 3D Slash session!
Magali
I am looking to create functional pins to be used as jewelry pieces. Thank you!
Hi alex,
In this case I should look into Zbrush or Mudbox. These are very great and professional programs to use and there is many documentation to find on the world wide web.
Zbrush has also a free limited version called sculptiris.
Good Luck
I am looking to create functional pins to be used as jewelry pieces. Thank you!
I like sketchup for most things i model, but this is what i have most experience with. I am currently looking for a new software to start playing with.
Tinkercad is free and really easy to learn so it might be worth trying! Itās great to play with more basic shapes and then move to complex ones.
Rhinoceros 3D works very well for me, they have a large community with how to help and tips. I have found that it is a emerging program in architecture and design fields. The program also has plug-ins to allow you to do mathematical models along with mathematical calculations. it also allows you to render and animate if are interested. Its quit easy to use if you have ever used autocad. They also have intergraded tools for They came out with an update 3D printing and have recently added the ability to export directly to some printers. I would at least check it out.
Hi Alex,
Iāve been working in 2D / 3D CAD for 20+ years and have used all the big names as well as the free software for weekend projects etc.
The answer to your question really comes from asking a question. That question is āWhat do you want to model?ā
If the answer is Geometric, engineering type parts e.g. brackets, enclosures etc then Iād go for the Pro-E (or is it Creo now), Solidworks, Inventor, 123D Design, TinkerCAD style software as they are easy to start using and the models are driven by dimensions. Meaning the editing is as simple as changing a dimension size.
If the answer is Organic, natural type parts e.g. fractal driven parts etc then Iād go for the 3D MAX, Rhino, Blender style software as they are far better at direct face manipulation.
But what does that mean?
Ok, so lets say yo want a 100mm x 50mm x 25mm box. Any software can do that, nice and easy.
So now you want to wrap the box in text so the letters are āgapsā in the box. Again easy for any software.
Now you think "hmm i want to ādentā the box lid a little or add some cool curves to the box.
Using the āEngineeringā type software youāll have to edit your box initial shape and then work on any errors that get thrown up by the text cut operations etc.
Using the āOrganicā software you simply hit the correct tool and drag the faces how ever you want them. Youāll see the faces distort and have better control over the distortion BUT youāll distort the text too.
What I am really trying to get across here is that the software you use greatly depends on how you want to model and WHAT you want to model.
Try sticking with 123D Design for āEngineeringā parts and give Blender a go for āOrganicā parts. Both are free and have a good info base on Youtube.
Finally, I also want to mention something called āDesign Intentionā. This is the thing you need in the back of your mind while modeling. Usually it makes you aware of how you model, ādo I INTEND this hole to be 10mm in from the left side or 50mm in from the right sideā This makes a difference when editing the part and is usually the biggest cause of the well know āWhy has the model changed shape in THAT way?ā
To make things a little more interesting, Design Intention also drives your design with respect to the manufacturing process you INTEND to use. You āIntendā to 3D print the part so you model something that can actually be 3D printed, thinking about overhangs, print bed orientation, support material etc etc etc.
Best example I can think of is āI want to 3D model a carā, cool sounding project and the result will be photo real images. But TOTALLY different to āI want to 3D model a car for 3D printingā where the result will be a real object.
In conclusion, there are a whole ton of things to think about when 3D modeling and even more to think about when 3D printing. The software you use to model isnāt really the biggest driving factor. The first thing Iād recommend to anyone is to go with 1 package, what ever it is, create some parts and after a few weeks decide if itās what you want.
hope this helps
Steve
Jep, starting with TinkerCad makes sense. For a bit more advanced usage Iām a big fan of Fusion 360
Steve,
Thank you so much for such a detailed response. I appreciate it!
Best regards,
-Alex
I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to reply to my inquiry. I definitely have a lot more research to do to determine the best option for my needs. The suggestions Iāve received are very informative and are sure to help me with this process. Thank you all and have a wonderful weekend!
Blender for all ! itās the better and pro ! after use for some expĆ©rience meshmixer 
and rox and rollā¦ and for sketch freecad is all free
with this stuff you can make everything and full free
By the examples youāve given it sounds like you mean modeling software. It is somewhat a preference, but if itās mechanical models you might want something like Solidworks or Inventor. If itās organic models, zbrush and rhino are the ones Iāve read is popular. TinkerCad and SCAD are free, as is Blender respectivatly, all popular in their own right.
If you are comfortable already with Autodesk 123d Design. Just get Autodesk Fusion 360.
very similar interface but with all the features you were missing in 123d.
AND ITS FREE TOO!
cheers
Fusion 360. Same gui of 123d and also free!
I would just like to Thank you myself for such a comprehensible, informative and easy to read and digest suggestions. I was definitely not born with a āmechanicalā mind so Iām even struggling in Tinkercad. Yeah, you read that right. LOL. i may be on the verge of hiring a personal tutor because I want to design my own 3D models since I have five 3D printers. Once again Thanks for your suggestions!
-Christian