I'm tempted to mention how I designed a teardrop camper five years ago using my Dad's 1950's drafting table and tools I learned to use in high school 45 years ago. Long story short--not the way I would recommend!

Been using Freecad for years. Love it. Use stl export for 3d printing and dxf output for laser cutter or small cnc milling. It's cam package intuitive and just the right amount of functionality. Well documented and lots of youtube help.

@SaltyShaman

6 ай бұрын

Nice, how is it for virtual builds, dae objects for game import?

@denniskramer9788

6 ай бұрын

Sorry no clue

@bobweiram6321

6 ай бұрын

FreeCAD is junk.

@platibyte

6 ай бұрын

Because i didn't want to move to Win11 with my new PC, i installed Linux Mint and was also forced to give up on AutoCAD Fusion 360 (is not supported). I'm still learning FreeCAD now, but i have to say there are some major designflaws, that i would have expected to be solved at this stage. Like by default you have a blue background color and while working, you will discover, that many other things are also blue (selection or construction lines? can't remember). Of course that's an easy fix, but it's noticeable from Day 1 for any User and i find it quite embarrassing.

Biting the bullet and learning FreeCAD was one of the best software decisions I've made in many years. It only took an hour to learn the basics and within three 3D Printing projects, I was leveraging full spreadsheet datasets and diving really deep. I urge anyone to try it and do one of the simple one-hour tutorials that are out there. So much more powerful than 360, Tinkercad, and easier to use for anything where you need accurate dimensioning.

Another factor i consider is "Is it internet dependant?" because one day who knows maybe your get a internet outage or some business will do a hostile take over of the company and cut it off unless you pay a subscription etc. It ads to a anxiety of "why learn a tool if it can be taken away at any unforeseen time?"

@freedom_aint_free

4 ай бұрын

Exactly what I think about electric cars of newer cars for that matter, in the discussion of gas vs electric cars, people often make the mistake of assume that electric cars are just normal cars but that runs on electricity, without paying much heed to that fact that they are a four wheeled computer which in under full control of the makers all the time via satellite even depending on the model, plug this with an authoritarian government and bingo ! they can terminate you any time, imagine Edward Snowden or Julian Assange driving a Tesla that can be remote controlled...

I would add Blender to the mid-level options because it does work well for creating objects to 3D print and for showing to others what a finished product would look like. Learning it is easy with the right tutorials but the interface is not beginner friendly.

@marcchristiansen4914

6 ай бұрын

Plus it's got a parametric design plugin that works pretty well for making dimensioned models

I tried onshape but it was limited and only free for so long. I used to use Siemens NX at work which was very expensive and needed licences for everything. Freecad is totally free and open source. It can be made to do much the same as NX except it takes more time. It has sketching, solid modelling, assemblies, drafting, FEA, surfacing, etc. Well worth the effort to learn.

I've tried a number of the software you suggested and chose Freecad because it is what it's called Free. You can download software onto your computer create and save your files again on your computer not on cloud, so they are accessible at any time. Yes like all software there is a learning curve, but like learning to ride a bike once you can stay upright and peddling you can go anywhere and if you fall of there are loads of people who can help you back up.

I like FreeCad.

"Free" is often only a catch. Many "free" cad soft takes ownership or limit uoyr freedom to use your design. If younwant to keep your ownership younoften need to admid the steeper learning curve. Like Freecad, where you keep all your ip rights, but it is a very different.

One thing I've noticed about a lot of CAD software that I really like is built in libraries, especially community supported libraries, of parts, mostly off-the-shelf stuff you can build your design around. For example, I like to make chassis for little electronic boxes (project boxes to house a bunch of components including a circuit board, switches, knobs, buttons, jacks, etc). There are so many standardized parts like, say, an RS-232 jack, where I would need to know the dimensions of it, so I can punch out the area where it will fit, but I end up having to pull calipers out to measure an existing one (and that takes time - add a few more jacks of different sizes and configurations and you can spend half a day making measurements) instead of just finding a stock model with the dimensions or a look up. The same goes for screws (say an M8) where you not only need the diameter of the threaded part, but also the diameter of the head so you can counter-sink it for a nice polished look (or beveled screws, stand offs, and other standardized bits that can be picked up from a hardware store). Finding all these dimensions can be a pain in the rump and 1 little mistake can mean a day lost in 3D printing of a prototype. Also would love to see macro capability for, say, making a custom type of gear, that would automatically generate macro code for such a complex shape that can be altered via parameters like length, width, thread pitch, spacing and so forth - to be reused in another project. These turbines, generators and scaffolds are similar in many ways - to reuse these at different scales would save a ton of time.

