Top 3 FREE 3D Design Software 2019

[@Jimgoodwin846]

Thanks for this video. I’m a total beginner at this 3d printing stuff. After watching several of your videos I have become a “Fan” . Having never drawn on a cad program before this all seemed quite daunting especially for an old guy...75 years young. I have tried several programs; sketch up, tinker cad, 123d Design and then landed on Fusion 360. I’ve been watching Lars Christiansen’s tutorials and now I’ve found yours. Initially, I thought 3d printing would be good to supplement my RC Airplane hobby...Now possibilities are endless. Thanks again for your time and videos.

[@dougruefer8417]

Learned solid works in high school and college. Found fusion 360 through you and absolutely love it

[@Baiswith]

For Blender - you can get it to highlight non-manifold aspects (vertex / edge), allowing you to go in and fix the issue (once you figure out what the cause of the non-manifold is). The best tip I've ever come across for Blender is using the 'Spacebar' key to bring up a command search box - very helpful when you can't remember the shortcut for something or exactly which sub-menu it's hiding in xD

[@karelgajdzica9004]

Hi. Another Free Program is "Desing spark Mechanical 4.0"

[@gorkskoal9315]

Thanks for the idea man I'm getting into making 3d stuff. FYI it's design spark (I think that's what you meant) only because that's what comes up in gizzoogle.

[@malaman608]

Very good

[@flewggle]

I use Design Spark Mechanical. Its not cloud based (which I like) but each time I start the program it needs an internet connection to do a license check. I think there are ways around that though. Its completely free and you can save to various file types.

[@intanazyyati8984]

@@flewggle did you need pay anything for the license? I searching for 3d model to complete my assignment

[@flewggle]

@@intanazyyati8984 No Design spark mechanical is free. Just download and install it and it will work just fine.

[@michaelnoardo3315]

Someone should launch a plugin that turns Blender 2.8 in a CADLIKE software letting you model using precise measures , it would really kill Fusion and Zbrush, Would handle organic and inorganic designs

[@user-tl8lm9pc3x]

ikr i used almost all 3D software and felt like blender is the best tbh the sculpting is great too i ditched my first software wich was maya for blender

[@tricksyhobbitses1695]

You can key in any values in blender during move/scale/rotate operations. You can even do math in the keyed in values

[@qp12qp]

@@tricksyhobbitses1695 Still that's as far from CAD approach as a Yugo from a Ferrari -despite both have engines and wheels.

[@tonyb2337]

You can use Blender Python to create accurate objects. Its native to Blender and very powerful.

[@michaelnoardo3315]

@@tonyb2337 tell me more about it? is it a plugin for Blender 2.8?

[@EUPThatsMe]

I spend a year and $1500 with OnShape, did all the tutorials and included training videos. It was more than functional but I can do everything that I need to with Fusion360 for 1/3rd the price without the dependence on a web connection.

[@KiR_3d]

Hi, Angus! I want to say a bit more about Blender 3d: There are some big possibilities in generative modelling as well. In older 2.7 releases it's possible to use nodes for modelling. 2.8 also supports this. There are some really good old addons that wasn't "ported" in 2.8. But basically they were about mesh modelling. Also Blender is great if you want to quickly render and see how your printed model will be looking like (in an "injection molding" look of course). Maybe somebody will make a slicer addon for Blender so it will be possible to render objects in a "3d printed look". Maybe some g-code mesh-converter addon... It's possible :) If I want to modify some downloaded stl or obj file I rather choose Blender instead of any CAD/CAM programs. Because you can check any bugs in mesh that will be just invisible in a CAD/CAM software. In some cases (it's usual for Boolean operations) SolidWorks (for example) refuses to make an operation (due to "island" generating issues - when you have some texts or art pictures that you want to emboss or inlet). Then you're going to MeshMixer or Blender (if MeshMixer can't do this properly) and _at least_ you see all problems (poligons inside volumes, zero length lines of polys, intersecting or warped polys and etc.). Some of them aren't easy to fix but at least you can make it. There is no impossible cases practically. That's why I love Blender so much. P.S. Don't forget about .svg import addon, guys! ;)

[@klontjespap]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXK4nn-Zjc2IoJI this one has some really sweet shader/node editor tricks for texturing, animation nodes now works on 2.8 indeed (and arguably is more stable than blender itself right now) i don't know about sverchok haven't used it in a while, but anyone with a bit of python knowledge and an addon to look into can make their own generators indeed.

