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Best Affordable CAD Programs for 3D Design: Electronics Engineer Seeks User-Friendly Software

francus11 5976 8
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Treść została przetłumaczona polish » english Zobacz oryginalną wersję tematu
  • #1 16511762
    francus11
    Level 6  
    Hi. I am a hobbyist electronics engineer and sometimes I need some housing for some projects. I got bored of cutting holes in some plastic boxes and I came up with the idea of designing a case and commissioning it. I know that it is not cheap, but I use some of my projects every day, so I could use them to look nice. The problem is I don't know anything about professional
    3D modeling for printing, and I do not know any programs for it (I used to play in Blender but he is not suitable for it, rather creating objects for e.g. games). The programs themselves cost several thousand, but they are typically for professional use. Someone knows any free, affordable for a mere mortal, or some trial versions of a program. Please, make it fairly easy to use and not some openSCAD that is supported when writing some code.
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  • #2 16511866
    idepopizze
    Level 33  
    Maybe I will realize how traditionally such plastic housings are made. The 3D model itself is actually nothing. Such a housing is made on an injection molding machine. However, to make it on an injection molding machine, you need to mill the mold in a tool steel cube. So 3D goes to programmers who will do the technology first plus the program to mill the form. Now it goes to the CNC machine where the operator sets the tools etc. and the machine mills the negative of the housing in the steel cube. Now this cube goes to control where most often the measuring machine checks what came out for compliance with the 3D model. Later it goes to locksmiths who do manual work on this ankle. However, to have such a plastic casing, you need a stamp in addition to the mold. With him is the same work as with a cube with form. Once you have these 2 things, they are the ones that go to the injection molding machine. You will probably need some additional steel plates with cooling channels, etc., so more costs.
    Generally, to make some stupid casing that you take in your hand you have to pay several people, pay for tools, steel etc. etc. and it doesn't go cheap.

    There is something like 3D printers but here I don't know how they come out costly.
    Since you are asking about free (low-budget) soft to 3D, however, at the beginning I suggest you look at the costs associated with creating unit housing.
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  • #3 16511886
    Anonymous
    Level 1  
  • #4 16511896
    francus11
    Level 6  
    From the beginning I was inclined to 3D printing because I heard that all you need is a design. Now that I have read about the "classic method" I choose 3D printing even more. I just don't know which program to choose. Are there any programs whose price is not the equivalent of a high-end computer ???
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  • #5 16511907
    Anonymous
    Level 1  
  • #6 16511914
    francus11
    Level 6  
    I have heard that on average it is suitable for making print projects. I will try and write.

    Added after 57 [minutes]:

    I tried the blender, but it is difficult to make it.
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  • #7 16512809
    Anonymous
    Anonymous  
  • #8 17384423
    darkdreamss
    Level 9  
    At the moment, there is a promotion for the ironcad program. I have it myself and I recommend it. More details on page ironcad.pl
  • #9 20425471
    eddiesomesan
    Level 1  
    Have you tried Fusion360? It's free for personal use (with some conditions) but is very powerful. You should try this first. If you don't like it, you can try FreeCad, which is also free and has a lot of functions.

Topic summary

The discussion centers around finding affordable and user-friendly CAD software for 3D design, particularly for hobbyist electronics engineers looking to create custom housings for projects. The original poster expresses frustration with traditional methods and seeks software that is not overly complex or expensive. Recommendations include DraftSight, IronCAD (currently on promotion), Fusion 360 (free for personal use with conditions), and FreeCAD (also free with extensive features). The challenges of using Blender for this purpose are noted, as it is deemed difficult for creating print-ready designs.
Summary generated by the language model.
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