Design software for beginners. Advice please.

[BachelorBoy]

My new year's resolution is to learn to print in 3D

 

First, I need to learn 3D software, so I'd be grateful for any advice on what package to start with, please. (Preferably free.) I'm using a Mac.

 

Also, advice please on what items I could start with to design, and what sequence of things I could design to develop my skills. 

 

I'd like to be able to produce a something like this loco after a few months.

 

(Not this actual loco, but an 0-6-0T looks like a good goal.)

 

Thanks in advance, BB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[calvin Streeting]

I personaly would recomend blender (it has more control than sketchup, but is a bit more complex to learn) a good resourse is https://www.youtube.com/@ArtisansofVaul as he talks alot about modeling for printing, hut also alot of other videos about basics of software. 

 

calvin

[PaulaDoesTrains]

I think your main choices will be between Blender, FreeCAD and Fusion 360. All have a significant learning curve. There's also TinkerCad which is a simple online CAD program.

[Kris]

I use both TinkerCad and Fusion 360 on a Mac. Both are free. TinkerCad is very easy to use (I teach it to year 3 and year 4 children). Fusion 360 is a far more flexible program that offers a lot more. It does have a very steep learning curve.

[ianmaccormac]

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/about/outreach/resources/fusion_tutorials/

 

For Fusion 360, the above course, aimed at 14 to 15 year olds in school, is an excellent starting point.

Cheers, Ian

 

[The Fatadder]

I’d recommend Fusion, there is is a very good set of YouTube tutorials aimed at railway modellers here: https://youtube.com/@3ddrawingformodelrailways45

 

 

[Pete the Elaner]

I would set achievable goals. Trying to print a loco will be very rewarding when you finally achieve it, but will take a while to learn.

I use 3d printing for making much simpler items: window frames, station lamps, coach seats. These will teach you plenty, including getting good results from your printer. The first few prints may well be failures until you learn what you need to do. It is a major anti-climax to find that the loco body you waited 12 hours to print failed quite early on because you got something fundamentally wrong.

[chris p bacon]

Start with Tinkercad and do some small components (getting more complex) and print them as you go. 

 

Tinkercad is a very basic person of Fusion 360 so could be a stepping stone.  I have tried Blendr and found it a very difficult program to get on with.

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

It's very much horses for courses, some packages are brilliant for architecture, others engineering, others more organic shapes like car bodies. My rules only but if it's architecture I use SketchUp, engineering like locos and rolling stock I'd choose Fusion; automobiles etc, I use blender. I haven't found one single package that does everything optimally, you need to either learn a couple, or compromise a little.

 

Blender definitely is formidable but for 3d modelling I've found you use about 1% of it. If you are wanting to learn it don't just pick a "Blender for beginners" style tutorial because they invariably go off on rendering, animation, lighting etc which is completely irrelevant. Instead search YouTube for blender architecture tutorials or blender car modelling tutorials or blender for 3d printing etc. They will concentrate on just the bits you need to know.

I've been using blender pretty intensely for 12 months now and have got it to produce models I can print happily, but still have no idea what 95% of the buttons do and I doubt that I ever will! ( Can be a bit of a problem when you hit a wrong key and half your model disappears or something strange happens,  takes a lot of googling to get it back if control Z doesn't!).

Edited January 3, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[rab]

22 hours ago, chris p bacon said:

Start with Tinkercad and do some small components (getting more complex) and print them as you go. 

 

Tinkercad is a very basic person of Fusion 360 so could be a stepping stone.  I have tried Blendr and found it a very difficult program to get on with.

 

 

Sounds like a good idea; I wouldn't recommend Fusion 360 for a beginner.

I used other CAD packages during my working years,

but when, in retirement I started using Fusion 360,

I didn't find it that easy to pick up.

(Probably wasn't helped by the typical man attitude of

I don't need instructions/tutorials, I can find out how to use it. :~)  )

[Quarryscapes]

1 hour ago, rab said:

Sounds like a good idea; I wouldn't recommend Fusion 360 for a beginner.

I used other CAD packages during my working years,

but when, in retirement I started using Fusion 360,

I didn't find it that easy to pick up.

(Probably wasn't helped by the typical man attitude of

I don't need instructions/tutorials, I can find out how to use it. :~)  )

 

For the type of software it is, Fusion is incredibly easy. Sketchup is by far the easiest way into the 3D modelling world for someone with no idea though, Blender is possibly the worst. You do need to tailor your software to your desired output though, Fusion is aimed at actual engineering - CNC and CAM, the others are not capable of that at all. Fusion is very much the jack of all trades, master of none - though it is what we use at work. (If you belive ethe boss we're a small automotive manufacturer). Blender is aimed at 3D graphics and sketchup cornered a niche of being easy to use, rough and ready general purpose 3D. 

 

If you want to get into 2D stuff, say for etching or laser cutting, then you will need something else entirely - though Fusion can get you from 3D model to 2D shapes, it can't quite get you over the line with output files you can send to an etcher or laser cutting company. I use TurboCAD to pick up where Fusion leaves off. You could use it for everything start to finish, but IMO that way madness lies.