[@crazedram3.015]

I used to use blender a bit but I haven't in a while, can you explain what's changed in 2.8? I remember I never used any sculpting tools, it was mainly about editing meshes by moving or adding nodes

[@klontjespap]

@@crazedram3.015 i'll give it a try 2.79 already had pretty powerful dynotopo sculpting aswell, i can't say how much of it changed between that an 2.80 as i haven't really sculpted in 2.8 yet the biggest changes would be (in no particular order): 1.) the outliner layout there used to be render layers you could move objects to, now they're collections of objects you can treat like groups. there are no more renderlayers, but i saw in the blender today livestream they're still looking for a nicer solution there for those that satisfies the old style users 2). grease pencil the grease pencil is no longer just an annotation tool, in fact, annotation is seperate from it. blender now has grease pencil objects, which basically are curves, and they have become a full fledged 2d animation tool, think abit like importing vectors, but it also remembers your strokes and can animate them, you can use guides to draw partial circles and the likes, they have their own pretty large set of modifiers and filters too. like you can have lights affect the 2d drawings to automate the shading effects, use a lattice to deform them, glow, pixelate and blur effects you can also rig those grease pencil with bones actually, it's become a pretty powerful tool for cartoon drawing. 3.) the UI UI has had a massive overhaul with a vertical layout for the panels, to save a ton of screen real estate, and the new API allows addons to make their own dedicated panels so you can make very tidy seperate workspaces for them and workspaces, they're basically those layouts you could change before, but they remember their settings for each of them, so you can just go back and forth between them real easily without losing track. 4.) eevee a realtime rasterization engine that can do some awesome quick stuff if you can live without the precision of raytracing (i just hope they implement tesselation soon so i can use displace on eevee aswell, but it's normal maps for now) it also has a shader node called "shader to RGB" (sadly doesn't work in cycles), which basically makes a texture of shader outputs so you can do some wacky non-pbr stuff, anime guys seem to love it to do automatic banded shading. (oh yeah, the node editor is now called shader editor) 5.) the game engine BGE is gone, it took too much resources away from other stuff, but jacques lucke (the maker of the animation nodes addon) has been hired to make some kind of everything nodes system in the future, it will not be in 2.80 though. there is a project called armory3d (www.armory3d.org) that took over the game engine effort, it went open source after it hit its funding targets a couple of months ago, so not all is lost. 5.) they actually made left click select default not too long ago! ;) i'm sure i still forgot a ton of little things, but this is just from the top of my head. and this text getting pretty damn long already too lol

[@Indestinate]

Tl;dr

[@yhwach1]

Blender is trash

[@waqarghulam3548]

I just ordered a 3D printer and today is the first day officially I am beginning to explore the 3D maker world. Pls wish me luck. I will try out fusion 360, thanks for your videos.

[@thorthenoob2588]

good luck and I'm waiting for my first one to show up as well

[@kimboisen9687]

On Linux , no Fu360 , using FreeCAD

[@SequoiaAlexander]

Came here to say this. I only use Debian and don't do gaming or use any other OS. I use OnShape, but don't like their license or relying on a cloud service. I need to put in time to learn freecad.

[@Newtoon]

Yeah, FreeCAD is opensource and works very well.

[@mihailazar2487]

I use Blender It's LIGHTNING FAST and once you learn it you can do literally anything, from 3d design to photorealistic rendering and animation to video editing to camera tracking game development Blender, in my honest opinion might actually be the best program ever made I love it so much

[@0LoneTech]

As us Blender veterans know, the most important question is what happens to your work once the software developer goes belly up. This is why FreeCAD and Blender are my primary choices.

[@mihailazar2487]

@@0LoneTech yeah but Blender is an absolute joy to use

[@JayAnAm]

Hi m8, yes, Blender 2.8 is great for organic modeling for 3d prints, but also for hardsurface modeling *and* sculpting hard surface things, I wrote some addons for this. Also checking the STL before exporting can be done nicely with the addon 3d print toolbox (overhangs, manifold...) and measuring is also included now in version 2.8, I will come up with a video about getting started with 3d printing and Blender 2.8 next week.

[@sethniccum1274]

Actually "Blender 3D" and more so 2.8, is actually very precise for measurement 3D modeling, STL file generation, and even Cad file or architectural creation. The problem is, that most people who think it is not, are usually unaware of the setting that you can change by going into the "properties" tab, and then under "scene" select "Unit" or "Unit presets". From there you can set directly what each square within the grid represents in Imperial, Metric, or the standard default "Blender Units". You can make each square within your grid as big as a mile or Kilometer, or as small as Millimeters. Most of the time people are taught that Blender 3D is a sub-par software because of its open source. However, when it was created in 1992, by non-other than the developers of the popular Arcade game company "NEO GEO", as a development tool for creating their games, they actually sold it to developers for thousands of dollars. But when NEO GEO went out of business around 2000 the CEO purchased the rights to Blender 1.0 from the assets sale and then recoded it to the python code format, and publically released it as the engine it is to this very day. Since then it has become a critically acclaimed universal animation, development, rendering, and yes even game development program used by a wide variety of industries, but is not publically talked about because, as an Open source software, it is not required to be mentioned or even disclosed as being used in the development of any product, as the owners, The Blender Foundation, believe that when you use Blender and modify anything within it, the entity that is Blender and all of its content, becomes 100% yours, so long as you are not trying to resell the factory default software in its native format. Which is why, you RARELY hear about developers using it, because they are not legally required to mention its use in their applications, development, or projects. However, I personally have been using it for over 15 years, and that's with 2 Autocadd certifications directly from Autodesk themselves. Blender is bar none, one of the best animation and development software on the market, and it's 100% free. It just has a LOT of bad press from people who don't know how to use it, because they only understand one element of its functionality or another, and don't understand that the software is 100% customizable, and can at any time be altered and modified to fit the users preferred design, style, and UI, so long as they are willing to take the time to write custom Python code for their chosen configuration, OR take the time to research how to modify the code, or how to locate other package sets that fit their given need. But, back to the point of this entire outline; The core problem that makes people confused about the software is that it has a much different ergonomic UI, that takes time to get to understand and grasp because they have become accustomed to the standard market usage of more popular software such as Maya, and all the regurgitated duplicates competing with them. The Blender UI is based on flow control, and ease of use with finger placement, to make production much more streamlined and faster to use, to create models in half the time that its market competitors develop. Which is why people are often confused by its flow point. They hunt and peck, because they have been programmed to use a UI that based more on Icon click interfaces, and not Key stroke short cut flow controls. Which takes a great deal of time to deprogram that mind set, to be able to use blender effeciently. Once you get into the rythem of its erganomic flow patterns, suddenly you find yourself developing at a much quicker rate, and from there everything gels together into a much more professional end product.

