Alternatives to SketchUp

[Kylestrome]

https://shapr3d.com are coming up with some lovely software that's a nice blend of parametric (think stuffy engineering) and traditional (more free flowing and faster), which is in it's infancy, but should be a real game changer long term. 

 

That certainly does look remarkable. Now all I need is something like it that works on a Mac, not just on an iPad Pro. 

 

David

[brian777999]

That looks brilliant but you still have to pay $240 every year to use it. I don't mind paying for the initial purchase but I don't like the idea of continuous yearly payments

[eldavo]

I've used DesignSpark Mechanical for a lot of stuff. Pretty simple modern interface and it's free from the RS components web site. Not got quite the features of Fusion 360 but pretty good.

 

Cheers

Dave

[AndyID]

Fusion360 is free even for small commercial operations, so no need to worry if you sell some bits through Shapeways or Ebay.

 

I've tried it and I didn't like it at all but that might be because I've been using TurboCAD for more than twenty years. It's not free but you can buy the Deluxe version outright for a reasonable price, even more reasonable if you buy an outdated version.

[Fastdax]

A vote for Autodesk TinkerCAD.

 

It's a very simple, low-end CAD package but absolutely fine for simple objects.

 

 

 

Here are some of the things I've designed in TinkerCAD and 3D printed for my 7mm railway.:

 

 

 

 

TinkerCAD runs in your web browser so it shouldn't matter whether it's on a PC, Mac or tablet.

 

Also, it's free.

 

[rue_d_etropal]

 

Also, it's free.

That usually means it is only for private use, not commercial.

Although I use the internet a lot, obviously, I prefer to use offline software. Recently(during the football!)our internet service was very poor, and it would not have been possible to do anything if I had to do it online.

[brian777999]

That usually means it is only for private use, not commercial.

Although I use the internet a lot, obviously, I prefer to use offline software. Recently(during the football!)our internet service was very poor, and it would not have been possible to do anything if I had to do it online.

 

Plus there are people like me who have mobile internet which allows only 20 GB per month. So for that reason I am using offline software : 123Design which unfortunately is no longer available.

[BritishGypsum4]

Some interesting thoughts on here and it has been interesting to read all the comments.

 

I have to admit that I have Fusion360 on my computer but I cannot get to grips with it and I am sure I am doing something simple wrong!!

I haven't tried Sketchup yet even though I have it downloaded. Maybe I should give it a go. I know a couple of people who use it quite regularly with great results and I have a boiler done through Sketchup. It looks good and a spot on scale replication. But if someone could point out it maybe a mm or so over or undersize when the loco whips past then I'd call BS on that one!!

 

I couldn't get my head round Blender at all and have avoided it like the plague. It seemed too over complicated for what I would like to do. Fusion looked similar to what I had to use during my apprenticeship but I can't quite get my head round how to extrude things correctly.... For now I have given up on sitting in front of a computer scratching my head and getting frustrated.

I have watched a couple of tutorials by a chap called Lars Christensen and they have been good but it was a while ago.

[Quarryscapes]

Some interesting thoughts on here and it has been interesting to read all the comments.

 

I have to admit that I have Fusion360 on my computer but I cannot get to grips with it and I am sure I am doing something simple wrong!!

I haven't tried Sketchup yet even though I have it downloaded. Maybe I should give it a go. I know a couple of people who use it quite regularly with great results and I have a boiler done through Sketchup. It looks good and a spot on scale replication. But if someone could point out it maybe a mm or so over or undersize when the loco whips past then I'd call BS on that one!!

 

I couldn't get my head round Blender at all and have avoided it like the plague. It seemed too over complicated for what I would like to do. Fusion looked similar to what I had to use during my apprenticeship but I can't quite get my head round how to extrude things correctly.... For now I have given up on sitting in front of a computer scratching my head and getting frustrated.

I have watched a couple of tutorials by a chap called Lars Christensen and they have been good but it was a while ago.

 

Stick with Lars, he's really good at showing you how things actually behave and  not just glossing over stuff to make one particular feature that no one will ever need but that looks good as a video...

[BritishGypsum4]

Cheers Quarryscapes.

 

I have been following him on Face(ache)book too and he is very good indeed with his videos. I just haven't been able to really sit and get stuck in at the moment. My time seems to be already finely divided at the moment between work, family and volunteering (inc. a 12" to 1' loco under restoration).

 

I'll go back to it at some point and try and pick up where I left off. I would like to look at doing a little bit of 3D printing myself at some point.

[NScaleNotes]

I use Freecad which as the name suggests is free.  Bit of a steep learning curve but seems to do everything I need it to do.

 

A bit late to this thread but I second this. Freecad is a great open source (free) option for Linux and Windows.

 

I've taught myself to use this and while it was a steep learning curve at times and early version could be a bit temperamental it has been worth it as it's now really powerful and stable even on the ancient laptop I've been working on. I have recently used it to make my first meshes (.stl files) to print N scale 3D models via Shapeways and they have come out really well.

 

In fact the hardest thing has been that I'm often tempted to add detail before realizing it's at nanometer scale. I'm sure 3D printers will catch up one day though...

[Kylestrome]

A bit late to this thread but I second this. Freecad is a great open source (free) option for Linux and Windows.

 

Thanks for that tip. 

 

FreeCAD is also available for Mac, as I've just discovered.

 

David

[monkeysarefun]

 

 

I couldn't get my head round Blender at all and have avoided it like the plague. It seemed too over complicated for what I would like to do. 

 

Blender is definitely an overwhelming proposition when you first fire it up, but check out the soon to be  released version - 2.8, They've done a lot of work on the UI and it is much more friendly looking.

[NCB]

My free hobbist Fusion 360 licence expired recently and I'm trying to renew it but can't seem to find the right route; I always end up in the educational bit. I' m sure I found a different route before. Any ideas?

 

Nigel

 

EDIT... Solved. Google Fusion 360 free

Edited November 15, 2022 by NCB