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Any Cad users out there? Help!

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scoobydoo

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Trying to figure out which is the best cad program for 3d modeling and rendering.  It's proven exhausting trying to learn multiple programs only to find out they don't do what I want them to do.

 

If anyone out there has any suggestions 

 

I'll be using a surface pro or a dell XPS 15

"Panacheless is no way to go through life"

Tims

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Autodesk Fusion 360. Its free for. Non-commercial users, and very easy to use and full featured, with a full CAM suite and outputs for RP. For what it's worth, I find the lofted surfaces easier to use for free form surfaces, but that's probably just because of how I work.

Edited by Kent I
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19 hours ago, Kent I said:

Autodesk Fusion 360. Its free for. Non-commercial users, and very easy to use and full featured, with a full CAM suite and outputs for RP. For what it's worth, I find the lofted surfaces easier to use for free form surfaces, but that's probably just because of how I work.

I spent a few hours learning lofting today!

I keep forgetting to think in multiple planes.....................

I dig it!  Thanks for the tip..The free aspect was pretty well hidden.  

"Panacheless is no way to go through life"

Tims

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  • 2 months later...

Fusion 360 update. 

Much to my chagrin, I turned Fusion on last week and was informed that my subscription has expired and I now have to start paying. Apparently the free part is only for a trial period...apparently a year or so. The subscription price isn't all tha high, but more than I'm willing to pay on an ongoing basis. Oddly, the program doesn't disappear, you just can't save or output anything. You can, however, create new objects and make drawings from them which can be output as pdf's, which works for me as I've been printing the drawings and glueing them to the blanks instead of making templates. Anyway, apologies to anyone who's invested a lot of time in software that's suddenly going to become useless in a year or so. Too bad...it's a very good CAD program.

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I design sheetmetal and machined parts for a living and would recommend Solidworks. If you can stick with simple shapes Solidworks is great. If you need more artistic looking - think complex sweeps/surfaces, ProE would probably be better. To design reel parts, I'd go with Solidworks.

Quote:Originally Posted by Surf HunterI don't wanna grow boobies.
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Scoob

You didn't say what your intended purpose is (or I missed it if you did)

Each software is going to be better or worse for differing trades/disciplines/uses.

 

I am in architecture.

We used to be all based on AutoCAD

Everyone has moved away from that to Revit.

Both are incredibly expensive and complex.

Revit is not a "learn by yourself in a weekend and have fun" kind of software.

I have heard for general Industrial Design, that Rhino is good.  Deals with complex curves like cars and shoes really well. i have no idea of the cost or how easy it is to pick up.

 

While the rest of my office uses Revit and screams and swears...I use SketchUp for initial design.  they are almost diametrically opposed.

Sketchup:  EASY to learn, lot's of general design capability, very good for early conceptual design where you don't have to be precise to a fraction of an inch.... not so great at complex curves like cars or shoes, not incredibly precise, inexpensive

 

Revit:  HARD to learn, limited general "design" as in, messing around and designing various options...not good for early conceptual design work (unless you are REEEALLLLY GOOD), complex curves require advanced knowledge,, incredibly expensive

 

Note that SketchUp, while owned by Google, was good, and generally free.  The paid version (Pro) allowed you to do three main things that the free one didn't.

1.  Import and export DWG files

2.  Import JPEG

3.  Use the companion program Layout, which gets your drawings to proper scales on proper titleblocks.

 

Now...the new owner, Trimble, has replaced the free version (formerly called Make) with an online web-browser-based on that is absolute crap.  It's really just a dumb kids toy now.  You have to pay $600 for the pro version.

 

that being said, I love sketchup.  there are a bunch of apps (they call Extensions) that do various extra things that the base program doesn't do inherently

 

 

 

 

The Great Big Jig in the Sky...Shine on you crazy diamond jig.

rsz_2aa17withhook.jpg

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I use AutoCAD/AutoCAD MEP at work (mechanical contractor) now and used Creo and SolidWorks during my schooling. The company is more than likely switching over to Revit soon too. Like someone else said, it depends on what you want from the software. SketchUp is okay but I think you'll be pretty limited to what you can model from it (or maybe not but I don't use it enough to say that with certainty). Fusion 360 is my suggestion. 

 

I use Fusion360 at home for my projects/designs. Pretty intuitive, free and provides FEA and CAM add-ons. I'm even machining something for my car that I designed in Fusion360 later today at my uncle's house. 

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Use both Solidworks and Fusion 360 at work, though Fusion 360 only for CAM since I'm currently using the free version.   Will be paying the subscription price once the free trial runs out.   Love Solidworks and Fusion both.   Many tutorials online to help you learn.   Can't go wrong with either.

 

HT

 

Currently have aphasia.    Aphasia is a result of my head stroke causing a bleed.   Happened in my Maine vacation in July (2021).   Lucky me less than 1% of people get stroke aphasia.  :(      I'm making project but have been told this is easily 5 months to 1 year for this to improve.   Until then hope you don't mind making sense with what I text.   HT

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Use to do 3d design for Sikorsky before Lockheed took over and we used Catia v5. Very powerful design program, kinda expensive to buy a license though. Same people who make solidworks 

 

As others have said though fusion 360 is free and pretty decent.

Edited by Viceversa10
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