[@alexanderthomas2660]

I had some experience with Blender when I bought my 3D printer, so I kept using it to create functional parts. It is still the only program I use. There are some risks of creating non-manifold parts when using boolean operators without the proper care, but I have built up enough experience to know how to avoid this.

[@alerey4363]

yes, but you learn to apply the Solidfy modifier when creating STL models; also you can solidify them in tinkercad, by importing them from Blender

[@reldies5364]

I think the 3D tool box addon has a feature to detect those nonprintable areas.

[@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11]

Reldies It does, but sometimes the cleanup process absolutely destroys the mesh. Windows 10 3D Builder does a decent job of fixing non manifold mesh.

[@mcgoose258]

this is a bit late but I've had great results with this (exoside.com/quadremesher/) for cleaning up the results of booleans. just keep a copy of the original mesh before use, it saves time

[@lepooperman6827]

No. 1 Tinkercad Me : Man I want something that I can make cars and cool models, not some program that allows you to smash some shape together... **Shows a very detailed Jeep** Me : _Interesting...._

[@waynewilliams5353]

The Ken block mustang on there is mind blowing

[@KARAENGVLOG]

blender is better

[@KARAENGVLOG]

www.blender.org/

[@jgp1294]

Exactly what I thought

[@lepooperman6827]

@@bkkorner Actually when you get into it you could do bunch of stuff. I haven't touched Tinkercad now though.

[@MrKarriban]

Blender was actually my first modeling program. Learned to use it to make some simple stuff for oblivion way back. I picked up f360 when I got my printer and love it! it reminds me a lot of the supremely outdated CAD program I learned on in high school.

[@gregjenkins5258]

After my solidworks expired I went looking for a free system and found freecad and onshape. Free cad is absolutely terrible coming from solidworks background. So that lasted about a week. I then moved on to Onshape and have found my forever home. Very very good. As far as modeling goes it's nearly as good as solidworks and I can do everything from my phone.

[@Fasteroid]

Even though 123D Design is now deprecated , it will always be my favorite modeling software.

[@TheNitroG1]

yeah it was pretty great, except when you had too many polys and tried to negate or join. probably why it was discontinued.

[@Fasteroid]

@@TheNitroG1 I still use it even now, 1 year after I wrote this comment. 👌

[@bocefuss4500]

@@Fasteroid yep still my goto

[@jeremiahbarth4363]

I recently considered 3D Modelling as a potential career path, and this video was perfect. Thank You!

[@Musicgun47]

I feel like it needs to be said that there is a big difference between “3D modelling” software and “CAD” software. The first two programs mentioned are CAD software and are specifically made for design and engineering applications. Blender on the other hand is a 3D modelling program designed for artistic purposes. These two types of modelling programs are very different in their uses and do not function very well in the other’s domain. Trying to learn a 3D modelling program from a CAD background is very hard because of the different workflow and mindset, and the reverse is true going from a 3D modelling program to CAD. tl;dr use CAD software if you want to design something like a mechanism that can be 3D printed; use 3D modelling software if you want to create 3D renders and art assets for games and such.

[@somerandomuser5155]

Very well said man

[@kookiyatz9147]

This was so useful. I was looking for 3d printing software for school and I new fusion 360 was great, but I couldn't afford it. Thanks to this video I now have access to it for free.

[@abrahamwondafrash7549]

There is an addon inside Blender for (3d printing)the nonmanifold surfaces, it is called 3d print toolbox.

[@chrisanderson687]

Hi Angus! Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all your great videos, you have been a huge help in getting me going in this awesome hobby. I bought my first printer, a CR-10 and I'm having an absolute blast. Keep it up man, appreciate you! :D Cheers.

[@JasonSimpson1966]

The biggest issue with Fusion360 is that there isn't a Linux version available. I've been using FreeCAD myself, although it has a few quirks and it is difficult (but not impossible) to model multipart mechanical designs.

[@simonrestrepo3231]

I also you Linux but I used to have a Windows PC with fusion 360 on it, so now I use onshape

[@schm4704]

On Linux, I highly recommend Onshape. I think it can do pretty much of the parametric stuff that Fusion can, minus the sculpting and CAM parts. Runs in the browser, so it's cross-platform, too. Even usable in a mobile app.

