Best Fit - 3D Modeling Software

[geddski]

Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely check all those out. Has anyone used Autodesk Fusion 360 or ? It looks pretty good too.

[pyronaught]

It looks like there could be a bit of a learning curve getting into Grasshopper, even when just using the graphical interface. I watched a few of the videos and decided to wait until I have a project where enough time could be saved to justify the time spent learning it. I was originally going to use it for the model below, which is a fireworks case former for rolling paper shell casings. It is the type of thing that needs to be scaled to a wide range of sizes, everything from 1" all the way up to 8" diameter (4" diameter is the biggest size that can fit in the build space without making it a two-piece model). It is hollow of course, with a central tube that runs up the inside and a very slight taper on the sides so that the casings can be slipped off after they have been rolled. The wall thickness, inner tube diameter and handle sizes need to be kept the same as it is scaled, which a parametric model would make possible without having to rebuild the model for each different size. But alas, I've already turned a whole set of these on a wood lathe and don't really need to make plastic ones

former.jpg (443.32 KiB) Viewed 7496 times

[jsc]

I've switched to Fusion 360 almost exclusively. It's powerful, and free (for non-commercial use). Like any CAD software, it has a learning curve. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to try to answer.

[geddski]

Thanks so much everybody. This forum is awesome. I've decided to go with Autodesk Fusion 360. It looks simple enough to be beginner friendly but powerful enough for advanced projects later. It's also working great with my wacom stylus. @jsc how do you get the free for non-commercial use license? All I see is a 30 day trial, and on their site the ability to apply for a 1 year startup waiver or a 3 year education waiver. But I've seen it mentioned many times on the interwebs that it's free for hobyists. Maybe they've changed that recently?

[jdacal]

I highly recommend what used to be Alibre Design, now GeoMagic Design. It is a fully parametric solid modelling program with fully associative 2D drafting. I've been using it since version 6 (perhaps 10 years now). It has gotten quite good. I don't know what the current pricing is, but they were doing a "home/hobby" license that was relatively inexpensive. Their website just says to call for pricing information:

http://www.alibre.com/

Good luck!

The home/hobby one would probably be the one I'm using which is Cubify Design for $199, they also have Cubify Invent which is a more stripped down version but still pretty nice for $49. Alibre was bought by 3DSystems.

There's some nice tutorials someone did on YouTube on the Invent version:

https://www.youtube.com/user/CubifyFan/videos