I know that there is a large difference between CAD and general 3D modeling, but I've designed all my custom 3D printed parts in Blender and have had zero issues with fitment or scaling.
this post was submitted on 03 May 2024
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Yup, it really depends on if you want to specifically get experience with CAD or have a working thing in your hand. Blender is perfectly capable of working in scale and is how I’ve designed / printed anything custom with perfect results.
I was just posting in another thread about how I remade the armrest of my Traveler Guitar to be more comfortable. The one it comes with is super uncomfortable to me, so I redesigned it to be shaped more like a Squier. Images here .
All I really needed was some cardboard, some calipers, and Blender. Though, to get the measurements just so, I had to make a bunch of little virtual rulers (the yellow strips). In CAD, you wouldn't need those since the measurements are described directly in the process of making the part.
Use freeCAD as it will be easier
Unless you have a graphics background and no CAD experience. In which case, Blender will be far easier.
It might be easier in the short term. However, long term you should use cad. Blender isn't for video editing or cad work.
I disagree with the overall substance of your argument.
Sure, if you've already designed something on paper and want to feed numbers in and get a part, CAD is clearly superior. I don't work that way.
I will use (and recommend) the tools that have the least friction for me. I would not increase the time and headache to complete a project just because someone else thinks another workflow is better. I don't need CAD because 3D printing tolerances are not that tight. Some people need/want CAD because that's the only kind of tool they've used to make 3D objects, and that's low friction for them. That's cool too.
I'm suggesting Blender here in case someone (OP or a passer-by) hadn't considered it, and didn't realize that it's up to the task of creating 3D printable objects. It definitely can, I've done it dozens of times, even with matching measurements against existing parts (which - it occurs to me now - is most of what I've done).
Also, I exclusively use Blender VSE for video editing. Mostly because it's the best free/open-source option I've tried, and I don't need to add another tool to my workflow. I never really liked the Adobe suite, and most non-adobe tools try to cosplay as them. It's a lesser form of a thing I already didn't like.
Onshape hands down. Browser based so there's no compatibility issues. It's super easy to use and pretty powerful. Its free for hobbiests (the caveat being your models will be publically accessible). We use it exclusively at work and it's been awesome.
Onshape.com
I'd love a good Foss CAD package but there are too many issues with the current ones for me to make the jump.
This is the only correct answer. Onshape is a fantastict, feature complete CAD system that I would be happy to use for any commercial project regardless of size and stakes. Love it.
I’ve tried out FreeCAD and it’s decent - but it’s really tough to get a hang of. Ondsel has a bit of a better interface imo and is based directly off of FreeCAD. Maybe give either of those a shot?
Ondsel is great. It is an engineering focused branch of freecad. They have solved a lot of the issues and have made the UI/UX a lot smoother.
Finally libre cad that actually is usable!
I use FreeCAD, but if you don't want to learn that stuff (it's quite fiddly), maybe give Dune 3D a shot.
Or OpenSCAD
FreeCAD. It's fantastic but takes some getting used to. I recommend the Ondsel fork - it's still free and open source except for the cloud storage which you can ignore. Ondsel includes some newer features and some interface changes.
A lot will depend on your preferred workflow, and since you mentioned SolidWorks I assume that means you prefer a more GUI-oriented approach. However as an alternative, if you are comfortable with more of a programming approach, you might look in to OpenSCAD. Most things are done from a more primitive standpoint in how you create each part of an object, but I like having the direct control over every aspect.
FreeCAD is what you need for 3D cad/cam or 3d printing. And for 2D cad, or 2D cad/cam, there's the free GPL version of QCad (recommended to buy the full version for $40 to get cad/cam and more import/export file support from autocad). Anything else (librecad, openscad, Design etc) are not as well rounded imho. And then there's onshape, but that's not Free software.
I would definitely recommend Onshape, this is what I use.
It's great that FreeCAD exist but I would not recommend it for a beginner in CAD, there is a very steep learning curve before being able to create anything in it.
Everyone said freecad.
If you already know cad then it will work fine*. If not, you will not have an easy time getting going in it. Start with something that’s widely supported with a million tutorials like 360 or solidworks. Consider skechup or whatever.
Cad is not straightforward unless you have training in design/drafting. Do not make it harder on yourself.
Im trying to move from windows to linux and from solidworks to freecad completely. Its not easy at all, even SW 2008 is so advanced. Im not giving up tho 😉
BricsCAD is good, but it costs quite a lot. Otherwise the Ondsel fork of FreeCAD is pretty good.
This. I support their model of one time pricing
FreeCAD works pretty well once you learn the UI
the whole point of cad software is the ui though. last time i needed it i tried it and went for an online one instead. even a chamfered box needed an inordinate amount of learning on freecad.
MS paint
Plasticity
I like FreeCAD, but I've heard people complain about it.
I'm not an ME, so I certainly don't make use of all the CAD features needed, so maybe that's why I don't get the complaints. Still, it suits my needs which mostly involve modeling PCBs and building enclosures around them.
I have also been toying with the idea of some simple 3D modeling, like making custom parts for projects around my house
I think that FreeCAD and Blender are probably fine for this.
Example of something I've made and printed the enclosure for via FreeCAD: Fight Key Wide. It uses parameter-based design and includes some design touches like screw-holes and bezels which aren't purely simple geometry, so FreeCAD gets a pass in my book.
If you look at the GitHub linked on the project page, it has the enclosure files which you can check out in FreeCAD if that helps you get started.
Freecad has improved considerably in the last year, to a point where I've gone from saying I will wait to use it, to recommending it. It may actually have been designed for humans now.
Assuming you can figure out the UI
With about a half an hour of reading documentation it became very clear a couple versions ago what work benches were, which were useful to me, and how to use them. That's maybe longer than going from inventor to solidworks or visa versa, but hardly that bad. For a beginner it will be taking a long time anyway and there will be essentially no difference, except that you'll learn a much more robust understanding of how parametric modeling works.