Hello,
I’m looking to start doing more advanced designs. In that pursuit, I was hoping to find a software that would help me plan my designs in 3D. Any suggestions from the community on what to use? thanks
Hello,
I’m looking to start doing more advanced designs. In that pursuit, I was hoping to find a software that would help me plan my designs in 3D. Any suggestions from the community on what to use? thanks
What sort of designs are you making? Out of what material? Using what fabrication process(es)?
For woodworking, I am using:
Both have a steep learning curve [Freecad a little less] but I am leaning toward FreeCad as my primary.
If you are planning on CNC operations you need to insure Gcode post-processing compatibility with whatever machine you have.
I’ll be making a mixed bag of things. Cabinets, tables, benches, and lamps. Materials could range from wood, metal and concrete. Mostly will be done with handtools at this point. thanks for any guidance you can give.
excellent. I’ll give these both a look. I appreciate it.
For 3D design, I’d recommend starting with software like SketchUp or FreeCAD if you’re just diving into it. They’re both pretty intuitive for beginners, and you can gradually get more advanced as you go.
I’ve also been experimenting with an AI tool for furniture design from silkplm.com, and it’s been a game changer for me. It helped me visualize and tweak my designs in 3D, and the best part was how quickly I could see different variations of a piece. It definitely sped up my workflow and gave me more creative freedom.
I like FreeCAD and use it often, but “intuitive for beginners” isn’t necessarily a description that everyone would agree with. I do recommend it, including to new users, but I also tend to link to resources on how to learn its operating model effectively, such as FreeCAD for Makers which predates the improvements in FreeCAD 1.0 but is still very useful for understanding how it works.
Sadly, and germane to this thread, the FreeCAD Woodworking Workbench is not supported on FreeCAD 1.0, so you are stuck on an old version of FreeCAD if you want to use it. I hope that changes some day!