this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2024
98 points (96.2% liked)

3DPrinting

15420 readers
182 users here now

3DPrinting is a place where makers of all skill levels and walks of life can learn about and discuss 3D printing and development of 3D printed parts and devices.

The r/functionalprint community is now located at: !functionalprint@kbin.social or !functionalprint@fedia.io

There are CAD communities available at: !cad@lemmy.world or !freecad@lemmy.ml

Rules

If you need an easy way to host pictures, https://catbox.moe may be an option. Be ethical about what you post and donate if you are able or use this a lot. It is just an individual hosting content, not a company. The image embedding syntax for Lemmy is ![](URL)

Moderation policy: Light, mostly invisible

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
j4k3@lemmy.world
andypiper@lemmy.world
henry_rowengartner@lemmy.world
GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee
98
I liked Fusion 360, I like Onshape - but I'd rather like something that I won't lose over the whims of one company. So, what? (feddit.org)
submitted 3 months ago by the_fourth@feddit.org to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
60 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I am not a design draftsman, I'm not an engineer. My workflow is usually: I put something on the scanner, load the calibrated scan, trace the outline, throw a few sketches on various planes in there, round a few edges, print it and I'm done.

Fusion 360 scratches that itch very well but requires me to keep a Windows VM and also their free model felt more and more unusable. OnShape is a nice substitute that works fine for me, but I don't like the "free or 1500€/year" approach. Without a middle ground subscription for makers it feels that I could lose anything the second their energy prices for servers go up or something.

The list of CAD software is exhaustive, so I am looking for recommendations that fit my "eh, click, click, click, good enough" workflow. FreeCAD is way too unintiuitive for that. I have tried getting into it, but 3D printing is a tool for me and the learning curve quickly made using it another hobby.

So. Suggestions welcome. Scalding criticism about my lack of enthusiasm and consumer mentality not so much, but I guess that comes bundled with useful advice, so, eh, I'll take it.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] zipsglacier@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago

Freecad +1

WAIT !

I think each person has to recognize that there is a time/energy cost to get out of enshittification hell, and then decide how much they're willing to pay. If the answer for you is at least "an afternoon of video tutorials", then Freecad will be fine for you. It's a complicated tool that you need some help learning; that's ok. It won't become your new hobby.

If you don't want to pay that cost, that's understandable. If you feel mad that there is a cost at all, that's ok too. That's how enshittification works, and it sucks. As I said, each person will have to decide whether and how much they're willing to pay to get out of it.

Anyway, the MangoJelly tutorials in YouTube are really excellent, and will have you up and running in a few hours at most. (My CAD needs are also very basic, and I was done after the first two parts, 30 min each.) For following along, I would recommend just using the main version, so that it matches his tutorial exactly, and do the steps as he shows you. It feels dumb, but it's such a fast way to learn. You can decide later if you want to switch to one of the other branches, depending on what features you care about or what annoys you most.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiGNkhS8RKFIJWGj1ad8wRVVCLBnF_13g

Here's one of his later videos about tracing from a photo, but I haven't watched it:

https://youtu.be/xQcDoAhmoa8?si=MkdyXVtATiNWesJ4

You can do it!