3D CAD software that does not break the bank - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 23, 2015, 04:44:49 pm
content: At work I use solid edge, but it's expensive (and I hate it). Is there cheapish software out there that is any good ? I don't mind spending a few hundred pounds but I don't want to get bitten. I'm having a little look at Turbo CAd at the moment.

author: xygor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2015, 05:34:24 pm
content: I've had good results with VariCAD. US$660.

author: Farley
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2015, 09:47:33 pm
content: Onshape is subscription based software. I think they have a free version, probably with some limitations. Supposedly started by one of the original founders of SolidWorks. I don't have any personal experience with it.https://www.onshape.com/This one used to be called Alibre and used to be around $500-$1000 for a license. They don't show pricing on their website so no idea what it's going for now.http://www.geomagic.com/en/products/design/overview/

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2015, 09:59:33 pm
content: FreeCAD:http://freecadweb.org/Or Fusion360: non-commercial free otherwise subscription based, but cloud-only storage:http://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overviewThere is also DesignSpark Mechanical:http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/page/mechanical(never used it)And for really basic stuff (mostly 3d printing, "maker-oriented") 123Designhttp://www.123dapp.com/designHowever, if you are not using Windows, you are mostly going to be screwed. Apart from FreeCAD few support anything else ...

author: awde
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 23, 2015, 10:01:06 pm
content: Autodesk Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists and it includes a decent CAM if you need it. It has cloud based storage but there are still decent amount of export options. They seem to update it also quite often. Onshape may also be worth considering.If you are student you can also download Solid Edge academic, which has all the features, but you can't open files with paid Solid Edge.

author: 0xdeadbeef
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2015, 10:06:17 pm
content: There's a free version ofPTC Creo Elements.Even though I never used 3D CAD before, I kinda successfully designed a 3D printed case with it by importing layers from a 2D CAD tool (QCAD), extruding and merging them.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2015, 01:14:58 am
content: If you're happycodingyour models openscad is great. Especially if you like parametric CAD packages.I know some who use Blender but I personally find it the wrong tool for the job.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2015, 02:13:16 am
content: While I have TurboCAD (TurboCAD Professional v19 - Platinum Edition - 64bit), I'm probably not the best to offer an opinion because I do not use it frequently and do not use many of the features. I certainly have not pushed any boundaries. Also, I have never used any other CAD product worth mentioning to offer any comparisons.But here is my 2 cents' worth...My chief issue is one of learning - not on basic drawing (I aced TD all through high school) - but on what features and tools I needed to achieve the results I wanted as well as (among other things) the intricacies of solids (ACIS and others) which, being self-taught, has been a challenge. Having said that, I found the UI okay and I have been able to achieve some acceptable results.One creation has been a gazebo designed to fit in with the target terrain, of which I was able to produce a 'fly around and walk through' animation using the AnimationLab plug in (extra cost). My computer is a bit old (AMD2+) and not specced for workstation tasks, so rendering requires patience - but comparing my machine's performance to what's current indicates the software isn't too shabby. (Again, this is subjective opinion without external reference points.)I have not ventured into ANY engineering analysis, so I cannot offer any comment there.My chief reason for running with TurboCAD was also one of cost when getting into something serious in the way of CAD software. As a personal expense, it was still a bit steep, but now the pain of that has faded, I'm happy with what I have - software wise.If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them if I can.

author: Aodhan145
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2015, 02:38:35 am
content: If anybody is a student all the autodesk software is free.http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2015, 07:42:33 am
content: VariCAD is nice.Also, this looks nice:http://store.steampowered.com/app/304970/

