[Lab] question for a 3d printing software....

Wed Sep 23 12:18:27 EDT 2015

I'm using freecad at the moment, it was not exactly easy to pick it up at first, but is quite logical after one gets a few designs under ones belt. If instructed I think it would work well for teaching.

It has an interesting workflow.
Draw a 2d sketch that is fully constrained. Extrude it, then on a face of the new extrusion draw another sketch and extrude or pocket that. This gets you quite far, but the bit that really clinched it for me was using boolean functions to add/remove from the final part. This allows for some really complex shapes, like subtracting a part that was the bearings and bolt from a second part which was to be the extruder body. It is very modifiable after all this.

I never came to peace with sketchup, it just never worked for what I wanted to do, I don't think it is a good onramp onto things like AutoCad in future.

I do think that blender is a good advanced tool for organic modeling, I would not write it off totally as that is important for the artistic side of 3d printing. But it can certainly be a rat hole all to it self.

Anyway, that's my 2c.

C.

From: Lab <lab-bounces at artengine.ca<mailto:lab-bounces at artengine.ca>> on behalf of Stephen Burke <steve at envirolaser.com<mailto:steve at envirolaser.com>>
Organization: Envirolaser
Reply-To: Stephen Burke <steve at envirolaser.com<mailto:steve at envirolaser.com>>
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 12:08 PM
To: benoit gauthier <benoit1975 at hotmail.ca<mailto:benoit1975 at hotmail.ca>>
Cc: lab <lab at artengine.ca<mailto:lab at artengine.ca>>
Subject: Re: [Lab] question for a 3d printing software....

Easiest and least costly, in my opinion, SketchUp.

The basic free version works well.

To do the conversion from DAE format to OBJ or STL, download MeshLab - it is also free.

To make corrections to the design, get netfabb Basic - also free.

Autodesk's http://www.123dapp.com/Gallery/design design program also works well; it is by the same folks that make AutoCAD.

Stephen Burke
Account Executive
Envirolaser Ltd.
Authorized dealer for 3D Systems, Cubify, MakerBot, ROBO, Artec 3D, David Vision Systems, netfabb and Proto-pasta

613-619-1013 cell
613-225-4726 office

From: Dave Hunt<mailto:dave at huntgang.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 10:27 AM
To: benoit gauthier<mailto:benoit1975 at hotmail.ca>
Cc: lab<mailto:lab at artengine.ca>
Subject: Re: [Lab] question for a 3d printing software....

it really depends on what you want to draw.  Tinkercad has a very simple interface.  Blender is a great tool but has a steeper learning curve.  Also don't forget abode the Adobe 123D suite of free products. http://www.123dapp.com/create

On Tue, Sep 22, 2015 at 10:26 PM, benoit gauthier <benoit1975 at hotmail.ca<mailto:benoit1975 at hotmail.ca>> wrote:
Or tinkercad ?

Thanx

________________________________
From: benoit1975 at hotmail.ca<mailto:benoit1975 at hotmail.ca>
To: lab at artengine.ca<mailto:lab at artengine.ca>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2015 20:39:14 -0400
Subject: [Lab] question for a 3d printing software....

Ok my school is in to buy a 3d printer but which software we should use : Blender or sketchup with susolid ?  If you could give me advice on cost, if it's easy to use etc....

Thanx,

Benoit

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