Less expensive software for 3d modeling?

CAD (Design) Software
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I was an avid Fusion 360 user for 3d Printing but their price went up for full 3d modeling to $85 per month. I switched outright to Plasticity, man is it fast! It takes a bit to get used to but I can whip our designs much faster than fusion 360. It is not parametric but features added over the last 6 months have made that a non issue for me.

I just am getting started in CNC, and I am thinking I will use Plasticity for design and Carveco Maker Pro for CAM. This way I am only out $320 the first year, and roughly $220 a year after that ($100 Plasticity maintenance, and $120 CarveCo Pro). I just bought a used Onefinity Pro Woodworker.

Are people having good success with CarveCo Pro as the CAM?

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47

now change Mac to Linuxā€¦.

I was nearly windoze free but now that they have all gone SASS, just when I thought I was out they drag me back inā€¦

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48

Silvio!!! Hahahahaha. Love the Sopranosā€¦.

As a follow up. I ended up buying the perpetual Maker+

Didnā€™t want to learn a new CAD/CAM program.

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49

Youā€™re right to question that, there are more affordable (or free) tools that can handle 3D modeling without the steep price tags. For example, Blender is completely free and surprisingly powerful (it supports mesh modeling, 3D sculpting, precision work, and even allows you to export CAD-compatible files). If you prefer something more CAD-oriented and parametric, FreeCAD is open-source and widely used for hobby projects and CNC work.

If you donā€™t need all the bells and whistles of high-end software, starting with one of these should save a lot of money, later, if you need advanced CAM features for CNC, you can evaluate paid tools.

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50

I use Blender, F360 and Houdini.

Blender is versatile but I still find the UI clunky. But this is improving along with being parametric. I use if I need to sculpt or for converting GIS maps

The free version of F360 can get you a long way for most except sculpting. Good for parametric modelling.

Houdini by SideFx has a free version, but a step learning curve, or if needed an ā€œIndieā€ version for a relatively affordable annual fee. I have the indie version as I like to output large images. For OBJ. Itā€™s fine. I use for parametric modelling, creating Bas Reliefs, organic modelling where I use simulations to create my models when my blender sculpting skills are found wanting

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Blender is pretty good for a free software!

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How are you getting Carevco Pro for $120 a year? Their website says itā€™s $2700/yr or $250/month. Iā€™ve never used it but see the Maker edition is included for a year, so thought I might use it for a while.

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Another software that Iā€™ve not seen mentioned is called Alibre. I started using this back in 2009 but quit using it for a number of years (I just quit designing stuff personally for a bit). Back then I was able to get their top version for a few hundred bucks as it was still pretty new. Itā€™s now a lot more but seems to be much more affordable than comparable software. I just checked and they have a ā€œWorkshopā€ version that looks well suited to this type of community, and is a CAD/CAM for $400 perpetual. I havenā€™t used the software in years, but I remember it was pretty decent back in the day so have to assume it has improved. I am a long-time user of NX (Unigraphics) and several other mainstream offerings, so have a deep background in solid modeling. Anyway, might be a more affordable offering than Iā€™ve seen around lately.

As an aside, Iā€™ve been using FreeCAD for a little while and itā€™s decent. Itā€™s a bit quirky for me, but has a lot to offer for a free parametric CAD package. I just recently found out that Solid Edge has a free version and it is the most like NX that Iā€™ve found since it is also made by Siemens. Iā€™ve not used it enough to give a honest opinion, but it seems like a good package so far.

For me, Iā€™m so used to parametric modeling that itā€™s challenging to use a software that is not parametric. However, I am also a long time user of Corel for making signs and laser projects. I just prefer parametric modeling if given the choice.

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Has code from FreeCAD been tried on redline controller?

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SolidWorks for Makers is only $48 a year. You can install it locally and work entirely locally, but they also offer cloud storage and use. I prefer local. SolidWorks is the best value for $ in professional CAD. The Maker version has 100% of the capability of the professional SolidWorks, but they offer no add-ins (like FEA, CFD, etc.). It is possible to use SolidCAM, at least last year I was able to install that and use it as an add-in to SolidWorks. I strongly recommend looking at SolidWorks for Makers. https://www.solidworks.com/solution/solidworks-makers

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