author: jeroen74
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2015, 05:06:10 pm
content: A few days ago at work I tried FreeCAD 0.15 to design a milled casing for an project, my first attempt at 3D design. I gave up on FreeCAD, it is simply still too immature to be usable, although I do like it. However, it does an excellent job of converting STEP files to VRML for DipTrace.So I gave Siemens NX a try, which is what the two mechanical engineers use; one happened to have a few days off so I could use that computer. Unsurprisingly it's much better, and despite it being a very big program I was able to design something basic in no time. For what I wanted to design it has basically the same workflow as FreeCAD: draw a sketch, constrain it, extrude and that repeated a few times.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2015, 05:48:51 pm
content: Your right, freeCAd is a disaster, I just can't hack it and to compare itself to the solid edge I use shows how deluded some people are. I am sure it will get better but likie all open source software it takes time and lots of peoples free time.I tried varicad and could not make head nor tail of it. PTC seems interesting, I have been playing with it for the last few minutes and it's a lot like solid edge, I may give it a go.Solid edge is owned by siemens and well, It's the best thing I've used yet but i hate their attitude, it's expensive and when you look at the improvements from one version to another it make you wonder why bother to have a maintenance license. They have decided that their syncronous modellling is the best and only thing to use and ram it down the throats of new users trying to sway them away from the history based "ordered" modeling environment. Yet every time i use syncronouse it give me a right kick up the arse at the very end. Of course the company that sell it to us in the UK refuse to admit that it cannot do what we reasonably expect of it.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 26, 2015, 06:38:50 pm
content: Simon, before you call something a "disaster", you better consider the price tag. You are comparing Solid Edge (a direct Catia competitor), a $5k/seat + annual subscription software with something done by a bunch of enthusiasts in their free time. In that context it is rather unfair - like saying that because a bicycle doesn't come with all amenities of a private jet it is an unusable disaster. Both have their place and market niches. FYI, I was able to use FreeCAD to design some widgets for 3D printing with no major hassle, so at least the basics are certainly working.VariCAD detto, that's a ~$200/seat class software, if I remember right.You are certainly entitled to have issues with the functionality or workflow, but keep it in context, please.

author: PChi
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2015, 12:36:51 pm
content: I have used SKetchUp Make for designing a couple of simple folded aluminium cases. What capabilities are you looking for?

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 27, 2015, 09:02:11 pm
content: Quote from: janoc on December 26, 2015, 06:38:50 pmAs i said I am sure it will get better with time but as it stands now it is unusable as it lacks a number of things. A functionality i was expecting is missing and was expected to be released in version 0.14, it is now at version 0.15.... As I said I'm sure it will get there but I need something now.I am not sure how the price tag relates to the work flow or user interface, I expect both of those are down to the preference of the developers, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And for all solid edge costs we find bugs in it regularly, their syncronous environment while great for creating can leave you screwed when you need to edit.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 28, 2015, 01:57:19 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on December 27, 2015, 09:02:11 pmOut of curiosity - what are you missing? I was mostly fighting with the sketcher, but the workflow in 0.15 is better than in 0.14.Quote from: Simon on December 27, 2015, 09:02:11 pmWell, the price tag is the difference between whether I am willing to cut the software some slack or not. E.g. when FreeCAD crashed on me, losing my last 30 minutes of work in the process, I was pissed, but certainly less pissed when the same happened with the commercial Fusion360 made by Autodesk. Or when my colleagues are regularly losing work due to bugs in 3D Studio Max (OK, not CAD, but also made by Autodesk). That's something I can take in stride in software that is free but is not acceptable in an expensive commercial product.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 28, 2015, 02:19:04 pm
content: I wanted to create a sketch on a parallel plane, but you can't make a parallel plane or if you can you can't use it as the basis of a feature.I have had solid edge just encounter an error and crash more times than I want to remember, never mind it just not being able to do what it is supposed to do.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2015, 03:37:55 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on December 28, 2015, 02:19:04 pmI think that if you want to sketch on a plane parallel to some other feature, you will need to create a helper object (e.g. a cube) and then sketch on it. I haven't found a way to make an offset plane for sketching otherwise, unless your plane is parallel with one of the major planes (XY, YZ, XZ) - there you can specify the offset distance when creating the sketch.The other option is to sketch directly in the original plane and apply offset to the resulting part - in the Part workspace, there is an Offset utility.I have seen this feature in Fusion360, but even there it is rather unpredictable in what it does and where the sketch will be actually created. However, that could be because of the UI there that is rather inconsistent.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 29, 2015, 04:58:17 pm
content: I can do a parallel sketch but it can't be used as the basis for an extrusion. The environment is basically still rather under developed and they did say on their forum that it is something they are addressing.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 29, 2015, 05:08:15 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on December 29, 2015, 05:05:17 pmAre you refering to solid edge ? if so no, siemens are bastards, regular licenses are locked to the machine, you can pay more for a floating lisence that will only work in your own region or has to be checked out because for even more money you can get a a global floating license that can be used anywhere in the world. I think my employer may be looking into this as we now own a small company in america so we can effectively share one licences because while one of us sleeps the other uses it.