@baldeagle5297

6 ай бұрын

I don't know what software you use, but usually a quick internet search will provide dimensions. In the case of bolts, jacks, and similar, I use the dimensions and make one. Then, I save it to import as needed. I've been using Blender for other projects for so long that it's second nature by now. I mostly, aside from animation, use it to design things to 3D print. I like that I can view it from all angles and get a better feel for the thing as a whole.

Thanks Robert, great video. I started out using TurboCad.

I ran AutoCad from version 2.62 in around 1984, to Autocad 2000, and 3d construction. Then I got out of using it for machine design. I'm not sure how I would adapt to attempting the learning curve of picking it back up.

I'm a tinkercad user like yourself and I've found onshape great to use. Just a step up from tinkercad and at full functionality falls just short of fusion 360, yet they're still improving onshape all the time. Not to mention it's usable on a tablet, iPad or smartphone (which the smartphone is more than I can say about tinkercad).

What can I say mate that was amazing I was actually looking at different software last night and you hit the nail on the head great work mate

@ThinkingandTinkering

6 ай бұрын

awesome mate!

Solid Edge from Siemens suits me, community edition is free and does more than I need. As well it does not need cloud connection which is important to me and projects are then private on my own computer. Has worked well for my 3D printing projects.

I started with freecad. I had trouble with the topological naming issue. I mostly use Fusion 360 because it seems to work better with projects that contain a lot of parts like a 3d printer or laser cutter. I use the autodesk hobby/maker license. I am glad autodesk supports the hobby use of fusion. I appriciate the freecad team and have donated to the project.

I’ve been looking to move from my outdated solid works 2004 and have been using blender as an intermediate step to manipulate solid models. I use solid works to add structure of specific sizes - I find Blender difficult for that. I was planning to try FreeCad and use my SW skills. PS: masterful teaching skills from you Robert. Well done!

I started with fusion 360 in July and I am very happy with it and the tutorials available. It costs around a tenner a week after the free offer is over or we need the full facilities and functions. Most other options seemed to be limited or restricted in various ways or were more complex to operate.

@daveb9067

6 ай бұрын

Fusion 360 always has a “for personal use” free version. It’s not widely advertised because they obviously prefer people to subscribe but it exists with very little limitations. Google it in your country to find the not so direct link to it :) Fusion 360 may seem like a lot at first but it takes very little to learn and is so powerful to bring ideas to life and is well supported by tutorials on KZread.

I've been working with freecad for about 2years, the initial curve was pretty steep. Next year I'll be in a workplace using Solidworks, I'm hoping my freecad experience will at least have me familiar with the core concepts if not the interface specifics.

There's also Blender. I know it's not the typical CAD software and more geared for 3D rendering but I have used it in the past to print models for wind tunnel experiments at work

I think it's an excellent distinction between wanting to make stuff and thorough engineering.

From autocad running on an apple II in the late 70's to the present day's use of fusion 360 I have used cad to design the projects I build. Now retired I appreciate how this expensive program is free to non commercial users.

I just tested my first graphene oxide run. Thanks to you I have 9ohm/cm2!!!! Still need to wash and mill,great start!! Znbr2 semiflow on the way!

@ThinkingandTinkering

6 ай бұрын

that is awesome work mate

Fusion hobby license or onshape would be my advice, comming from 10+years on solidworks. Have not tried it yet, but 3d expierence from dassault at 50 a year looks solid to.

@Ammoniummetavanadate

5 ай бұрын

$50 a year for that package looks amazing. I am still getting fusion for free with my university email (I graduated years ago but it still works so....) but if that ends I I think that is the logical option. SolidWorks is way better than fusion, it isn't even close.

@JumpeFurby

5 ай бұрын

@@Ammoniummetavanadate fusion does have this to say "Fusion 360 for personal use is free online CAD for 3 years for qualifying non-commercial users. A hobbyist user must generate less than $1,000 USD in annual revenue, using Fusion 360 for home-based, non-commercial design, manufacturing, and fabrication projects." 3d expierence seems to have it's limitations but i can't argue that it's still solidworks and i love solidworks

the free design spark mechanical ..seems pretty amazing

While Blender may not be designed with CAD in mind, it has most of the core CAD features, although you may go about it a bit differently. Geometry Nodes are a non-destructive method of modeling. Basically you add little boxes with inputs, outputs, text, and options on them, and connect them together with noodles, and make a weird boxy sideways noodle tree in cyber space that spits out a shape, or several. You can use these noodle trees to create stuff from basic primitive shapes (cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders, etc), but also pull in other existing meshes in your scene. If you work on your skills for long enough, you can use it to do very complicated, repetitive things like adding shingles to a dragon, or scales to a roof! I can not possibly say all that Blender Geometry Nodes can do. Especially in a comment. But... It is a significant time investment to learn the more complicated things. If you try it and find it enjoyable like me, you won't mind messing with them to learn how to do things.