[@6yjjk]

I'm on Ubuntu here and use Onshape, but I don't like that all my models have to be public. (I mostly hide them behind boring-sounding names.) If I want to use F360 I have to rent a Windows box in the cloud, with all the associated hassle. I'd rather just give that money directly to Onshape. Not paying 100 bucks a month for it though!

[@raulcid2369]

I'm not a Linux core person. But I love it and respect it anyway! Linux shape's our world on the shadow from the beginning... I do not understand how until today there isn't a powerful open source parametric program in Linux that faces Autodesk, as Blender does in its field.

[@Nibb31]

I agree. I wish they would do a Linux version of F360. In the meantime, I have to run it in a VM. It's pretty much the only reason I have a Windows VM.

[@DIY-DaddyO]

Wait! I need that 2 way to one way doohickey! @ 3:54! Where can I get one? Also rather than learning this is there a magical forum where I can ask some clever bods to make a gear of this size or some bit of engineering etc?

[@PGGraham]

I use FreeCAD for any kind of part, especially if it needs dimensionality or strength. The learning curve is steep, mostly due to crap documentation, but it can do FEA! That is fantastically useful! I use Blender when I'm more sculpting than drafting, and Fusion 360 for when I'm doing lite, quick stuff, or showing people.

[@alexpressley5918]

I love using OnShape. It has a free version and its a cloud-based CAD program. Its what I learned on and I still use it. The same people that made the original solid works made OnShape.

[@metalmonkey128]

Are there all features included in the free version and can you use it for indefinitely?

[@alexpressley5918]

@@metalmonkey128 as far as I can tell. I haven't hit a pay wall yet

[@JAYJAY_]

Blender is the best 3b modeling software

[@NoxmilesDe]

I Love the 3b effect

[@ak_fx]

3d sculpting animation etc yes 3d modelling not at all That's coming from a blender user

[@Kyle1237]

yes theres 3d and theres 3b which is a whole different level higher. I agree blender is the best though.

[@singularitysquaredllc.895]

@@ak_fx ummm you need to refine your terminology ...

[@Adoredbyothers]

@@ak_fx you must not use it very often because it's excellent for 3d modeling. Its literally made for it, if you actually know all the hotkeys and what everything does and where it is, then modeling something takes no time at all. Also with the extensive amount of ways design the exterior/interior of your model, and have it look like a video game/animation or something that you took a picture of in front of you in the human world is unbeatable among free programs.

[@JJASalazar]

Really cool to see the updates to Blender! I haven't touched that software in years, but it looks much more robust than it used to be (and honestly, it wasn't that it was bad before, it was just difficult for a hobbyist to get into).

[@sddreamcrystal]

I teach TinkerCAD in our Library system, for all ages as long as they are well rounded in using a computer. One of my students, an older gentleman, learned TinkerCAD from me about 4 years ago so he could incorporate it in someway into his MakerSpace classes. To this day he is still Tinkering in TinkerCAD when he is able to and promotes my classes :D I may have to look at blender again but for now I'm happy with Sculptris (although modeling characters with 4 legs instead of two is a bit hard since there is no "floor" to see where they sit). Sculptris is also by those who made ZBrush and there is a cheaper price point program they have made called ZBrush Core. I haven't looked into that one yet.

[@petergarrone8242]

My main discovery with blender. When fixing up surfaces and such, previously I would select all the vertices to bound a desired face, and press f to create the face. I would end up with heaps of doubled lines and non-manifold geometry. To solve this problem, when creating faces, go to line select mode rather than vertex select mode. Select the lines to bound the face and press f to create the face, and the non-manifold problem mostly disappears, or can be fixed easily with the "make manifold" button in the 3d print check interface.

[@benhornwee2303]

i was very happy when he said blender 2.8 because I can already use it

[@honeybadger6127]

I'm still using 123D design... no internet connection required... and the UI never changes (because it is no longer supported)... still love it... I also use tinkercad too.

[@3DArabianArtist]

I love your video, but there is something I want to mention, iv'e been using solidworks for about 4 to 5 years, and last year I started to learn Blender and it was amazing to make some stuff and more important I saved a lot of time to model some complicated stuff in Blender than Solidworks, but the problem was the measuring!, as a CAD designer I spent my life using "Numbers" but in blender you just guessing ! that is actually make me sad because I want to use blender instead of solidworks in modeling but you can't! so I had an idea -and I don't know if it's will help you or not- I took the more important measuring without details for the model and I make it in solidworks, for example: I want to design a curvy complicated "mouse" to print it 3D or simulate it, so I design a block with the right (height* Width * length), and make some marks where the buttons will be, then I save it as .Obj or .stl then import it to blender and it's actually worked for me. this might help someone, somewhere, and somehow in this world. Peace.

[@mcduffchannel]

Dude, I rip with tinkerCAD. I made a full slick drone with tinkerCAD to test myself, and now its my default 90% of the time when I need to smash out a part.

[@yuukirinon]

I started a 3D Printer in Japan and was looking for good software. I remembered that a good software had been introduced, and downloaded it immediately.

[@joanmedina2886]

Im looking to do the same in NY

[@GielL96]

Just started 3D printing as a hobby, you're my new learning channel. Thanks!

