3D printer

[Bitsyncmaster]

I'm looking for a CAD design software just to do "engineered parts". I don't want something that can animate or do modeling of cartoon charterers. Yes I know of many but you have to pay a large monthly fee.

I use TinkerCAD which does what I want but it does not let me save a source file on my computer.

[jangell]

I don't remember if it's in this thread already, but I started using Fusion 360 for 3D printed parts. It's a proper CAD package intended for engineering, and is pretty powerful; I'm barely scratching the surface. I find it a little weird coming from a 3D graphics background, but it works quite well.

They have a 1 year trial, which you can renew for an additional two years (I'm about 8 months into my first year). After that it's like a $550/year subscription.

-- Joe

[Bitsyncmaster]

I don't remember if it's in this thread already, but I started using Fusion 360 for 3D printed parts. It's a proper CAD package intended for engineering, and is pretty powerful; I'm barely scratching the surface. I find it a little weird coming from a 3D graphics background, but it works quite well.

They have a 1 year trial, which you can renew for an additional two years (I'm about 8 months into my first year). After that it's like a $550/year subscription.

-- Joe

That is one most people use but I don't use it enough to justify the cost. Maybe 1 or 2 months a year max.

[jangell]

That is one most people use but I don't use it enough to justify the cost. Maybe 1 or 2 months a year max.

That's the problem I have too. But at the same time, I don't want to deal with trying fight with some less-than-intuitive free software when I can just build the thing quickly in Fusion 360. In the end, I'll probably wind up just paying the subscription. Too bad there isn't something like a $200/year "maker" version that doesn't include structural analysis, electrical design all and other stuff that you don't really need for hobby 3D printing.

I admit that the main reason I started playing with Fusion is because whenever I find a YouTube video of someone building something, it's in Fusion.

FreeCAD is another free CAD app, but I've never used it, so I can't speak to it. Then there's things like OpenSCAD, which is more a text editor with a 3D view attached, and you write code to create 3D objects. Interesting for certain kinds of models, I imagine, but kinda annoying if you just want to build a project box.

-- Joe

[bytes311]

That is one most people use but I don't use it enough to justify the cost. Maybe 1 or 2 months a year max.

It is my understanding that you renew your subscription every three years - for hobbyists it remains free. Of course they can change the terms any time so it's good to have a backup plan.

[mike123]

I'm looking for a CAD design software just to do "engineered parts". I don't want something that can animate or do modeling of cartoon charterers. Yes I know of many but you have to pay a large monthly fee.

I use TinkerCAD which does what I want but it does not let me save a source file on my computer.

What do you mean by "save a source file"? I use TinkerCAD and save .STL files to my computer, and ultimately save the "sliced" file to a USB memory stick and then plug it into my 3D printer.

Regarding your materials question from a few years ago, I have found ASA to be a great material. Supposedly it has the heat resistance of ABS, but also some added UV resistance. (I am doing all of this to print time machine parts, so UV resistance is important to me). I test out my files in PLA on my printer, and when I have them perfect, I use craftcloud3d.com to get them printed in ASA and shipped to me. The quality of print (filament diameter) varies by bidder and is not specified on the craftcloud site, but based on my experience:

3D Pros - not good
GAGAT AM - totally acceptable and willing to do some sizable (12" x 12" x 8") prints
3D for Me - outstanding quality

[jangell]

It is my understanding that you renew your subscription every three years - for hobbyists it remains free. Of course they can change the terms any time so it's good to have a backup plan.

I think you're right. I can't see anything specific about the "trail", as I was calling it, expiring. Not sure why I thought that. I appear to be running the "personal use" version.

I found two useful documents about it:
- What "personal use" means: https://www.autodesk.com/support/tec...e-Changes.html
- Do I qualify for "personal use": https://www.autodesk.com/support/tec...usion-360.html

For Dave:
- They're a limit of 10 "editable" documents at once. This isn't really a limit -- you can flag any document as "editable" or not at any time. You're not limited to only having 10 documents total, and I've never needed more than 1 or 2 at a time.
- It does do cloud storage, but you can export as an F3D file, which is a complete Fusion 360 file, which you can then re-import in the future. I haven't done this before, but I have loaded such models into Fusion from other sources.

-- Joe

[Bitsyncmaster]

What do you mean by "save a source file"? I use TinkerCAD and save .STL files to my computer, and ultimately save the "sliced" file to a USB memory stick and then plug it into my 3D printer.

You can't make design changes to a .STL file so it is not a source file.

[mike123]

You can't make design changes to a .STL file so it is not a source file.

Ahh, got it. I just use what I build on their website as my "source file". Everything I make is cosmetic though, so it's pretty low-stakes and just for fun.

[FABombjoy]

FreeCAD is an option. I just used it (along with the sheet metal plugin) to design a custom radiator fan shroud.

Its not as point-and-click as fusion/tinkercad but has far more powerful features. And the price is right.