10mo ago

CAD Software Suggestion

I am currently on win10 but have been toying with mint and liking it. I intend on fully switching over soon. I have also been toying with the idea of some simple 3D modeling, like making custom parts for projects around my house. Maybe using a CAD software to generate stls for a 3D print or using it to spec out parts for a design made out of aluminum extrusion (like 8020) little things like that. I was thinking about getting a solidworks hobbyist license for 45 a year but solidworks doesn't support Linux. I could keep a Windows dual boot HDD, but fuck that. Any suggestions on a CAD software that fits? Have a gaming PC with a 3060 and some beefy hardware.

58 comments

FreeCAD
- really rough to use honestly. I'd rather use non-FOSS (on shape) while I wait for this to hit the "blender inflection point" and actually get good.
  
  It works fine for me. It is probably more of a individual preference
- FreeCAD is really good nowadays. You need a bit of time to get into it but then it comes with everything needed also for complex multi-part assemblies.

I agree with the people suggesting Onshape.
But if you like programming, OpenSCAD can be really interesting.
- +1 for openscad. I switched over from Fusion 360 back when autodesk changed the personal use license in 2020.
  It takes a bit to get used to it, but once you've made a few parts you begin to see how powerful it can really be.
  Its also super lightweight, so you can run it on most systems without any issues. I've ran in on a chromebook before.
  The only thing I miss about fusion 360 is an easy way to add fillets to parts, that can be tricky in openscad. I use chamfers for the most part though, so I don't miss it much.
  
  The only thing I miss about fusion 360 is an easy way to add fillets to parts, that can be tricky in openscad. I use chamfers for the most part though, so I don’t miss it much.
  There's an OpenSCAD add-on lib called BOSL that offers primitives with built-in fillet options (plus a wide array of other stuff, like premodeled metric bolts). Admittedly it spends a lot of time reinventing the wheel, but I've found it useful from time to time.
  
  There's also CadQuery, which I find more intuitive to use than openscand: https://cadquery.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.html
- Onshape offers featurescript for scripting out models.

I’ve tried out FreeCAD and it’s decent - but it’s really tough to get a hang of. Ondsel has a bit of a better interface imo and is based directly off of FreeCAD. Maybe give either of those a shot?

Onshape hands down. Browser based so there's no compatibility issues. It's super easy to use and pretty powerful. Its free for hobbiests (the caveat being your models will be publically accessible). We use it exclusively at work and it's been awesome.
Onshape.com
I'd love a good Foss CAD package but there are too many issues with the current ones for me to make the jump.
- This is the only correct answer. Onshape is a fantastict, feature complete CAD system that I would be happy to use for any commercial project regardless of size and stakes. Love it.

Ondsel is great. It is an engineering focused branch of freecad. They have solved a lot of the issues and have made the UI/UX a lot smoother.
Finally libre cad that actually is usable!
- The thing I'm struggling with is finding beginner videos for ondsel. The ui is super different, so freecad videos don't help much. Any suggestions?
  
  I found the skill set pretty transferable from FreeCAD (albeit much more usable). That being said I had used solidworks for long time prior.
  Main thing I would say is to make sure you are in the relevant workbench and use the tasks menu (starts on the right of the screen)

I know that there is a large difference between CAD and general 3D modeling, but I've designed all my custom 3D printed parts in Blender and have had zero issues with fitment or scaling.
- Yup, it really depends on if you want to specifically get experience with CAD or have a working thing in your hand. Blender is perfectly capable of working in scale and is how I’ve designed / printed anything custom with perfect results.
  
  I was just posting in another thread about how I remade the armrest of my Traveler Guitar to be more comfortable. The one it comes with is super uncomfortable to me, so I redesigned it to be shaped more like a Squier. Images here .
  All I really needed was some cardboard, some calipers, and Blender. Though, to get the measurements just so, I had to make a bunch of little virtual rulers (the yellow strips). In CAD, you wouldn't need those since the measurements are described directly in the process of making the part.
- Use freeCAD as it will be easier
  
  Unless you have a graphics background and no CAD experience. In which case, Blender will be far easier.

FreeCAD and MangoJelly on YouTube has great tutorials.
- I use SW and Fusion daily for work and i think FreeCAD is at last comparable. Definitely as stable if not more reliable. Simulation is well featured. The interface is slightly clunkier but it's being improved rapidly. Even few years ago it wasn't usable for me but now i can comfortable make parts in it.
  