[@MakersMuse]

Nice! Good luck :)

[@TootEmCarMan]

Thank you from a newbie to 3d design and printing (my printer is just 2 days old). Your tutorials are very clear and easy to follow. I have a good number of designs that I want to create and fantastic tutorials like this one really inspire me to learn more and more and more. It's also great to hear "Z" and "aluminium" pronounced correctly. Perhaps you could teach everyone across the pond to pronounce "solder" correctly too lol. I hope that just maybe I may post some video's about 3d printing myself in the not too distant future.

[@Richie_]

I learned the basics on Tinkercad and now use Fusion 360 after a few lessons on KZbin.

[@deki-chan6922]

Finally someone who named Blender ♥

[@brianheard4565]

Thanks for that. I've been looking and trying a number of programs, only to conclude that freebies are not up to scratch. I'm coming from 20 years of SWX, but retired now and want something to use which doesn't cost the earth. Didn't know Fusion could be had free, I'll give it a go! Cheers.

[@MohammadKhan-vt8gr]

You should have mentioned FreeCAD at least. It's unbeatable considering opensource platforms.

[@gabrielsong6124]

I tried freeCAD but on my mac, the creator couldn't be identified which didn't allow me to use

[@baretbuckley6489]

I plan on learning freecad and because fusion the software I'm used to, I don't believe it works on linux

[@michaellindsay4468]

@@gabrielsong6124 You can override this by opening up applications, and then control+click on the application to open.

[@xPureL]

I have a background in autocad and solidworks... now for personal I tried FreeCAD on the macbook.. personally I find it rubbish software. In my opinion it's so different from commercial, professional softwares, that when you learn FreeCAD, you have a hard time when going to a professional alternative. On the Mac it also doesn't work at all with the trackpad, which means I need to bring a mouse where ever I go... but no mouse can beat the Apple's trackpad ;) I'm still looking for a 3D modeling software, more simpel then the professional CAD softwares. Something more for 'on the go'... but haven't found the right one yet. :)

[@revertz8874]

Tinkercad 0:45 Fusion 360 2:35 Blender 4:22

[@михаилказанцев-п4щ]

FreeCAD is free, opensource, crossplatform and easy scriptable with phyton.

[@jkp2319]

It is a remarkable piece of software, but seriously good luck learning to navigate around the infinite number of software bugs

[@minartistree]

@@jkp2319 I haven't encountered bugs so far. How long ago did you use it?

[@jkp2319]

@@minartistree I've been using it for the last two or three months. I'm just starting to learn my way around a few real bugs. The other issues I've had are either things I didn't understand fully or strange software development choices. Switching to 0.19 helped me a lot, too.

[@andrewsmyrek7161]

One to look out for is FreeCAD, especially for people exposed to Solidworks & Inventor. It will even run on Windows & Mac if your still on those OS's

[@KieranShort]

Noted Angus, noted. Time to look further into blender. Used it in the past (2.3) but it's seemingly come a way since then. Cheers mate. Loving fusion, but I'm still a hack at it.

[@helmuthschultes9243]

Freecad due to its wide range of modes. Yes it has points of frustration but I have created several assemblies for test fixtures that in some cases would have been impossible. Its abilities in mesh analysis, strain, electric / magnetic fields were among reasons I first was attracted. Full parametric system with ability to then output full engineering drawings of your 3D. Import and export to most CAD formatis. Also direct usable with KICAD printed circuit package.

[@mehdiabdi3773]

new blender 2.8 is so much powerful😍

[@frenchriversprings]

Thanks for the video. I am a cabinetmaker and looking for a good software for my iMac. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

[@3dcad374]

Excellent job

[@ezphillip8733]

I’m lucky I get SelfCAD software for free as a student!

[@3dcad374]

@@ezphillip8733 Now it's free for everybody

[@ezphillip8733]

@@3dcad374 thanks for telling it's really cool

[@SgtMajor82]

An update for this would be great! I'm using Shapr3D and really like it, although Plasticity is the new thing!

[@M1008]

I have just received today a mail that reads: "Your current entitlement is scheduled to expire on February 26, 2019 and I wanted to let you know that you can continue using Fusion 360 for as little as $60 per month or $495 annually. " On top of that, 495USD translate to 502,15€ (565,82USD) in their website. :/ I really like F360, but I guess I should start looking for an alternative.

[@hazonku]

There's a signup form on the Autodesk Fusion 360 site to sign on as a student, hobbyist, or small startup that'll let you use it for free.

[@jasonanorris]

www.autodesk.com/campaigns/fusion-360-for-hobbyists

[@fahb68]

Design spark mechanical check it up....

[@1pcfred]

FreeCAD doesn't send me emails like that. Or any emails at all really. That's because FreeCAD is actually free and not just gratis. There is a difference between true freedom and just a sip of free beer.

[@M1008]

​@@hazonku I did it that way a year ago. For now, I´m ignoring that e-mail hoping that they were only trying to scare me to buy it.

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

Learning FreeCad and have been seriously impressed.

[@ruggedtechie5867]

Freecad hands down enough said.

