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Where is the Modelling Software for 3D Printing?

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Re: Where is the Modelling Software for 3D Printing?

#11

Post by TTPrograms »

georgemcbay wrote: post #9
MarcScott wrote: post #7

We use SolidWorks at my school, and my students don't seem to have any issues. It's fairly easy to use and easy to generate files that our 3d printer can handle.

While the linked blog post focuses on usability rather than price, it is perhaps important to note that a single SolidWorks license costs about 8 times as much as you might pay for a pretty decent (if basic) FDM 3D printer. I'm not arguing that the software isn't worth that price because its scope is vast, but that price makes it basically a non-starter as a suggestion for a software package for hobbyists.

Onshape is pretty terrific in that regard, and its interface is like a much more elegant Solidworks:

https://www.onshape.com/

Re: Where is the Modelling Software for 3D Printing?

#12

Post by errantspark »

Designing and printing a 3D object is fundamentally much more complex than typing out an essay and hitting print. There's always going to be a big learning curve for someone trying to get into 3D printing/modelling for the first time. There's no way to get around that, it's especially hard for people who do not have a lot of spatial reasoning experience.

The most important point in the article, and I think the most valuable potential feature of new 3D printing oriented design software is this:

Communication of 3D printing limitations to the user at design time

For someone experienced with 3D printing (someone who's messed up a few prints and thought about why) it's easy to see why certain features are unlikely to print correctly because they have had the opportunity to build a mental model of the 3D printing process in their head. Helping people build up this mental model quicker, especially without having to actually print and iterate physically is invaluable to being able to efficiently design 3D parts.

Re: Where is the Modelling Software for 3D Printing?

#13

Post by joshuapants »

candu wrote: post #6

I'm surprised they don't mention OpenSCAD [1], which in conjunction with a decent vector graphics editor works wonders for a wide range of objects. Yes, it has a programming interface, but I'd argue the visual/spatial context makes it much easier to pick up than most programming languages. I've seen it successfully taught to people who otherwise have little to no coding experience. (If I had to gripe about something…

OpenSCAD is great, I went from no 3D modeling experience to making the part I wanted in a about a weekend. I could see it being a bit cumbersome for large parts or dealing with assemblies of parts (can it even do that?), but it was really much easier than I thought it would be.

Re: Where is the Modelling Software for 3D Printing?

#14

Post by krschultz »

MarcScott wrote: post #7

We use SolidWorks at my school, and my students don't seem to have any issues. It's fairly easy to use and easy to generate files that our 3d printer can handle.

SolidWorks is the industry standard, but the price is pretty far out of range for most hobbyists. If you aren't a student or pirating it, SolidWorks will exceed the cost of your printer. Most people are printing relatively simple things and don't need that much capability.

Re: Where is the Modelling Software for 3D Printing?

#15

Post by loopbit »

errantspark wrote: post #12

Designing and printing a 3D object is fundamentally much more complex than typing out an essay and hitting print. There's always going to be a big learning curve for someone trying to get into 3D printing/modelling for the first time. There's no way to get around that, it's especially hard for people who do not have a lot of spatial reasoning experience. The most important point in the article, and I think the most v…

For basic things like model checking, I'd recommend NetFabb model checker[0] and/or uploading the file to Shapeways[1].

The first will try to do basic model checking and close any holes it finds. Shapeways uploading process will go into much more detail, trying to find areas that might be too thin for the printer to print, or too close together...

Also, I long for the day where other 3D printing technologies reach the general public. FDM (the process all makerbots and clones use) is fine, but the quality is not as goood as it could be and things like support material are a necessity when doing complex pieces.

BTW, just in case anyone needs this, a great program to convert a 3D model to gcode is Cura[2].

[0] https://netfabb.azurewebsites.net/ [1] http://www.shapeways.com/ [2] https://ultimaker.com/en/products/software

Re: Where is the Modelling Software for 3D Printing?

#19

Post by bhouston »

greggman wrote: post #18

I thought Tinkercad's goals were for 3d printing. No idea if it actually meets the criteria https://www.tinkercad.com/ There's also Clara.io but I think it's targeting rendering https://clara.io/

TinkerCAD is used a lot for 3D Printing, but at the low end.

At the higher end, there is http://onshape.com, an online professionally-oriented CAD tool that is aimed at mechanical engineers. Onshape is from the team that brought you SolidWorks.

While http://Clara.io does have some capabilities for 3D printing, it is best to think of Clara.io as like an online Blender with publishing. Like Blender, Clara.io is oriented towards media creation (stills, animations, videos, etc.) but not necessarily restricted to solid models.

Examples of what Clara.io can do:

PRS Guitar: https://clara.io/view/d39a6ee1-d542-4390-89f8-481bc1dbb011

Dirty Armor: https://clara.io/view/193070f2-e8af-4afc-a531-9d82338b5288

Leather Sofa: https://clara.io/view/f4e5a5ec-a086-4add-aee6-2d2a35730b06

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