Best Budget 3D Cad software

[David-Clark 1Participant @david-clark1]

Hi there

Coming back to CAD after 10 years means my software is out of date. What are some of the commonly used software programs that are suitable for CAD, CAM and 3D printing.

There seems to be a few available but it seems like a minefield. I used to use Turbo Cad but the last version I have is probably v21, to old got Windows 10 probably.

Suggestions welcome. I don’t really want to spend more than about £100 and preferably less if I can.

[David-Clark 1Participant @david-clark1]

CAD software for designing models etc.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Why not try Solid Edge Community Edition David? That's what I moved to after using TC for many years.

It's free to download and a powerful, commercial grade system – I've posted about it previously here.

I'd recommend that you use this link to download the SE-CE software.

Siemens Digital Industries Software Online Store

Regards,

IanT

Edited By IanT on 06/04/2022 11:53:24

[IanTParticipant @iant]

The previous post I mentioned is here:

Solid Edge – Community Edition | Model Engineer (model-engineer.co.uk)

Regards,

IanT

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Fusion 360 is another free option, there are a few bits that you don't get with the free one but it's not stopped me using it for their CAM

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

David,

Having initially tried Fusion 360 when it first came out, I rejected it mainly because I couldn't get my head around it. This was due to my reluctance to get stuck in and apply myself fully to it. When Alibre Atom3D was on special offer through MEW, I downloaded the extended trial version and made a concerted effort to use it. So much so that I am a keen user and licence holder of it for CAD. For the CAM functions, I export from Atom3D and open the file in Fusion 360 (free personal edition). I would suggest that the personal edition of Fusion 360 will fulfil all your needs. I personally don't like the "cloud" saving of files associated with Fusion so only save them to my home computer (by exporting, not saving).

John

 

Edited By John Hinkley on 06/04/2022 12:04:23

[David-Clark 1Participant @david-clark1]

Thank you John

Looks interesting.

I am looking to use it to write articles for ME and MEW. I presume I can’t do that with the free version?

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

David,

I must admit that hadn't occurred to me. I have had articles published in MEW which in part have made use of Fusion, likewise some of my YouTube content does so too. I think I'll just keep quiet about it. After all, I'm not making a living out of it, which would be my interpretation of the "non-commercial " restriction of the personal copy.

John

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

May be different as the mags pay for articles, Would really depends on how much it is used for the article, an odd screen shot may be OK but whole articles based on F360 may not go down so well particularly given recent deal/promotion with Alibtre.

Like John I still like Alibre for the actual design, I had it before I got the CNC so not worth learning another system or paying for two but I can do a bit of CAD with F360 when needed and it does a nice rendering too.

[David-Clark 1Participant @david-clark1]

Hi John and Jason.

I am not looking to make a living out of it. More to help others while making some of the money I spent on my hobby back.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

From the Autodesk website:

"Fusion 360 for personal use:

Free CAD + CAM software for individuals who are doing hobby, non-commercial design, and manufacturing projects."

I don't I imagine that Autocad would do anything other than approve of authors showing how good Fusion is in a publication. If, however, the author was using Fusion to design a pattern that was then 3d printed and used to cast a component that was the sold then that might be a different issue. There used to be a limit on turnover for commercial use of the free offering but since they cut down Fusion for personal use that seems to have gone away.

Incidentally, I have just had to do a 3 year renewal which meant starting from scratch with the installation software but as soon as I entered my details it knew who I was and all my old drawings were still there (most, of course, archived). Why was I doing this? So I could design and 3D print a 4" to 3" dust extractor hose adaptor

Rod

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

So your still making sawdust and not Swarf then Rod

Mine was the same when I updates, all the files still there

Yes pattern making I've been doing with Graham from Alyn foundry are just for private projects like the CHUK-V and Brayton Flywheel.

Edited By JasonB on 06/04/2022 13:26:07

[David-Clark 1Participant @david-clark1]

This is from the Autocad uK website.

Fusion 360 for personal use is free 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.

I think that covers my use for ME and MEW?

Would you agree Neil or would you like me to try and get written permission from Autodesk UK?