[monkeysarefun]

41 minutes ago, Quarryscapes said:

Sketchup is by far the easiest way into the 3D modelling world for someone with no idea though

The other thing that SketchUp has in its favour is the 3D warehouse, a huge repository of models and parts done by others so you don't have to. I admit I was a bit proud at first and thought I'd tackle everything myself but now have no qualms about using someone else's doric column, gothic doorway etc and saving myself hours.

 

The link below, strangely offered me just now in my google news feed,  is a pretty good rundown of  Fusion vs SketchUp. One thing to note though that it doesn't mention is that if you want a free version of SketchUp that will allow you more tools, plus the ability to use extensions (add on programmes that enhance functionality) the current free version won't do that. The 2017 SketchUp Make is still available online to download for free though, it's what I use and let's you run pretty much every add-on out there. To get your models to the printer you will need at the very least the stl export add-on, and the solid inspector one is a must have too to find any issues such as holes in meshes, reversed faces etc. In addition the 2017 version  doesn't rely on cloud storage, everything you do stays on your harddrive.

 

https://all3dp.com/2/fusion-360-vs-sketchup-differences/

 

Although there are definitely easier packages to learn out there, one thing to be aware of is that they do have limitations as to their capabilities, you may never reach them but if you do you'll be needing to learn another package, probably either fusion or SketchUp, so it may be better off in the long run to start with one of them and save yourself some time!

Edited January 3, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[PaulaDoesTrains]

Another way to go is OnShape which is a cloud-based CAD system. It's primarily developed for commercial use but you can get a free account as long as you're happy for your designs to be public.

 

Then there's OpenSCAD which uses the same idea as TinkerCAD of boolean operations on 3d primitives but is driven by a script file rather than on screen. It's fun to play around with personally I wouldn't like to design anything complex with it.

[KeithHC]

One further one to consider is Design Spark Mechanical comes from R/S. Have a look at Giles thread here. One advantage for me is it is a stand alone free soft ware. For me as I have some issues with my WiFI it is nice to be able to use it offline. Start simple my first design was a trolley coin now looking at train parts. However the other question is what type of printer are you going to use as well.

 

Keith

[FranksLad]

Fusion 360. Easy to learn and get good results quickly.

[njee20]

I would say Fusion 360 for most railway items, but I definitely echo monkeysarefun that Blender is far superior for organic shapes, but inferior for dimensioned engineering models. 
 

I personally don’t understand why you’d learn one program before starting on another (ie progressing from TinkerCAD to Fusion), that would just frustrate me. You don’t have to use all the features on a program after all. Sketch, extrude and fillet will allow you to create many things! 
 

I was in your situation 5 years ago, I tried a number of programs before landing on Fusion. I used Lars Christiensen’s tutorials on YouTube, which were good. Carl White has a channel about using Fusion specifically for railway design with a number of step through tutorials. I’m perfectly competent in the results I get now, but I know I do a lot of things ‘wrong’. I suspect someone truly proficient in CAD would have a seizure at any of my models!

[Giles]

Design Spark Mechanical 

 

 

[bambuko]

Just to show what's possible with FreeCAD 😀

but as others have said... steep learning curve and serious time invested

[BachelorBoy]

Thank you everyone.

 

Lots to consider. I'm leaning towards Sketch Up or Fusion 360. 

 

I'll keep you informed

 

BB

[ikcdab]

I'm another one in the fusion 360 camp.  I found that learning it is in three steps.

1. The basic creating workspace and navigation, design cube etc. I found this easy.

2. Once you have the basics, then it's a set of tools and you just learn each one as you need it.  They all have a similar interface. I found this easy.

3. Then your need to know the best tool to use in individual situations. I found that far more difficult but it's only experience.  

Bear in mind that the free version, whilst having all the functionality you could possibly need, only allows you to save 10 files.  Once u have 10, then u have you delete others to keep below the limit. 

But for railway modeling things, I would recommend it.

[Quarryscapes]

2 hours ago, ikcdab said:

I'm another one in the fusion 360 camp.  I found that learning it is in three steps.

1. The basic creating workspace and navigation, design cube etc. I found this easy.

2. Once you have the basics, then it's a set of tools and you just learn each one as you need it.  They all have a similar interface. I found this easy.

3. Then your need to know the best tool to use in individual situations. I found that far more difficult but it's only experience.  

Bear in mind that the free version, whilst having all the functionality you could possibly need, only allows you to save 10 files.  Once u have 10, then u have you delete others to keep below the limit. 

But for railway modeling things, I would recommend it.

 

Important Correction: You do not need to delete any files, only deactivate them. You can only have 10 active documents, but can activate and deactivate at any time as much as you like. 

[David Bigcheeseplant]

Fusion 360 for me too

[KeithHC]

On 06/01/2023 at 09:52, Giles said:

Design Spark Mechanical 

 

 

I just wish i could use Design spark as good as you.

 

Keith

[BachelorBoy]

On 16/01/2023 at 01:09, bambuko said:

Just to show what's possible with FreeCAD 😀

but as others have said... steep learning curve and serious time invested

 Pretty damn impressive.

 

[BachelorBoy]

On 06/01/2023 at 17:52, Giles said:

Design Spark Mechanical 

 

 

 

I salute you, sir.