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Which CAD/CAM to learn 3D design and use 3D printer and CNC mill
awemawson:
I find some of the Youtube videos painful, as although they say that they are basic introductions but actually start assuming too much knowledge. I find Lars Christensen very good as he genuinely starts at the beginning:
nrml:
Fusion 360 is a fantastic program, but I am not sure how long it will remain free. It is an incredible package and my gut feeling is that sooner or later once they reach a critical number of users, Autodesk will start charging even for hobby use. Most people who have invested time and effort in learning the package will simply cough up the money unless it is extortionate. For people on a very limited hobby budget this is something to consider.
Autodesk shut down 123D (which was very nice for simple 3D modelling) and they are pushing users into either their less capable free product (TinkerCAD) or their more sophisticated professional solutions. I think they will restructure other bits of their product portfolio sooner rather than later.
I haven't bothered reapplying for the free licence after mine ran out earlier this year. I have installed designspark mechanical on my computer instead https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/mechanical-software It is a slightly dumbed down version of Spaceclaim (which I understand is a well respected professional CAD package). The difference is that it is offered by RS components / Allied electrical for free as a way to get you to purchase your hardware from them. You have access to the RS components parts libraries for free. I think this has a better chance of remaining free to use than Fusion 360. The downside is that it is not as capable and lacks a CAM package but on a positive note you don't have to reapply for a licence every year.
I have purchased a licence for Estlcam for 49 Euros http://www.estlcam.com/. IMO is is an absolute bargain at this price. It is available for free trial and free use with no restrictions on features but I understand that a bit of nagware will eventually kick in urging you to purchase a licence. The developer has put out some excellent instructional videos and it looks like an adequate package for hobby use.
The free to use slicing programs do a very good job for 3D printing. There are a few available each with their own strengths and weaknesses and all fairly easy to use.
j1312v:
I have the same opinion about Fusion360 regarding it's free status in the future. :coffee:
My other issues are data legacy and time invested learning the software.
If you are only making small designs and they are for personal use or one-offs the data legacy may not be a big issue.
Also If you want to keep records of your work or want to share it, I will recommend you to make proper drawings and save them as pdf and/or save STEP copies.
On the other side the idea behind F360 is great but its not as easy to use as Solidworks and I wish they have made the menus a bit more simple, for example the CAM side has to many options in my opinion .
Almost all 3D softwares are similar so if you learn F360 you will not struggle when another similar software came along.
In conclusion use it but keep backups of what you want to use later.
Best,
B
awemawson:
I had big concerns about it being cloud based - I avoid the cloud like the plague. But then I found that I could keep local copies of stuff so that is less of an issue.
Joules:
Much point me mentioning Rhino :thumbup: Both PC and Mac versions, you pay for the version and then get support and updates for the life of that version (2-3yrs). Access to the beta program if you fancy, and reduced cost version update. No extra cost of upgrade if you miss a version or two. It's a NURBS modeller than a solid modeller, has tons of file types it can import and export, though SolidWorks files are not one of them.
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