3D software for design and driving 3D printers

[John Branch]

I feel somewhat frustrated in that I am missing out on the 3D printing technique for making components etc.  My main problem is understanding how to design using the (to me) totally unintuitive systems such as free scad, where the instructions do not make any sense to me at all. (I have downloaded it and played around a bit, and got absolutely nowhere).  I came across some youtube tutorials for a system called "shapr" recently, and it seem to be  very much more suited to my capabilities. Has anyone had experience of this, or can they point to a source of information about how it is used?

I would be grateful for any guidance

John Branch

[John Candy]

John,
I have not used Shapr but looking at the packages offered, the "free" basic has severe limitations (e.g 2 projects and low-res STL output).
The paid package (USD25 per month) offers much better export options, including "STEP" which my new Bambu Lab P1S can handle, as well as high-res STL.
As you will know from my forum posts, I use OpenScad which is a programming language, as opposed to a graphical/drawing user interface. Unfortunately it does not feature STEP output option, so Shapr has the edge on it in that respect.

Regards,
John.

[Nick]

Have you tried CAD packages such as Fusion 360 or Solid Edge that use a graphics-based approach rather than the scripting approack of OpenSCAD? The learning curve for any CAD package is steep, but if you feel as if you are banging your head against a brick wall with the one, it might be worth trying the other. There are other CAD packages out there, but I mention those two because they are free for hobby use and there are people within the G3 community who use them.

Nick

[IanT]

John,

When I first acquired my Sovol 3D printer, I used SCAD to design simple workshop adaptors and other useful items that were quick and easy to design & print. It did not immediately replace my 2D drafting CAD system (TurboCAd DL) which I had used for a very long time to produce plans/drawings etc.

However, I eventually decided to invest the time and learn a modern 3D CAD system (which TC/DL is not, although it has some "3D" features) and finally settled on Solid Edge CE (after trying others, Fusion etc). This is a commercial product from Siemens that is fully functional and updated annually. I've been using it since 2020 and am now on SE 2023 (SE 2024 has just been announced). SE only runs on Windows (I have it on both Win 10 & 11 'Home' Editions) and is fully 'local' (e.g. it's not online or cloud dependent). The (free) Community Edition appears to be a version of the academic license and each of my versions has had 3-year licenses (so my current '23' license that I've been using for 12 months or so, has about 2 years left).

It is not a trivial product and is very fully featured. It is also perhaps unusual, in that it can be used both as a '3D' and '2D' drafting tool, something I've found very useful in moving my old 2D TCAD files over. It's not something Siemens really promote and I'd been using Solid Edge CE a little while before I realised it had all the 2D functionality that it does. On the 3D side, it is very powerful and has a 'Synchronous' mode that really makes life much easier, although it can be operated in 'Ordered' mode too if preferred (which most other 3D CAD systems use). In simple terms, I can modify a design without stepping back and having to re-do everything after making a change in the 'order' of things - SE just lets you change it.

Anyway, SCAD is very good but a programmatic approach is required and it cannot do many other things that I need a CAD syatem for. If you are willing to invest a little time and work through the eLearning provided by Siemens (again all free) then it is well worth the extra effort in my view.

Solid Edge can import and export a very wide range of file types, including .STLs (for 3D printing), .DXFs (for laser ctiing) as well as very simply making dimensioned drawings avaialble, which can be updated by a single 'click' if you change anything on the parts you have designed. In fact if you change any part or assembly, everything related to it can be updated (SE is fully parametric) - something that saves a huge amount of time.

So SCAD is a very quick and easy route into 3D Print but if you are going to need anything more, then think about investing some time in a full 3D CAD product. I'd highly recommend Solid Edge CE but everyone has their own favourite CAD system!  :-)

Regards,


IanT

   

[John Branch]

Thanks, John Nick and Ian, I shall do some research and see what systems I have a chance of using, if not mastering.  I use Autosketch, an old cut-down version of Autocad, which is essentially using your monitor as a piece of paper and drawing on it.  I was, in my naivety, hoping that with the addition of side, and end elevations and plan views of my desired volume the program would sort out the desired solid result in the same way that a machinist can turn a flat paper drawing into a real thing.
I feel that I have along way to go!

In the meantime, 3D printers get more and more capable.

JB

[IanT]

John,

I think part of the problem is that the better 3D CAD systems are extremely powerful and people tend to get lost in all the 'potential'. It's very tempting to just tinker with all the bells and whistles, rather than just sticking to the basic commands. However, if you can just focus on the simple things, you can build quite complex objects (which you can then print) without ever worrying about surfacing or any of the othe 'Guru' level stuff.  For instance - in Solid Edge - one click and I can draw a rectangle around a centre point. The little cube in the corner tells me i'm looking at the front face btw. 



Another click (on 'extrude') let's me then click on a 'face' and add a third dimension.



I've now got a cube (which I could save and then export as a .STL file and print.



Note, when drawing this, I never dimensioned anything but I've now 'clicked' on each edge and used 'smart' dimensions to define how large my cube is...  I could then save this, open a 'draft' document and a few clicks later have a fully dimensioned drawing of my new 'part'. Even better, if I then change those dimensions, my drawing will be updated too...such a blessing after TurboCAD!  :-)

Obviously, it takes a little while to get used to how everything works and you will need to spend some time learning the basics. But I feel it's well worth learning something that can expend to meet any need you are likely to have. Solid Edge doesn't have a CAM component included but if I do ever want to get into CNC, then I can still export my designs to a CAM package - or indeed send my .DWG or .DXF files for then to be commercially laser'd or CNC'd...

Anyway, if you would like to explore Solid Edge, I suggest you use this link (there are older links that Google tends to find)...

Solid Edge CE

Regards,

IanT

[John Branch]

I have downloaded Solid Edge using your link (above) so I shall try to find my way around it.

Best,
John

[IanT]

I've PM'd you John

Regards,

IanT