author: Robaroni
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 03:24:05 pm
content: My take is the bottom line with all this stuff is learning curves.You don't just invest in a program in cost you invest your time. Doesn't matter what program you're talking about but EDA's and 3D drafting have a steeper curve than most of the other programs I use. You may get in the door cheap but you may also regret it down the road. That's what happened to me with Eagle. I went from Protel (CircuitMaker not the new Altium version) to Eagle when CM got sold to Altium. I've always found Eagle a cumbersome program but I kept digging along with it and using my old Protel simulator which was quite good actually. Trouble is you have to learn a program to know if you like it, you just can't do it from a demo, you have to get into the trenches. Sending out boards, making models, the libraries, no simulator, etc. were all a pain in Eagle.Finally I spent a couple of bucks for Labcenter's Proteus with advanced simulation. Mostly I like it a lot more (you'll rarely if ever completely love a program). sending out boards are a snap, it has every output known to man. Making models is much easier and I really like the simulator. Routing tracks still needs some work but it's getting better.I use TurboCAD and have for a very long time. I stopped buying it at 11.2 when I got a stable version (11.0 was a buggy disaster!) It works pretty well and I've learned the program but I know there are a lot better ones out there (well, maybe the latest version is good) but it does what I need. If I was an architect I wouldn't likely use it but I got the first version cheap so here I am. Not great but, again, I know the program.So bottom line is that price alone is a poor way to go and 5 years down the road you may hate this el cheapo program but you're invested time to learn it and time is money too so keep that in mind. Go on the sites forums and see what people are complaining about , how many work arounds, etc the need to use, how responsive the community is ( Eagle is good that way a really heavy community)Rob

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 04:02:43 pm
content: The upshot is that at home as my own business I do electronic design (I'll be using kicad having breached the boundry of the library mess it's still in - I gave up on diptrace). I don't usually do mechanical stuff. Having the ability to do some mechanical stuff would be a good idea, say for enclosures and to help customers with solutions that involve my kit and help me get it in. So I won't be spending hours using it like I do at the day job but I'd like something that works. I don't have a budget for something like solid edge but something I can get into easily would be nice.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 04:46:57 pm
content: I see more and more Rhinoceros at some businesses.It seems to be low cost and really good.But I do not have any experience with it.https://www.rhino3d.com/

author: Robaroni
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 06:46:45 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on December 30, 2015, 04:02:43 pmI have a machine shop along with my electronics lab but I often use the CAD's to design face plates for designs. Now Proteus let's us import CAD which I haven't implemented yet but I think it will enable me to do some nice complete packages.Rob

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 07:56:19 pm
content: Well I'd work the other way around and export the board as a 3D and import it into a 3D cad package. Use the right program for the right job

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 09:33:05 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on December 30, 2015, 04:02:43 pmWell, if you are in Windows and don't want to spend big bucks on stuff like SolidWorks, give a shot to Fusion360 or the DesignSpark Mechanical. I have been playing with Fusion360 a bit and for a hobbyist it is okay-ish (free, but all storage is in cloud). For commercial use you may have to buy a subscription, but it wasn't very expensive from what I have seen. The cloud-only thing is a disadvantage, on the other hand, you get frequent updates with significant new functionality. The development is certainly faster than with FreeCAD. E.g. the last update brought in integration with McMaster-Carr so you can directly import their parts and build on them. Saves a lot of time.I am using FreeCAD for simple things I need quickly for my 3D printer in Linux. When I need something really complicated, then I reboot and change over to Fusion360.

