- Joined
- May 27, 2016
- Messages
- 3,479
Me too with the FreeCAD. It's the only way you know for sure your stash of designs will always be accessible in the future. Also, you know the software is not looking over your shoulder and phoning home, to put your profile, interests, and abilities mined metadata up for sale.I've been sitting on the sidelines on 3d printing. Think it is a great thing for little gizmos and things that don't require high strength. What has kept me from getting one was not knowing 3d CAD.
This year, I removed that barrier. Took me 3 weeks, 6 days a week, 6 hours a day to learn FreeCAD. It was well worth the time I spent. I have used it to easily design things that I could make in the shop. One of the videos I watched showed a design, that was 3d printed from the model I had just completed. The lesson went through the steps of conversion to STL. That was eye opening.
For those that don't know, FreeCAD runs on Windows, Mac, & Linux. It is an open source 3D CAD program, actively developed and free. No fees, no subscriptions. It supports parametric design. Most of my designs have associated spreadsheets with them, which are directly associated with the model. This means a change made in the spreadsheet automatically changes the drawing. It is a very handy feature. FreeCAD is perfect for my use.
I'll be looking around for a 3d printer this year. If I knew what I was going to use it for, it would be easier to choose one. I'd like one that doesn't require too many upgrades, or fiddling just to get a decent print. Otherwise the printer becomes another rabbit hole to fall in. I want to make a few things, not to make upgrades for the short comings of the printer itself. I already fell into the machining rabbit hole, so don't want to fall into another hole (just yet).
I see 3d printing as complementary to machining.
Also - it's snugs right up to LinuxCNC
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