[@abyssalreclass]

I learned Autocad/Rhino in high school, now I'm looking for something to do 3D models in. I'll give Fusion 360 a look

[@samfriedman2301]

I switched to SelfCAD and it's much easier for me to use

[@yash1152]

Awesome video, loved it.... And u got a new subscriber !! 🙌🙌 Keep up! Short, simple and relevant !

[@mcjaggerify]

Omg I thought I'd never use fusion 360 again until I watched this video. Thank you!

[@comradeopthomasthehedgehog]

This video was uploaded on my 14th birthday!

[@savagescientist3835]

May God bless you.Kid!

[@kilu1220]

it was on my 11th

[@maxbas2018]

We used Tinkercad with 24 people, with an Wireless conection and it worked fine without any Problems

[@mkyral]

I'm using current development version of SolveSpace. Not so powerful as Fusion 360 with some limitations (no threads, no bevels), but totally cloud free.

[@danielkrah5129]

... and opensource

[@Cimera42]

There's something about using SolveSpace that I just love so much, but I can't put my finger on it.

[@mkyral]

@@danielkrah5129 True. And most important, works on Linux.

[@orbitalair2103]

@@Cimera42 ;tiny, fast single exe, no install needed. As opposed to Freecads 250Mb of installed stuff. At least freecad can design houses and ships too!

[@batmandeltaforce]

The developers of Solid Works have now developed an online modeler call Onshape... AWESOME and you can get it FREE. Better and easier than Solid Works AND it exports Solid Works files as well as the other popular formats.

[@slipperysebastian]

New sub! Also Aussie! This helped me heaps gonna be tinker caddying my life away for the next few weeks

[@TheMono25]

I'm loving the Color Changing light in the background

[@TheMono25]

Were can I find one

[@CrackedCandy]

My question as well

[@Milkshakenoobz]

@@CrackedCandy it called a Nanoleaf light panel it come with 9 and there multiple kind of panels like squares and the new shape serirs that just came out

[@lolilollolilol7773]

Aaaaand Fusion 360 is no longer free unless you do no more than a handful of projects per year.

[@dreieinhalbeck]

You can delete Projects you've finished and then create a new one

[@stinkyham9050]

Not true. You simply need to archive the old ones and you can have only 10 new ones on the go at any given time. To go back to an old one simply pull it out of archive storeage and you work on it all you want. For hobbyists do you really work on more then 10 projects at a time? I know I sure don't.

[@JustARandomHuman]

Damnnn, many of us are learning new things in this lockdown

[@anthonydendle4768]

@@JustARandomHuman lockdown what lockdown or are you in a city like Melbornagan

[@sjbolton72]

Absolutely perfect choices those three. I started professional 3d modelling work 25ish years ago and Lightwave was my package and still is. Though I'm a couple of versions behind. 3D requires you to be able to think and many commenters clearly can't. Every software package is just a tool, none are perfect but for most people who expect software to be free Agnus' choices are perfect. Fusion is something thats way beyond what 5 and 6 figure amounts would buy you 20yr ago. Sure it takes some learning and doesn't do everything, ffs deal with it. There are alternatives but to give three choices (the purpose of this video) it can't be beat. Fusion covers the technical CAD market segment and as Angus mentions Blender covers organic modelling and covers the typical CG and gaming segments mostly, its not a 3d printing program, just a tool you use to get from idea to 3d print. its up to YOU to comprehend what a tool is and when to use it and when to pick up the next tool. TinkerCAD is pretty much the first tool you should pick up and maybe the last and sometimes in between. When it comes to 3d digital data the Wavefront Object (.OBJ) file format is the most portable between tools (programs), Tinkercad imports and exports OBJ files, so does Lightwave I worked with professionally, so do most 3d and cad type programs, so if you learn another tool and it has OBJ import/export you can interact with Tinkercad. Why would you want to? Simply, boolean operations. That means adding and subjtracting 3D geometry which is an essential skill you need to use in your tools and when the tool is not designed with 3D printing in mind (most are not) the boolean operation may look clean but often there are mathematic problems in the data leading to duplicated points, multiple co-exist 2d lines that leave an invisible open seam between surface polygons. These defects render as artifacts and when a slicer encounters them it doesnt understand what to do causing you a bad print. Tinkercad is very very good at boolean operations, for example making a hole in an object by subtracting one model from another. Even complex organic shapes boolean each other cleanly in tinkercad if imported as OBJ from another tool. Stop thinking you have to do everything in the one piece of software. I can create intricate technical shapes to precise dimensions in Lightwave then export them to Tinkercad for boolean operations and take them back to Lightwave for further work if needed. The other strength of tinkercad is its STL files, you dont need STL export in any other program, Tinkercad's files are exceptionally clean and free of faults every other program introduces when doing complex work. Think is only for kids? Absolutely not. Its so perfect at some of the things it can do youre and idiot if you dont use it for those steps. Plus if you are a beginner it has a lot of practical capabilities and for some replacement part projects I find Tinkercad fast and efficient with accurate dimensioning to allow me to make an entire part from start to finish entirely within Tinkercad and just feed the STL file to my printer as usual with my preferred slicer. Its a perfect first step into the 3D world and offers much you can stick with for a long time and give you a good foundation if your skills and imagination exceed its boundaries and Blender and Fusion take you further down the two different stream in the industry. Up to you to recognise and utilise good tools when they come along, and leave others by the wayside when they no longer work for you. Lightwave I've been using for over 20yrs so for what I do I'm comfortable with it, though I'm shifting to Fusion as I find time to learn. I wouldn't suggest Lightwave for someone wanting to get into 3D printing, nor do I suggest you rapidly abandon whatever you already own if its useful, just look for ways to use that tool with newer ones to expand your skills. over time I expect to fully transition to Fusion and leave Lightwave behind.