author: VinzC
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 10:24:29 am
content: I don't use 3D CAD software and I have only lightly followed the story of free and open source CAD software. I only know this field is «under-loved» (!quotes) because it lacks contributors — let alone the open sourceCAD library issuesacross the proprietary Autodesk DWG file format.I also happen to know ofBRL-CAD, which seems to be one of the most advanced (among the few existing, of course) software. Quoting them:Quote from: About BRL-CAD web pageSo the latter might be of interest.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 10:27:13 am
content: Well fusion 3D finally looks like something I am familiar with and may be free for students and startups and companies turning over less than 100K (I am all 3).i will have a look at BRL cad as well.

author: Robaroni
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 02:33:17 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on December 30, 2015, 07:56:19 pmIt does that too.

author: Emil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 07:53:23 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on December 31, 2015, 10:27:13 amFree for perosnal use too, don't need to be a student or a startup.It also has nice CAM features.

author: David_1
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 14, 2024, 08:06:29 am
content: Free cad has improved, I know this is an old postbut comparing something that is free to something that cost big bucks, seems a little odd, I can agree a 10,000 pound product will be better that the free toys MacDonalds used to give away... er ... Sorry

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2024, 08:22:39 am
content: Quote from: David_1 on June 14, 2024, 08:06:29 amWhat I find annoying is their website, it makes it out to be mature, fully functional, "the works", it is terrible and buggy. I suspect that some of the terrible comes from them modelling it on Creo which of the commercial packages seems to be the worst.I suspect that what is happening is that many people are command line driving freecad thus getting around the awful user interface but no one lets on. 3D CAD is made up of the "engine" that does the actual work and math to create the models and the UI, like any program. If you know it intimately enough to generate models that won't break the poor math engine then you can script it to do whatever you like.Even professional CAD is not infallible in it's math modelling. But freecad just can't do so much that unless you are a programmer it's pointless trying.I have since discovered the community edition of solid edge. Fusion 360 looks more like a mini version of what 3D CAD can do.

author: georges80
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2024, 02:43:38 am
content: I've been using the 'maker' version of solidworks for near on a year. Was $79 per year when I started, now looks to be $48 per year. Well worth it for me since I use it often enough to design 3d printable widgets, boxes, brackets, etc etc.cheers,george.

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2024, 07:34:36 am
content: For anyone that, like me, avoids software on subscription you might want to take a look at Alibre Atom3D.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 15, 2024, 08:30:29 am
content: Solid Edge community edition is free. It has pretty much everything I used to have when I used it in my last job, all for free.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2024, 11:17:13 am
content: You are not going to convince this lot of anything. If it doesn't cost a fortune AND exist only in a cloud where the company selling it or any of an almost infinite variety of circumstances beyond your and their control can take it away in an instant, then they won't like it.I tried one of those cloud based programs. It was "free". After a year, they wanted me to PAY. There is no way I can afford their prices. I felt like I had wasted a year of struggling to learn that program only to have it taken away. I really don't know if there was a way that I could have continued to use it for free or if there was a less expensive alternative that I could have opted for or if I was truly at the point where they figured I would pay anything just to keep the work I had done. I don't like blackmail or anything that even looks like it. I like people who state clearly and in full public view what their product costs. And I like that cost, with reasonable allowances for inflation, to remain available for the stated prices. I didn't know where I stood and I didn't waste even another five minutes trying to find out. That's no way to treat a customer of potential customer.I looked for a 3D program that I could DOWNLOAD, INSTALL on MY computer, and expect that, no matter what happens to the company that produces it, will stay on my hard drive and WORK for the rest of my life. And I want to OWN it, not rent it. Why should I pay a fortune up front and then need to pay for every year or month or week that I continue to use it?So I now have FreeCAD. Is it perfect? NO! But neither was that other 3D CAD program that I had.AND there is one more thing that I like about FreeCAD over thehigh priced spread, access to the developers. I have a 2D CAD program where the head developer, actually the head of the company, was available to all the users each and every day. He answered questions on their BB every day. He even addressed problems in the code on an almost instant basis when he could. I once saw a revised version posted on their web site about 24 hours after he became aware of the problem. It was available to ALL registered users of that version. And the problem, the bug WAS FIXED.But those high end, super expensive CAD programs? Just TRY to communicate with the developers. Submit a request and it goes into a line. They will read it next year and think about fixing it, if you are lucky. You are more likely to get a reply stating that is how they wanted it to work and, for some reason known only to the code writers, that way is far superior and it will remain that way.The high-end, expensive 3D CAD that I was trying to use and which I would have been all too happy to actually pay a reasonable price for when it began making money for me, was exactly as I described. It was all but impossible to communicate with the developers. Even the most junior of them wasfar too busyto be bothered with the users.I have had discussions with at least a couple of the developers of FreeCAD. AND THAT IMPRESSES THE HECK OUT OF ME! They are willing to listen to and discuss the things the users are concerned about.Perhaps I am wrong, but I think that is far more important than the software being buggy, whatever that means.Quote from: David_1 on June 14, 2024, 08:06:29 am

