( Tip: you can also import an image to create a 3D relief carving as you mentioned above)Īfter this, I would move into something like Sketchup. This will give you a feel for what it is like in a 3D modeling environment. Watch some videos on Tinkercad and get a feel for navigating a 3d view, learning the concept of “extruding” shapes, “Grouping” shapes, subtracting from “Boolean operations” shapes to create new objects.
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my experience is limited to only free stuff I have found but if I were learning from scratch I would: I know there are a few similarities to this thread on free software here but I will mention some items based on your question knowing that my experience and preferences are different from many others. Without a doubt someone with way more knowledge than me will come along shortly and provide a lot more information, haha. If you’re looking to try and just get the hang of 3D modelling, I would definitely recommend SketchUp- very good for quick prototyping, and a real easy-to-use interface. Rhino, on the other hand, is a surface modeling tool- so, a box would read as six planes. What’s nice about these is that they are ‘solid modeling’ software, so if you draw a box it reads it as a solid object. They’re targeted specifically for more product modelling. Personally, grasshopper would be my main reason for going with Rhino.įor the stuff you mentioned, like joints and moving parts, I would recommend looking at Autodesk’s Inventor or Fusion 360.
Not too hard to get the hang of, and with it you use the (free!) grasshopper plugin for some pretty awesome parametric modelling. I did architecture for my undergrad degree, and they immediately started us off in Rhino 3D. Welcome to the wonderful world of CAD! To get the ball rolling, here’s what I can say:
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Perhaps it would be a different CAD program altogether, but I would like to know efficient ways to design 3D carvings as well.ĭoes anyone with a background in CAD have any advice?ītw, I’m in a MacOS environment, but I could be convinced to run windows or linux on a virtual machine. I can already tell what will be my second CNC machine: something that can carve unless the Glowforge turns out to do good 3D etchings/carvings. One other little problem… I’ve been looking at all the things that can be made, that I’d like to make, and I’m getting all sorts of ideas. I guess money is relative so I would say I don’t mind spending hundreds, but thousands is a little more painful unless I’m sure of the usefulness of the software. My time and speed of learning is more valuable than saving a few bucks. I like the idea of the free software, but I’m not opposed to paying for something if it works better. I guess certain kinds of shapes are easier in different kinds of CAD. It was an article primarily about Architectural CAD, and it said that if you look at a project, you can tell which CAD software the designer was using. Poking around on the net, I read something really interesting. Is there something that can be configured to work more with the type of dimensional materials the Glowforge can handle? It also seems like CAD is a little too versatile, in that you can make any shape on any axis. Just to look at what other people are using their software for, it seems like there is a big divide between Architectural CAD, CAD that is used for making gizmos, and CAD for animation.
It seems to make a difference what types of projects you want to create. I’m trying to decide which software to invest my time learning. I’d like to start learning before the Glowforge arrives.
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