cad software?  

Re: cad software?

Fusion 360. Still very much learning, but I'm able to put basic parts together with it.

Re: cad software?

Thanks! That was the one I was looking at... and I installed it... Now to see how much I remember from 3D design 20 years ago... 🙂 I wasn't very good at it, but also managed to make things.

Re: cad software?

[...]I installed it... Now to see how much I remember from 3D design 20 years ago... 🙂 I wasn't very good at it, but also managed to make things.
Before going down the Fusion 360 rabbit hole, get onto YouTube and search for "Lars fusion 360". Go make yourself a large tub of hot buttered popcorn (essential), grab a 1L Coke (also essential) and your favorite bean bag chair (buy if needed) and go through his tutorials. He has a lot of info for old CAD users. You may put on a few kilos, but it's worth it. Make sure you get to parametric sketches.

Note also that having a dog is recommended to keep the popcorn spillage under control. Remember to tell scornful family and friends that you're re-using the plastic filament.

Re: cad software?

Before going down the Fusion 360 rabbit hole, get onto YouTube and search for "Lars fusion 360".
[...]

I already went down it... Studied the user interface, recognized some functions in the menus, did not recognize some others, discovered the cad library...

For sure I will take your suggestion to check out those videos (not too sure about the popcorn and coke 🙂 and even less sure about the dog: it may help at this stage, but would complicate printer/spool positioning - see other thread 😀 ).

Remember to tell scornful family and friends that you're re-using the plastic filament.

I don't get this one... 😕

Re: cad software?

[...] I don't get this one... 😕
Sorry. Lots of people don't like 3D printing because of the plastic waste. You can use recycled materials to claim the moral high ground.

Re: cad software?

Sorry. Lots of people don't like 3D printing because of the plastic waste. You can use recycled materials to claim the moral high ground.

Yes... Sorry, I did not get it in context... 🙂
I tend to agree though and know that I would feel guilty having to throw out plastic from supports or purge towers. So that actually is another reason to use PLA (biodegradable). There also are several recycling points in my vicinity, so I will have to check which one takes PLA. It makes sense to take the waste there...
(dual nozzle using one for soluble filament seems to make so much sense...)

Re: cad software?

[...] I tend to agree though and know that I would feel guilty having to throw out plastic from supports or purge towers. So that actually is another reason to use PLA (biodegradable). There also are several recycling points in my vicinity, so I will have to check which one takes PLA. It makes sense to take the waste there...I hope you find something. PLA is only biodegradable in an industrial (high-temp) facility, so I'm hoping to find one locally (New England region northeastern US). I've got a big bag of PLA scraps going. From what I'm reading, PETG is not really recyclable. I do like the idea that the filaments are sourced from renewable, non-petroleum sources at least.

Re: cad software?

I do like the idea that the filaments are sourced from renewable, non-petroleum sources at least.

True, that is something. 🙂

I already went through the first Lars-tutorial. It really starts well. I have my first box in Fusion 360. 😉 I'm going through the steps, but inbetween trying some additional things.

Re: cad software?

[...] I already went through the first Lars-tutorial. It really starts well. I have my first box in Fusion 360. 😉 I'm going through the steps, but inbetween trying some additional things.For me, it really took off when he got to the "first rule". Parametric sketches made me realize this was the tool I need to be using. I always manage to be 0.2mm off on holes and threads, so being able to fix them quickly is very helpful.

Re: cad software?

For me, it really took off when he got to the "first rule". Parametric sketches made me realize this was the tool I need to be using. I always manage to be 0.2mm off on holes and threads, so being able to fix them quickly is very helpful.

Yes, the rules are fantastic feature.
I did the first video, but it goes slow as pause it and then I experiment a bit. To me, he is a bit too much focusing on the shortcut keys; it is ok if you use only this program, but I use so many programs that I cannot manage to remember shortcuts in all of them (nor would putting post-its on the side of my monitor have any point). But everyone's a critic. 🙂 If the rest are like the first one, I may have to take your popcorn suggestion.

Re: cad software?

I'm running into some technical issue with Fusion360, most likely video driver related 🙁
At the moment I'm limited to running it on a Sony Vaio VGN-FW41M, a 10 year old laptop which has an onboard Ati HD 4650. Even though ATI does not support Windows 10 (and has no drivers for it), it works.
But in Fusion, there already was the issue that the description of the menu items pops up and disappears immediately, but that was survivable. However, when having multiple components, it sometimes occurs that I lose the view of all data of one component (origin, bodies), with no way of getting it back. I have played with the single setting that relates, tried switch off/on visibility, ... to no avail.
Hopefully no other issues surface... and I can at least work on one component at a time.

Re: cad software?

Hello!

Just curious.... which software do people use here for designing the 3D models?

FreeCAD? OpenSCAD? Fusion 360? Solid Edge?

Thanks!

Jörg

Fusion 360 here

RE: cad software?

@jay-b

people use different packages for different purposes...

I tend to make technical models in 123Ddesign.
this has been superseded by Fusion 360
Freecad is another popular technical option

Blender and Tinkercad are other options

Openscad is an older package but still has followers. 

to a large extent, the BEST Cad program, is the one YOU get on with Best!

there is no all enveloping Best option!

regards Joan