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2024, 11:41:20 am
content: Here is a video where Angus (of the Maker's Muse YT channel) tries a number of free CADs available,and comments based on his industrial design and 3D printing experience.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2024, 12:05:42 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on December 23, 2015, 04:44:49 pmDoesn't that rather depend on (a) what you are trying to model/create and (b) how you mind thinks?Example: if you are creating a head and shoulders model of someone's head, you wouldn't use OpenSCAD. Similarly using Blender to create a screw thread will be an exercise in frustration. Alternatively, if you want to have "adjustable" models, you could use either parametric definition tool or a constraint-based definition tool.A personal decision is how much time and effort to devote to learninganytool. Hence, since there were no majormedium-termadvantages between Delphi/C#/Perl and equivalents, I avoided spending time on those - and concentrated on other tools. That's turned out to be good for me in the medium and long terms. Choose your tool wiselyFinally, never forget the 2032 word of the year: enshittification. "The first one is always free".

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2024, 12:07:41 pm
content: Quote from: janoc on December 26, 2015, 06:38:50 pmI've only used FreeCAD once or twice, so I cant really comment on it specifically. But this pattern of "free tool is terrible compared to paid tool" repeats itself a lot. It's almost always referring to the core functionality of the free tool, rather than any lack of advanced features.The basics either don't work right, or are just designed in a god awful backwards way that makes no sense and make it harder to use.When software is written as a hobby almost no thought gets put into the software package as a whole, or into workflow and ease of use. The core functionality gets created early on and then doesn't change much because everyone is spending time coding their own cool/interesting/advanced side-modules for the app and noone wants to mess with the core of the app because changing it will piss off the other developers who are busy working on their own cool/interesting/advanced side modules.So you end up with a piece of software that has quite an extensive and advanced set of feature but is terrible to use for any actual real work.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 17, 2024, 06:06:28 pm
content: Quote from: EPAIII on June 17, 2024, 11:17:13 amReally, I'm sorry but a program that randomly crashes and that it is impossible to track back on what you did when a failure of the math engine totally screws your model is unacceptable. Looking at their website and knowing the program all I can say that it is laughable at best and frankly a bunch of lies.The more I hear my colleagues criticism of Creo the more I am reminded of the stuff that freecad fails at when it is working. If as I suspect they are truly modeling freecad on Creo they are really demented. Creo is borderline useable at best, a fucked up copy cat of it will never be useable.Solid Edge community edition is free and is installed on my computer.

author: richnormand
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 17, 2024, 09:30:55 pm
content: Depending on what I am doing:Fusion 360 tech (long time used of autocad, so easy for me)Blender (better for rendering more art type work)FreeCAD (some special features and quick)