I have kept a screen shot for reference.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Well, I did try – but it seems the Fusion Faction have won another convert!

Regards,

IanT

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Posted by IanT on 06/04/2022 14:28:18:

Well, I did try – but it seems the Fusion Faction have won another convert!

Regards,

IanT

It seems so. I never felt comfortable with Fusion 360 despite its many features, so I settled on MoI for my CAD and am happy with its workflow. It's quite easy to use and its simple interface is nonetheless very well featured.

Martin.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Another free 3D cad programme to try is Designspark mechanical. It won't produce detailed drawings but it will save a view of what you're drawing as a JPG with dimensions. I have produced some 3D prints to use in sand casting and it works fine. I find it a lot easier to use than Solid edge which I also have installed. I do play with FreeCAD now and then, but…….

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Posted by IanT on 06/04/2022 14:28:18:

Well, I did try – but it seems the Fusion Faction have won another convert!

Regards,

IanT

Being completely free, having a comprehensive CAM function and being usable on a Windows machine adds up to a lot of plus points for many people.

Rod

[mike robinson 2Participant @mikerobinson2]

referring to IanT's comments about Siemens Solid Edge it might be interesting for some to know the 3D parametric and synchronous technology modeller used within Solid Edge and also Siemens NX is Siemens Parasolid which is developed in Cambridge (UK). Parasolid is licensed to their competitors and partners for integration as the core modeller in other products including Onshape, TopSolid, SolidWorks, SurfCAM, Delcam, Bentley and Autodesk to name just a few.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by David-Clark 1 on 06/04/2022 12:11:04:

Thank you John

Looks interesting.

I am looking to use it to write articles for ME and MEW. I presume I can’t do that with the free version?

I can recommend Fusion360, even in the chopped down free-version.

However, I don't think using it to write articles for ME or MEW is 'non-commercial'. Paying the author for anything produced by F360 is a commercial transaction, and so is selling  the Magazines. Whether Autodesk care or not is anyone's guess. I'd ask permission, Autodesk might allow a freebie because using F360 in magazine articles is free advertising.

FreeCAD is an alternative I use a lot. It's open-source, zero-cost, and stores everything locally. Unlike F360 it doesn't have to phone home regularly over the internet, or stop working if you block it. Also unlike F360's complicated Terms of Service the FreeCAD licence is simple and friendly : for professional users the licence says:

FreeCAD can be used freely for any kind of purpose, being private, commercial or institutional. Any version of FreeCAD can be deployed and installed anywhere, any number of times. You can also modify and adapt FreeCAD for your own purposes without any restriction. However, you cannot make the FreeCAD developers liable for possible damage or business loss that could occur from using FreeCAD.

FreeCAD is good for single-part design. A couple of years ago I wrote a get you started thread, which takes beginners step by step through the initial 'OMG this is so complicated I don't know where to begin' stage. FreeCAD can be downloaded from here.

Downside of FreeCAD is it's in development, only version 0.93, and a little flaky. (Save work often). In several ways I prefer it to F360, but it's not as polished, or as full function. Nonetheless, serviceable and getting better with every upgrade.  An off-putting feature is the sheer number of workbenches on offer, most of which aren't needed for Mechanical Engineering and can be ignored. Almost everything we need is in the Part Design Workbench, and the TechDraw Workbench which creates 2D projections of 3D parts.

Dave

 

 

 

 

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 06/04/2022 16:42:23

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

DC-1 mentioned he wanted to design engines so would a prog that is good for single parts be useful?

I model each part separately but find being able to do a virtual assembly very useful as I can check for fits, rotate the flywheel and watch to see if something like a conrod fouls the frame or a piston hits the end of a cylinder.

It's also good if he wants to publish his designs to be able to produce a general arrangement and possibly sections of the finished engine so again the ability to assemble parts is a bonus.

I've not tried assembly in F360 but works well in Alibre.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Posted by lee webster on 06/04/2022 15:08:30:

Another free 3D cad programme to try is Designspark mechanical. It won't produce detailed drawings but it will save a view of what you're drawing as a JPG with dimensions. I have produced some 3D prints to use in sand casting and it works fine. I find it a lot easier to use than Solid edge which I also have installed. I do play with FreeCAD now and then, but…….