@alanrushing2807

6 ай бұрын

Blender doesn't get enough love from the maker community. I've designed an entire printed printer (the Vorpal 180) in Blender without even needing to learn geometry nodes. Just a few free addons and a lot of video tutorials and essentially raw mesh editing.

As an experienced CAD drafter, I can say that fusion 360 is probably the best pick if you need design and CAM capability. It's not as robust as the big packages but it's very intuitive and user friendly.

@nutterknoll69

6 ай бұрын

I have the free "Fusion 360 for personal use", which although is limited in it's functionality, can still cover most bases. I use it to create STL's for 3D printing, plus I also import STL's in to create models, (CAD), & then the programs from those models, (CAM), for my 3D router to machine. Any functionality it is lacking, say for example the rotary table I will soon be adding, (4th Axis), you can just pay for that feature for a time period.

I use the Community edition of Solid Edge. Its free as long as you don't use it for commercial use and as far as I can tell is the full software with very few restrictions if any. The only drawback is that there is not a huge amount of good tutorials on you tube.

There is the learning curve and there is also the forgetting curve. Easy to use Software also wins in that category. ;)

I've been looking at CAD software that does fluid analysis. THANKS!

I started with Fusion 360 but am starting to do more and more in OnShape. I love that it is cloud based so you don't need a beefy computer to run it. I dislike that with the free license, your designs are all publicly accessible (if it's something I'm not prepared to share, I use Fusion 360). Side note: FreeCAD in my opinion is not user friendly at all.

@kellypurdue1990

6 ай бұрын

I use both as well. When/if Onshape can import STL files that you can edit might push me to stay with it.

@stewiex

6 ай бұрын

@@kellypurdue1990 Fusion 360 can't even do that great to be honest. OnShape will let you import STL files and incorporate it into your design, but there is no way to manipulate it's mesh from what I can tell. For editing existing STL files, I find a sculpting program like Blender or Nomad Sculpt better.

@kellypurdue1990

6 ай бұрын

Yah the free version is not great. Thanks for the tip. Just getting started in this game and it can get bewildering

@stewiex

6 ай бұрын

@@kellypurdue1990 you're welcome! :)

I think this is very sound advice, used the right tool for YOUR job. Just one thing to mention, some tools suffer from lower fidelity models, which compromises print quality.

@ThinkingandTinkering

6 ай бұрын

cheers mate nd thank you for taking the time to point that out

@NitroHDB

6 ай бұрын

@@ThinkingandTinkering thanks for the great videos - really enjoy your explorations!

id love to see blender add some CAD stuff.

I've been using the very cheapest version of CAD for many years. Cardboard Assisted Design 😆

Plenty of platforms to give you an intro into the world of CAD, to get to the next level check what it’s going to cost you first. Students can get free licenses for CAD software

i flip-flop between Fusion360 or OnShape. Freecad blows my mind with its UI, but everyone to their own. I suppose I like those two as they feel familiar from when I did Tech Drawing when at school doing my CSEs in the mid 80s.

I'm a little different. I am a much better programmer than I am at using CAD software, so I use openSCAD. It is fully parametric, but does have it's own programming language, which takes some getting used to. I design some very complex things using it. I started by writing my own library of utilities, but since I started working on it some very good ones became available....

@davestorm6718

6 ай бұрын

I need to check this out. Thanks!

@shawnCmasters

6 ай бұрын

If you don't like the syntax, Solidpython takes python and outputs an OpenSCAD file. There is also CADquery which takes a different approach than OpenSCAD. Bit higher learning curve, but it looks more powerful at the higher end.

@TimBlack1

6 ай бұрын

I'm a web developer and do not have much CAD experience. I am slowly planning a combined cooling, heating, electricity and water generating system for my camping trailer. I am considering modeling everything in 3JS and importing CAD files as needed. Then I can integrate the models with my control and monitoring software as I develop it. Do you think this will work? I would welcome any feedback regarding pros and cons or pointers.

OpenSCAD is great for 3D printing because when you've done a first draft of a 3D model and it's not quite what you want, all you need to do is go back and adjust the values and re-run the script. It can be a lot easier than using a visual modelling package. It's not perfect by any means, but good for certain types of project

@Ammoniummetavanadate

5 ай бұрын

I think it works for a certain kind of brain. It feels like an abstraction and an abstraction of reality. Compared to day fusion 360 where it feels more like using building blocks.