[@sakukullberg2697]

Thanks for the wall of text. I'm sure there many good points hidden there.

[@brettwako]

I've been using SketchUp (free browser version) for a few years. Good for beginners and have also had good success exporting STLs for 3D prints. Nice to be able to log in on any computer and just resume your project (eg. lunch break at work).

[@nathanfrazier8525]

SketchUp is what I used for one of my jobs. The biggest things I tell people using that program is components and groups!

[@robbates4704]

SketchUp is definitely underrated. It is pretty easy to use, yet can still be very powerful. It gives you precise control of the actual mesh. It is my favorite program for pulling in an STL off of Thingiverse for modifying. However the web version’s lack of plugin support can be a big limitation. For that reason, I am using the Make version from 2017.

[@jonmessenger2829]

Design Spark has become my goto for 3d design. I was truly amazed how versatile and easy this program is to use

[@nf794]

Just got my 3 d printer 2 weeks ago and im doing everything in free cad couple of Tutorials here and there when you dont know how to something and everything is fine

[@aber416373]

Onshape is made by former Solidwork employees and is free to makers and hobbyist. I found their tutorial courses very well done.

[@danilodueck9767]

Thank you for the helpful introduction. Is it possible to design equation driven curves for really well fitting gears, or sinus shapes, or equation driven dimensions in case of for example complicated catalan solids?

[@SoullessMuffin]

OnShape is definitely a tool you should check out. It's a cloud-based CAD solution and it has a free version. The main disadvantage with the free version is that all of the 3D models you make will be public. OnShape was founded by people from Solidworks. They also offer a free education plan, which is great.

[@schwalbefahrer]

...Freecad is worth to be mentioned ...

[@WatchTheWorldBurn63]

Especially with the ability to develop/program additional features.

[@SyntheticEverything]

I used to only use OnShape but when they started pushing for premium accounts I moved to Fusion 360. Honestly, I couldn't be happier with my choice.

[@chrisvangerve5569]

What about Wings3D. I see no-one use it. I find it both easy to use and very powerful

[@hyperhektor7733]

yes its great

[@codyfrailey5173]

I know I'm a little late to the game but your videos have help me a ton. Going to try my hand at blender next. Thanks so much

[@avejst]

Nice, new boy in the block.. Thanks for sharing this😀👍

[@Hi-wm6nb]

Onshape! It's free for hobby and student accounts and its all online cloud-based. They even provide tutorials themselves! Test it out!

[@TheSecurity16]

You missed Sculptris which is the free baby version of zbrush. I will check out blender and welcome to the dark side of 3d doing organic modelling :D

[@MakersMuse]

Sculptris has definitely dropped off my radar due to being abandoned for many years now. I think you'll like the new blender and adapt quickly!

[@TheSecurity16]

@@MakersMuse I will have to give it a go

[@pinklady7184]

I use both Blender and Sculptris. I work back and forth between the two. If you ask me, Blender has a STEEP LEARNING CURVE. If you have patience and persistence and a talent for art, Blender is worth it. For mechanical engineering, check out FreeCAD and DesignSpark Mechanical. Both are free.

[@howlme]

Do you have an opinion on Spacedraw for android? I see the models done in KZbin, but the fingers doesn't help (or even with stylos) How can they improve it? Do you think is worth it?. Congrats! I'm happy to have found you and Joel (3DPN) 👍

[@StephanAinley]

ScultGL is an online version that has tons of options as well. You don't need have to download your work (no online save), but my students have enjoyed it.

[@CaptCamel]

If you activate the 3d printing toolbox, in the blender addon menu, it has options to ensure a manifold mesh, and will warn you of any other issues, with the mesh that may cause difficulties in printing.

[@gamingSlasher]

For engineering models Freecad is also an alternative. Have used it to make some pipe adapters that I 3D printed.

[@sloppyhead5739]

Thanks for the video! Now I can have some fun designing all the silly inventions I come up with in my head

[@keesanker4241]

I use OnShape, pretty surprised you didn't mention it as it was your main modeling program before fusion, and it is a pretty powerful tool

[@MakersMuse]

I ditched them after they butchered the free plan. I technically use CAD for commercial use (the channel) and they don't even allow one private document so I can't keep WIP's quiet. Nah, pass 😫

[@keesanker4241]

@@MakersMuse ohhh okay, didn't realize you use it for commercial use.. Though they don't let you have a private document because you have used to use it comercially? Pretty scumbag move there

[@MakersMuse]

@@keesanker4241 It was cute, they called me in 2016 saying "Hey! We wanted to thank you because customers are signing up for OnShape thanks to your tutorials... say, can I interest you in our PAID plan???" No joke...