Lee, I used TurboCAD for many years in a way that I thought was pretty competent. Then I watched a video by 'Paul the CAD' and realised I really wasn't making best use of TC after all (I stopped using drop-down menus and started just using the keyboard). So I tried to approach learning Solid Edge in a more 'structured' way and Siemens provide some excellent aids to enable you to do so. It is very well documented.

Of course, it doesn't make you a skilled draftsman (as you will probably notice) but it does give you a good foundation to work with. After using TC for so long, I really love being able to change parts (dimensions etc) and then see those changes just automatically passed through to any related 3D assemblies and 2D drawings (e.g. it's fully parametric). Creating new 2D drawings is very simple, just a 'drag & drop' operation – a few minutes work.

Obviously these drawings are mostly just for my use but it's also nice to be able to share them and not be too embarrassed. I've got my SE print default set-up for A4 and I can just dump drawings straight to the printer. Very handy if I change a part for any reason, I can just click 'update' & then 'print' – and I've a new drawing (updated with the rev date etc) for workshop use. You should persevere with SE, it will reward your time and effort.

Rod, SE only runs on Windows – and does so locally (so no Cloud required). I've just upgraded my Laptop to Win11 'Home' (from Win10 Home) and SE 2022 works just fine, exactly as I expected. SE-CE does not have a (free) CAM function currently but it does have a slicer for 3DP built in (although I'm still using CURA). As I don't have any CNC kit at the moment, it's not an issue for me. If I ever do need CAM, I will probably look at exporting my SE models into FreeCAD's CAM – which is apparently greatly improved these days.

Regards,

IanT

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

I'm something of a fan of OnShape (onshape.com). You get pretty much a full professional 3D modelling tool for free.

Two drawbacks: Your designs are all public – not something that bothers me. I can deal with the embarrassment if anyone finds something I've done. And it runs in the cloud so you don't have it on your computer. Again not something that bothers me.

I've found it somewhat easier to get to grips with than other 3D design tools I've used.

Iain

[Alan Wood 4Participant @alanwood4]

Having spent a business life where we had this software package for this and that software package for that and then lost many hours of productivity with the frustrations of this not talking to that, it comes as an absolute joy to find and use a fully integrated package that does everything in one application.

If we had had Fusion 360 in those days our working lives would have been so much more focussed on designing and manufacturing our products rather than fighting the frustrations of software interoperability. When a package offers you 3D design, 2D drawing, CAM, direct to 3D printing and integrated PCB design (now with the extensive library of SnapEDA) it is an engineer's heaven and this is what Fusion 360 offers.

I have a number of friends who use the non licenced version and it completely meets their needs for hobbyist activity. For those that needed the much more advanced CAM features a timely purchase of a licence when Autodesk offer their regular 30% discount deals solved the problem.

The doubters about Cloud Storage all will no doubt be using on line banking and be comfortable with it so why worry about using it for project documentation? The option to save locally is there if the Cloud creates sleepless nights. The upside with the Cloud is that you can go to any computer anywhere in the world, load Fusion, log in and all your designs are there in your library. You can even work for a limited period without an internet connection.

Last but no means least for the new starter, is the overwhelming depth and variety of online tuition sites on YouTube. NYC CNC, Paul McWhorter, Product Design Online, Clough42, Mechanical Advantage, Lars Christensen and not least Autodesk's own training videos.

Forum users will all have their own preferred design package for 2D or 3D drawing and will rightly be proud of what they achieve with what the software allows them to do. Most will then qualify their voiced preference by adding the qualifier that they then use this other package for CAM and this other package for their PCB design and maybe gloss over the frustrations of moving their design between these additionally necessary packages.

I wonder if we are no different in this respect to my historic experiences in business. In those days my team was frustrated by a lack of software integration and how it stopped us getting our new designs to market efficiently.

