3D Drawing

[Nightjar]

I have long had problems with delivery times from one of my main suppliers. I have now decided that, with a complete rethink of the designs, I could make my products by 3D printing. However, that means I need to produce suitable files from a 3D drawing programme. Hence, I am looking for recommendations for a 3D drawing programme that meets my needs:

I need to produce 3D files that can be exported for use in a 3D printer. I am considering the Ultimaker 2 or, if I decide that three colour printing is useful enough to justify the extra cost, the CubePro Trio:

I also need to be able to produce professional looking 2D dimensioned drawings, which will form part of the product data sheets supplied to customers.

I don't want a huge learning curve. The last CAD programme I bought was Autosketch 2, which I continued with long after it had been superseded, because it was so intuitive.

I would prefer not to have to spend more than a few hundred pounds for the programme and/or a couple of hundred pounds a year for a licence.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Best 3D I came across was RhinoCAD.

But its expensive (900 euros) and there still is a steep learning curve.

[TimW]

It's a few years since I did CAD and things change quickly but a couple of words of advice.

There are DT depts in schools which have 3d printers. If kids can do it I am sure you can. You can do a lot with sketchup, but you can't do everything and anything with it. You might need a cad program.

CAD software has always been widely pirated. Autodesk would never admit it but this is partly with a nod and a wink from the software companies who could have made the product more secure but never did, because they want it to be widely used even by people who can't afford it. Don't feel too bad about using a dodgy copy.

TurboCAD used to be good, and used to do a good job of reading and writing Autodesk files. Maybe it still is.

TW

[Andy Burns]

I thought Draftsight was the AutoCAD-a-like of choice these days?

[fred]

just a guess but would Sketchup be any help ?

[Adam Aglionby]

There`s the CAD part and there`s the slicing part, Simplify3D seesm to be t op dog slicer at a price:

Just reached entry level myself, Wanhao Duplicator I3, 8 X 8 x8" build volu me with heated bed for under 300 quid. Decided on that model because of cos t, very active facebook and Google groups support forums and because it was sold as the Cocoon Creator by Aldi Aus at beginning of year. Aldi unlikely to take risk on something with massive return volumes.

Be fair to say exceeded expectations, quality of print is excellent, what m ore money appears to buy largely is speed. I3 isn`t fast.

Bought from Technology Outlet , who have wide range of printers and a good reputation for customer service.

Sketchup is handy and can forced to do most things, for 3D printing install the STL export plug in.

Fusion 360 everyone seems to rave about, free to try, commercial sub isn`t ridiculous:

Tinkercad is Autodesks simple version

I`ll just need to keep saving for a Massivit 1800 ;-)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Got a 3D printing story.

The parcel shelf on the old Rover has plastic clips - two either side. They sort of push on to steel pegs and hold it in place. The slot being slightly narrower than the peg with a hole at the end.

Being 30 odd year old plastic, they do what most plastics do with age and go brittle - then break. No more NOS ones around.

A club member got some new ones made up using 3D printing. Looked very good indeed - but broke all too easily. And they weren't cheap.

[Peter Parry]

Autodesk Fusion 360 (free)

RS Components Design Spark Mechanical

Draftsight by Dassult

[WeeBob]

I have an Ultimaker 2+ (note the +) and use it to print Sketchup 16.1 designs.

The Sketch up software is free for non-commercial use.

The Ultimaker has been solid, reliable and predictable. I'd buy it again.

2p worth.

[Nightjar]

Do you know which plastic he used? I would have thought it a job for nylon, rather than PLA or ABS, which are common 3D printing materials.

[Nightjar]

Thanks to everybody for their comments. It is also useful to have a personal recommendation for one of the machines I am looking at (my link was to the 2+).

I have downloaded the free version of Sketchup. It seems to be fairly intuitive and looks as though it will allow me to design the relatively simple shapes I need. Now, I just have to get used to the differences between designing for 3D printing and designing for injection moulding.

[Brian Gaff]

Re your footer, not even a Tart? Brian

[Theo]

+1. Ours is an Ultimaker 2 and it's a printer. You print to it. It just works. There's no faffing about calibrating it and setting it up like the previous RepRap we had.

The Ultimaker Cura slicing software is pretty good - I can't see the need to use any third party software.

For building models we mostly use OpenSCAD - you write code rather than do pointy clicky things, but that means the object is exactly the dimensions you told it. You can generate 2D sections from it (to scale) but it isn't really intended for that so you have to work a bit harder.

Theo

[Adam Aglionby]

That`s what finding with Wanhao, apart from occasional bed relevel, just stick a microSD card in it and leave it to print, no dramas, been more reliable than my first inkjet ;-)

If your Pi friendly there is Octoprint and Astroprint for managing 3D printers.

Wanhao comes bundled with Cura, on small detail slicer can apparently make a difference, there is several open source ones around as well.

Material choice has opened up from just PLA and ABS, Nylon, PET in various flavours, Polyolefins, Flexibles.... TBH the 8 quid a kilo Excelvan PLA on ebay is keeping me running.

If need it in something more exotic, 3d hubs is competitive to buying an SLS printer just at moment

[DICEGEORGE]

?

i bet its got plugins

[g]

[rick]

That would not hold up in court ....

[TimW]

meh.

[Dave W]

A warning: I tried Design Spark Mechanical, but it just showed an error box saying it needed a component, without saying what. I tried some of the subsidiary programmes in its suite, and came to the conclusion that it needed Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5, but I only have version 4. So I tried to install 4.5, but that doesn't work on Windows XP which is what I am using. So I can't use Design Spark.

The Autodesk and DraftSight Professional are only free trials, and DraftSight Free is only 2D.

[Peter Parry]

Autodesk is free. Go to

scroll down to "Free for students, enthusiasts and startups", Point at "Full use of Fusion 360 for as long as you need it " which says "A free 1-year startup license is also available for hobbyists, enthusiasts, makers, and emerging businesses that make less than US$100,000 in revenue per year. At the end of 1 year, you can reselect the startup entitlement or transition to a commercial entitlement."