I wish you would do a video on 3D printers and how to get started

Robert you forgot the big hulk in the back of the hall closet. Brilcad was developed by the US Army. It is parametric based, and is very hard to use. And it has great tutorials and it runs on Debian . BTW I hate tinker cad, I rate it as a tool for your child. I grew up with 2d drawings, and to get 3d you drew some lines and now you have orthogonal drawing. And then Autocad on my SunStatlon. ~~Cris H. And yes I do like the channel.

Is Draftsight available in a free version? I don;t see it on the site - just a free trial.

@wrathofbob7299

6 ай бұрын

No longer, unfortunately.

I taking the deep dive and learning Blender. Doughnut's, Doughnut's, Doughnut's

@benjamindemontgomery6317

6 ай бұрын

@@moominjuice2 Thank you. I will look into that.

3D printing does require 3D models….and I think this channel has proved beyond doubt just how capable TinkerCAD is….Robert should be an Ambassador for that software 👍. Don’t forget though if you make things the old fashioned way….by hand or with manual machines you will need to learn how to create 2D drawings in the 3D software. If you don’t need the 3D bit then NanoCAD Free is good for 2D draughting, it looks and feels like AutoCAD back in the day. I used Solidworks in an engineering design environment for years, but it was sometimes like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. I still have a drawing board and mechanical pencils in three lead sizes just in case….🙂

@daveb9067

6 ай бұрын

Tinkercad is taught in schools in Australia from Year 4 and 5 before they transition to Fusion 360 or AutoCAD in Year 9 and Year 10. Looking beyond just the programs themselves, if you look at how supported these programs are from an external development and integration standpoint (I.e. tools, plugins built to integrate into these products to make making easier, you can understand why Autodesk products (such as Fusion 360 and AutoCAD) are taught, there is just so many external developers and companies providing ubiquitous support that makers wanting to craft a detailed or complex design/system can do so with relative ease.

available libraries are important.

If you are not planning on doing CAD as a profession it is better to pick a software that has a large community base. At some point you are gonna need help. For example, Sketchup might not be the best CAD software but it does have a large user base and community support making it better for most people. If you get stuck there is likely a YoutTube video that will help you out. You will also have a massive library of models you can steal parts and ideas from which that will save you time. If you plan on being a professional and make money at it then the advice is the opposite. In that case you need to job shop the large corporations and find the most obscure software they are using then get the training you need to use the software. The good news is they all do about the same thing so really it's just a matter of training yourself on that software and bringing a portfolio to the job interview.

In the context of our most recent interaction I really appreciate this video. You're an absolute gem Robert, thank you!

I also heard about Plasticity... Anyone knows about it?

Alibre CAD, not free, though a free trial. Like OnShape but cheaper.

Mechanical CAD is only one type of CAD. I do printed circuit board CAD with KiCAD now, though I used to use FreePCB. KiCAD has so many features, including using traces and pads as microwave components.

@JaenEngineering

6 ай бұрын

Tbh, I struggle to understand why people don't use KiCad given that it's free, open source and as good as any other paid software like Altium, especially considering they have CERN as a major community contributor. 🤨

DesignSpark Mechanical

many have been forced into piracy by the new limits of f360 and onshape. I do use FreeCad but it is a little clunky still.

before watching... i hope all the options mentioned are free software (free as in freedom), sometimes misnamed "open source", ensuring we're free to use, study, change and share the software. the ability to tinker with our tools seems essential, or we're just getting stuck depending on something that cannot be depended upon and we cannot fix, Free Software is essential. gnu philosophy.

@siljrath

6 ай бұрын

well, at least free ("open source") software got mentions included (... well... at least freecad). ... around what sounded like marketing script. ... & no openscad?

Onshape is free

Personally I prefer my pirated solidworks copy lol.

why choose free cad software if you can just crack the paid one for free

I'm sorry to say, but I strongly disagree with your advide. Ther are humonous diferences in appliction of the different software. So you should choose the software that is most suitable to what you want to achieve. I love Fusuon, but for my job I use Revit. For my job I could use Autocad as well. But the way of building the parts/sytems is designed to suit one or the other application. Its the same with Fusion or Autocad or FreeCad. Autocad is easy to learn, but Fusion is way more usefulll for building 3D structures. Pick what suits your application, not what is the easiest to learn as you go.

@ThinkingandTinkering

6 ай бұрын

I don't think you got the video - at least the message you seem to think I was saying is nothing like what i was saying

@instert94

6 ай бұрын

@@ThinkingandTinkering Thank you for your quick reply! I'll watch it again tomorrow! Maybe it's to late in the day and a fresh mind will help!

DesignSpark Mechanical