[@keesanker4241]

@@MakersMuse hahaha no way!.. so much free advertisement and they would still like you to pay, pretty sad

[@AnikiDomo]

I'm a big fan personally, mainly since all my works are public anyway and I can do it on my phone. But i learned recently that fusion 360 has an app now and I'm gonna start looking into that soon

[@MrEdwardhartmann]

I just got a notice today that Fusion 360 will no longer be free. They describe the personal use license as "Limited functionality" and it will cost almost $500 a year unless you buy it before the end of October - then you can get it for $310 a year. I think I will switch all my work to FreeCad.

[@etherlonX]

FreeCAD - I do all of my 3D printable CAD work with it. I've never trusted companies to keep their word when offering gifts (free for hobbyists). I always wondered what will everyone do when Fusion 360 is no longer free and everyone who is now using it will be required to pay to keep using it?

[@hanelyp1]

The current freecad 0.17 has some serious pain points / bugs / design flaws for me. I'll have to check out the next release. Agree completely on the "free for hobbyist" licenses, they can easily become traps.

[@etherlonX]

I'm subscribed to him already :) Have been looking at his videos for a while. I started using datum planes' because of him.

[@GreyDeathVaccine]

@@hanelyp1 IT'S A TRAP! ;-)

[@Hhand2]

Thank you for making this video! Commenting as a thank you ;)

[@darrenc5686]

Thanks again for a informative video, I use blender and have done so since 2.6 and thought I would use it for a 3d printer, which I will be purchasing shortly. Blender is an exceptionally powerful modelling software though I think fusion 360 maybe the way to go for printing purposes, at least until someone creates a add on for blender for correcting errors or precise measurements. Cheers

[@peacockgames4364]

Not sure why I’m watching this since I’m pretty satisfied with blender but it’s still neat to watch

[@arkoprovo1996]

FreeCAD?

[@aidanmatthewgalea7761]

2:37 that one didn't age quite so well.... *cries in $70 a month, $545 a year and $1555 for 3*

[@us3rnam3144]

my predictions before watching this, blender, fusion 360 and mudbox?

[@snim9515]

Mudbox is free?

[@david_1036]

Thank u so much, interested in starting so soft during quarintine and just need a place to get started, thx for the support

[@cliffdariff74]

Can one use a Chromebook for TinkerCad ? I don't have a laptop yet....

[@MarkLawry]

Yes. STEM programs in schools use Chromebooks

[@robinboyadventures9005]

Yes but I recommend a mouse

[@basilwatson1]

im on linux mint , use varicad but would love to get good at Freecad , just not easy to use ,,havent been able to draw much with it....I keep going back to it and getting nowhere ...any tips or tricks? and yes the manual has been read ...many times !

[@CU96821]

THANK YOU ANGUS!! I’ve been a sketchup user for years and after your video I have “seen the Fusion 360 Light” and will be switching! 🥰

[@RedDragons23]

I'm also a SketchUp user, how did you find the switch to Fusion 360? I know I should change but a bit reluctant to still.

[@deslow7411]

Completely new to 3D modeling so I would like to know what is the best software for designing wood works. Some sort of accurate measuring system is a must. Thanks.

[@sinom]

Blender 2.8 is pretty nice and a lot more beginner friendly than 2.79 and older

[@MakersMuse]

Yeah I'm absolutely loving it so far, a lot less reliant on knowing all the hotkeys so you can ease into it.

[@lucasc5622]

On the other hand, as someone who was heavily invested in the old interface, I absolutely hate it! Most of my hotkeys don’t work anymore!

[@sinom]

@@lucasc5622 I'm pretty sure there are options to switch back to the old hotkeys. But finding them all is really tedious. Would be nice if they just added an option or profine to start with old hotkeys.

[@ahaveland]

2.8 hasn't appeared on Fedora distribution yet - after spending over 10 years learning Blender up to the current 2.79, the leap to 2.8 and a different interface worries me a lot!

[@pepega3344]

@@ahaveland you can download it and run it alongside your 2.79 version, no need to wait.

[@rallen7660]

A lot of people keep saying, "Blender is great, for open source". They don't remember that Blender was initially VERY proprietary, but when the company was closing down, they offered to open-source it if the $100,000 ransom was met. And it was. Thank the idealists that put their money where their ethics were.

[@joeldezwaan1149]

Still using 123D design! 😂 I have so many hours in that program I can model most things in it in half the time of other programs. I would like to switch to fusion but that's a problem for another day!

[@neovenom9833]

Lucky you, I can no longer save my files in 123D design.

[@ShadowPuppet3001]

great video, nice batman, am looking to buy 3d modeling software, so that any drawing that i have i will be able to make in to 3d...

[@mosog8829]

Yeah. Blender all the way. It's the best software out there.

[@omidvalizadeh1951]

Please someone tells me...which software is easiest to get into and has user-friendly interface. I wanna do some simple modeling. Price doesn't matter. If there are add ons that can help tell me about those too. By simple I mean nothing too detailed like old 3d games

[@TheEngineeringToolboxChannel]

Very nice vid. I would definitely include FreeCAD in this convo. The fact that it is open source and has many extensions for things like FEA and CFD it is hard to dismiss. Drawback is it is not the most user friendly compared to the others on your list.