Today we as hobbyists have a slightly different angle on the problem in that for many of us our remaining time to 'box' is finite. We have skills in the workshop to create our dreams albeit with eyesight fading and joints getting more aches each day. The old adage of the man on his death bed wishing he had spent less time at work and more with his family mirrors our thought of wishing we could have spent more time in the workshop making things rather than wasting it with computer and software frustrations. For me Fusion 360 has given me that freedom. It is my researched choice and it has paid off for me and others will have their own preferences and recommendations.

(I hope that last paragraph wasn't too depressing).

It is likely that the package you start with will be the one you tend to stick with such is the investment in time you will make when learning how to use it and more to the point remembering how to use it. For the new user it is therefore all the more important to make the right choice for not just what you want to do now but also where you might want to be in the future and how easy that will integrate with your initial software choice. Maybe you just want 2D drawing but could this lead to 3D modelling, 3D printing, PCB design and integration or full CNC milling, routing and lathe work ? I suggest that like me, you will easily expand into these with Fusion as your base choice.

Just for clarity I have no affiliation with Fusion or Autodesk and Fusion 360 runs on Win10/11 and Mac.

Alan

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Some very true words there Alan

I stuck with Alibre for my design as I've used it for a number of years and did not fancy learning something else, When I got the CNC their CAM option was very expensive so I looked elsewhere. They now have a cheaper option but a bit limited.

So I went with F360 for my CAM and it is a bit of a pain if I have done all the CAM for a part and then need to change it. This either means importing a revised .stp file and starting again or if the alteration is minimal I'll muddle through altering the model in F360 design.

As maybe 5% of what I make at the most is on the CNC I can live with that at the moment.

Edited By JasonB on 07/04/2022 10:17:34

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Alan Wood 4 on 07/04/2022 09:59:25:

…

The doubters about Cloud Storage all will no doubt be using on line banking and be comfortable with it so why worry about using it for project documentation? The option to save locally is there if the Cloud creates sleepless nights. The upside with the Cloud is that you can go to any computer anywhere in the world, load Fusion, log in and all your designs are there in your library. You can even work for a limited period without an internet connection.

…

The old adage of the man on his death bed wishing he had spent less time at work and more with his family mirrors our thought of wishing we could have spent more time in the workshop making things rather than wasting it with computer and software frustrations. For me Fusion 360 has given me that freedom. It is my researched choice and it has paid off for me and others will have their own preferences and recommendations.

…

 

Cloud first. The advantage of a local system is the owner retains full control, which scores high whenever privacy matters. The disadvantage is the owner is responsible for security and back-ups and has to manage them competently. Not easy, especially if the system is multi-user. Cloud transfers much of the hosting problem to a professional provider, who, in theory, does a better job than Joe Public. In practice, it's hard to tell how good or bad a Cloud system actually is: they do get hacked, leak information, go down, and lose the backups! And the advantages aren't always fully available. Although Cloud technology enables world-wide connectivity, the Fusion licence happens to be per country. (Probably doesn't matter to most of us and might be fooled by connecting via a VPN)

The extra time CAD frees up for the workshop point is a good one, but it's the other way round for me. Whilst I enjoy workshop time, it's not my main goal. For me, tools are more a means to an end. For what I do, saving workshop time by getting my act together with CAD is a good thing!

It depends on where the hobby takes you. Little need for CAD when building a well-known locomotive from a set of error free plans when all the 'words and music' present and correct. CAD scores big time when doing new design, or the words and music are pathetic, or the drawings are riddled with mistakes. Better to find out a set of locomotive frames are wrong in CAD than to discover the boiler and valve gear won't fit after many hours milling and drilling.

In software engineering, rule of thumb is the cost of fixing a problem multiplies by ten at each step between design and live running. Same is true in mechanical engineering: a drawing mistake costing a few quid to fix at the time can break a company if the error gets past production and forces a full recall with warranty and liability claims.

I say CAD is worth considering, but there must be as many workshops who don't need it as do. However, CAD gets more useful to me every time I use it, and I might end up using it for even simple jobs. Getting started was difficult, but new benefits keep appearing now I drive CAD reasonably well. It's flipped from wasting large amounts of my time to saving more. Just like learning to drive a car!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 07/04/2022 10:51:46

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