  As a beginner who hasn't used anything else I don't find the UI bad. It let's me reorganize my toolbar too
- Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  MangoJelly on YouTube
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

I use FreeCAD, but if you don't want to learn that stuff (it's quite fiddly), maybe give Dune 3D a shot.
Or OpenSCAD

A lot will depend on your preferred workflow, and since you mentioned SolidWorks I assume that means you prefer a more GUI-oriented approach. However as an alternative, if you are comfortable with more of a programming approach, you might look in to OpenSCAD. Most things are done from a more primitive standpoint in how you create each part of an object, but I like having the direct control over every aspect.

Have you looked at OnShape? It's browser based and cloud based (your models are open to the public if you use it for free) but it's pretty solid for basic parametric 3d modeling. As well, it comes from an ex-Solidworks founder and feels very familiar but very limited.
I'm a Solidworks Certified Pro and would definitely use it myself, but I'm primarily on Windows so I'm always using Solidworks.

If you want solidwork or fusion : https://github.com/cryinkfly/SOLIDWORKS-for-Linux/releases
I'd love to use and suggest blender/freecad, but I struggle with the workflow.
I still use Inventor 2017 in a windows VM.

FreeCAD. It's fantastic but takes some getting used to. I recommend the Ondsel fork - it's still free and open source except for the cloud storage which you can ignore. Ondsel includes some newer features and some interface changes.

I've seen some youtubers recommend OnShape. It's a browser based CAD app so it should work fine.

FreeCAD is what you need for 3D cad/cam or 3d printing. And for 2D cad, or 2D cad/cam, there's the free GPL version of QCad (recommended to buy the full version for $40 to get cad/cam and more import/export file support from autocad). Anything else (librecad, openscad, Design etc) are not as well rounded imho. And then there's onshape, but that's not Free software.

I would definitely recommend Onshape, this is what I use.
It's great that FreeCAD exist but I would not recommend it for a beginner in CAD, there is a very steep learning curve before being able to create anything in it.
- Probably better starting on FreeCAD as a beginner because if you have experience with other CAD packages, using FreeCAD requires a major paradigm shift. I started a newbie friend on it with no other experience, and he's way further ahead on it than I am, because I just can't wrap my head around it with my preconceptions of CAD.
  
  I understand you're argument but I disagree. If the goal is to use FreeCAD then yeah, it's probably better to start as a beginner.
  If the goal is design parts using CAD then Onshape is a much better option in my opinion.

Plasticity looks nice
https://blenderartists.org/t/plasticity-cad-nurbs/

Everyone said freecad.
If you already know cad then it will work fine*. If not, you will not have an easy time getting going in it. Start with something that’s widely supported with a million tutorials like 360 or solidworks. Consider skechup or whatever.
Cad is not straightforward unless you have training in design/drafting. Do not make it harder on yourself.

Perhaps FreeCAD? There's even a community for it: !freecad@lemmy.ml
- As an engineer, I've tried FreeCAD and it's awful. Just get a hobbyist license for Fusion360 and run it in WINE
  
  Does it work well in Wine?
  
  It is fine for most people. I think it is more a matter of learning curve. The UI layout is a little wonky

Im trying to move from windows to linux and from solidworks to freecad completely. Its not easy at all, even SW 2008 is so advanced. Im not giving up tho 😉

BricsCAD is good, but it costs quite a lot. Otherwise the Ondsel fork of FreeCAD is pretty good.
- This. I support their model of one time pricing

FreeCAD works pretty well once you learn the UI
- the whole point of cad software is the ui though. last time i needed it i tried it and went for an online one instead. even a chamfered box needed an inordinate amount of learning on freecad.

Not sure if Fusion360 supports Linux. Only other choice I can think of is FreeCAD.
- Fusion works with WINE

I like FreeCAD, but I've heard people complain about it.
I'm not an ME, so I certainly don't make use of all the CAD features needed, so maybe that's why I don't get the complaints. Still, it suits my needs which mostly involve modeling PCBs and building enclosures around them.
I have also been toying with the idea of some simple 3D modeling, like making custom parts for projects around my house
I think that FreeCAD and Blender are probably fine for this.
Example of something I've made and printed the enclosure for via FreeCAD: Fight Key Wide. It uses parameter-based design and includes some design touches like screw-holes and bezels which aren't purely simple geometry, so FreeCAD gets a pass in my book.
If you look at the GitHub linked on the project page, it has the enclosure files which you can check out in FreeCAD if that helps you get started.
- Freecad has improved considerably in the last year, to a point where I've gone from saying I will wait to use it, to recommending it. It may actually have been designed for humans now.
  
  Assuming you can figure out the UI

I would also recommend checking out salome. It has a parametric CAD module like you would be used to in SolidWorks. It felt a little less finicky to me than freecad , and I also think it has more controllable STL generation compared to freecad.

Plasticity

MS paint

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