CAD

[Simon Peck]

Dear all, for those who are tinkering with CAD programs, could you give an opinion of the programs you’re using? Something along the lines, ease of use, usefulness, iPad, Windows, cost etc. All with an idea to produce either 3D parts, CNC parts or just drawings. Thanks!

[Tim Page]

Hi Simon, The CAD software i use is Onshape.

It is free and I find it pretty easy to use and generally is good enough for what i need.
I use it to design parts to be printed on my 3d printers but you can use it to make drawings as well.

I have also tried to get to grips with Blender but it is not as easy to pick up, although a lot more powerful.

Cheers
Tim

[Vince Cutajar]

Hi Simon. I am using the free version of Fusion 360.

I use it on a windows 10 laptop but can also be used on a MacOs machine. With a workaround it can also be used on a linux machine. I use it mostly to do 3D models which can than be 3D printed. One can also do the 2D drawings from the 3D model. It can also be used for CAM (CNC machining) sheet metal design, simulation, rendering and also PCB design.

A few months ago the free version had the same capabilities as the paid version but recently some restrictions were put on the free version. This did not affect me much as I use it mostly for 3D drawings but the people who also used the CAM module were mostly affected. One can still do some CNC with it but with less capability. Best to check on their website to see the differences between the free and full version.

Before Fusion 360 I had no experience in CAD. At that time, the only help that was available was their community forum. Now help is available everywhere. I started using it mostly to occupy myself during my free time I had when I doing some work in the UK instead of staring at the TV or sitting in the pub. It was all hands on learning and reading the few help files that were available at that time. By hook or by crook in two months I managed to virtually build and animate a 3D model of a steam engine I was building at that time from 2D plans that I had.

Was it difficult?

All I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised that I picked it up. I will admit that I am only scratching the surface of Fusion 360 and am still learning new things as I go along but I still manage to do most things. This CAD lark is really a god-send for me in these pandemic times as it keeps me occupied as I am hardly going to the workshop.

Vince

[Robert E Morey]

I don't think you can beat Fusion 360 for features and price. There's other CAD program out there, but none have the features that F360 has for home users. Decent CAD, cloud sharing, Illustrating and Rendering, Analysis and FEA, CAM machining, 3D printing slicer. Its pretty easy to use - tons of tutorial (Youtube) and has a large community of users. Its also free for hobbyist or moderately priced for commercial use.

I use Inventor (granddaddy of F360) and Solidworks for work, but both are out of reach for home users cost wise. Unless you can get a student version of SW.

Blender is pretty good for basic creature and figure modelling, but has a pretty steep learning curve. Rhino is another CAD option, but is not cheap or free and also has a learning curve. Sketchup, FreeCAD, TinkerCAD are other options, but those are only modelling platforms (no machining, but can output STL for printing).

Lots of options, but I would try F360 just because of the large amount of tutorial and large user community.

[Sam Hough]

Hi,

If, like me, you are from a programming background you might want to try https://www.openscad.org/ It is not the latest or greatest and can be very slow to render but I really enjoy using it. Apart from it fitting with my programmer brain I also find it less taxing for my eyes/hands (I have chronic illness impacting them).

I totally agree with the other posts about it being fun. When I got the 3d printer I thought the CAD part might be the boring bit but I really enjoy it. Removing supports is the boring bit

Cheers

Sam

[Christoffer Ahlfors]

I am using FreeCAD, because it is open source and always will be free of charge. Unfortunately, I have never used anything else, so can not compare.
I use it to create parts for my 3D printer and have recently got into CNC. There is a built in slicer, that I have never tried. The CNC bit is rather immature (buggy), but quite capable. Development is going fast and found bugs get corrected fast. The support forum is extremely helpful.
https://wiki.freecadweb.org/Main_Page

[Simon Peck]

Thanks for the replies. Food for thought.
Vince, my situation is similar to yours, when I’m at work, I have time available I could use a bit more constructively. An iPad (or similar) is easier for me as it tends not to raise security suspicions to the same levels as a laptop would (no idea why!?).
Away from this forum I’ve been recommended Shapr, any takers there?
Years ago, in a previous life I used Autocad, but I’m sure things have moved on greatly from there. I just don’t see how some of these programs can command such high prices?

[Robert E Morey]

I still use Autocad for 2D DXF editing - for laser cutting, nesting flat parts and some flat sheet machining. But I don't like it for 3D modelling, esp compared to more Intuitive platforms like Solidworks, Inventor, F360. I'm sure someone out there "loves it" it tho.

You can nearly an exact Autocad copy with Draftsite, and unlike Autocad is free or much lower price.
B

[Simon Peck]

Again, thanks all. Seems Fusion 360 gets some decent reviews. Can anyone give their experiences of it on the iPad? Cheers!

[Vince Cutajar]

Simon
As far as I know, the iPad app is just a viewer.
Up to last year there could have been a possibility to use the iPad web browser to access an online version of F360 and create or edit 3D models (never used this method so don't know if it's true) that way, but with the recent restrictions to the free license users, this might not be available anymore.

Best thing is to do an internet search for Fusion 360 and iPad.

Vince