need new design software...

[mekks-mechanics 0]

hello everyone.

i have been using 123design to make my parts and stuff since i got my 3dprinter a couple of years ago.

but now 123design is shutting down :(

soo i need a new program to make all my stuff in

i never got used to or manage to understand CAD softwares

thats why i used 123design.

It was easy to use

and very fast to learn with no help

soo does anyone know of similar program to 123 design

thats fast and easy to use and learn and not have to be on youtube all day to try to understand how to make a simple box.

have tried 360fusion but find it hard to use and not very intuitiv for me personaly

have also tried tinkercad but i was missing alot of the stuff from 123design

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I am moving away from Autodesk. They just are too big and slow. That and they just keep throwing new features (only to never improve on them) into nearly 30 year old architecture and the yearly upgrades are costing 50% of the full value. That and I hate the subscription model and need to be always hooked in.

So, I am learning Blender and coupling that with 3D Coat. It's a wacky interface that is more remanent of Houdini than the Autodesk products, but they are actually more cutting edge than Autodesk.

It will depend on your way of working as well as what you are attempting to do. There is no silver bullet solution.

[tomnagel 126]

Have you tried OnShape already? Free to use if you allow your models to be public.

I am amazed what they managed to let you do in a standard browser. No installation whatsoever, and your models available on any computer connected to the internet.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Have you tried OnShape already? Free to use if you allow your models to be public.

I am amazed what they managed to let you do in a standard browser. No installation whatsoever, and your models available on any computer connected to the internet.

 

While that sounds all noble, it prevents someone from developing personal work that could be private, forces someone to let hard work out for free and also allows others to monetize on free materials. I've seen that happen a lot. I have seen at least one model (BATMAN Bust) for sale at CG Trader and for free in another place. Either someone is selling something they got for free or someone paid for a model and released it, cutting the artist out of the equation. Either way, not good.

Basically, if someone wants to release a model into the wild, that is their choice. But to make it mandatory means that I would not ever use it.

Blender is free and has no such restriction. 3D Coat is surprisingly flexible and affordable.

And Blender is in many ways more advanced than the Autodesk products that you pay through the nose for.

Best of all, no need to be connected to work. Not everywhere is connected enough to allow that.

[jameshs 42]

All the vendors have their issues - but IMHO fusion is the way to go. It is not all about features - often it is about resources (like instructional videos etc) and Autodesk has always managed to generate the largest number of user installed seats.

I have been an Adesk user for the last 25 years and am by no mans a fanboy (I pay £0,000s for subscriptions to their architectural software) and was amazed when fusion came oiut and had more, and easier functionality that the functions I was using in inventor that I pay a hefty subscription for - so have transferred to F360 while I have inventor on my desktop!

It is not perfect, but is getting better and better each relase, and more than suited to the small and complex(ish) models that I am using it for.

What I really love it for though is that in the same model - on a different tab, I can output a stl for 3dp, a dxf for laser cutting and gcode for a mill - that truly does amaze me!

We all like different flavours and I guess i may have been brainwashed into autodesk way of doing things. They have an import for 123d into fusion, so models can be brought back to life!

[geert_2 558]

I would suggest you have a look at DesignSpark Mechanical. This is a limited version of SpaceClaim, and distributed for free by RS Components (big electronics supplier). It only requires registration to activate it.

Its user-interface is similar to that of SketchUp, with pulling and pushing on sides or edges of models, to modify them. But it generates good STL-files for 3D-printing.

Main disadvantage: import/export module for STEP and IGES standard 3D-formats is optional and not free (actually quite expensive).

On Youtube you find a lot of demo- and instruction films. Also on the RS-website and SpaceClaim website, you find tutorials. Have a look if this is something for you.

Concerning Onshape: I tried that, but I can not get around in their user-interface: I find it all mixed-up and confusing. However, other people have made wonderful things in it, so it works. Technically, it is incredible what they can do in a standard browser, but I do not like the online-only philosopy: it reacts too slow, and no internet (or server down) means no editing. I already had an account before the recent limitations, and last time I checked, I still seemed to have the ability to store 9 private models, invisible to others. Yes, 9, not 10 as in the beginning: for some unknown reason one dropped off.

[DidierKlein 729]

Fusion 360 is really nice, powerfull and evolves quite often. Stays free of charge for personnal use. From all the softwares i tried this one was the most easy to learn and most powerfull, lots of youtube videos about it

[amedee 349]

It also really depends on what you are doing.

If you are in 'organic shapes', Blender is the way to go.

For a more 'engineering' type of work my choice if Fusion360. I don't like their cloud / subscription model; the day they decide to stop their free offering I'll be completely stuck... But today, there are not too many alternatives in particular if you are using a Mac.

By all means, stay away from Sketchup. It is a great software, but not for 3D printing as it has the tendency to generate non-manifold volumes...

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Just to add one more thing about Autodesk: Their 'free software' always seems to get cancelled and then rolled into a paid product.

It would seem that Autodesk is using that free software as an open beta program to either test features or a way to check for future monetization byway of popularity and feedback from users.

Since Autodesk and Adobe have not really been innovating for a long time, they are having to switch to the subscription model to make any money.

To paraphrase the CFO of Autodesk at a shareholder meeting a few years back, "We are not selling upgrades or product for several versions as a time and need to look at new ways to monetize the product line."

When there are cheaper and powerful alternatives that actually focus on what the creative people need, and not just moving menus around and throwing what we would call a 'point release' out every year back in the day and not an upgrade and then charging so much for it. I remember when the yearly upgrades were just $400.00 USD.

Yes, I feel like Autodesk is the significant other that has strayed and it feels a bit like a betrayal.