One of the most common questions we get from those who are new to digital manufacturing is “If I want to design something, which software should I learn?”
The answer to that is a little complex, but it hinges on one simple idea: What are you trying to make? There are lots of great software packages for 3D design out there, each tailored to a different type of product design. Knowing what you are trying to make will dictate the type of software you will use.
Overall, design software falls into two camps: CAD and 3D Modeling. CAD software is used when creating industrial, mechanical objects. Alternatively, 3D modeling packages more commonly used for making organic elements used for film special effects and video games.
Depending on the goals of your design, you may use both types of software at different stages of the design process to make the final 3D-printable design.
Below, we’ll go over how they are different and provide a few examples of each software type.
CAD (Computer Aided Design/Drafting)
CAD programs ask the user to “draw” a 2D shape and then turn those drawings into 3D forms, as either solids or surfaces. Drafting software comes from a long lineage of product designers, architects and engineers who would draw 2D plans, complete with measurements, which would be handed over to technicians or craftspeople who would interpret the designs and make the said object. This could be done manually or with a successive process of machining. Nowadays we have tools like 3D printing so that the design can be interpreted by other software (CAM or Computer-Aided Manufacturing) to create the tool path or slicing for 3D printing.
CAD programs take these 2D drawings and digitally translate them into 3D rendered “objects.” In some cases these are just “shells” or surfaces, while other programs treat the object as mathematically solid material. Simple shapes can then be added or subtracted to create more complex forms.
Because CAD software takes its roots in 2D drafting it is mainly for functional, measured 3D objects. Any functional object around you (your phone or computer that you’re reading this blog on) was designed in CAD software.
Examples of CAD:
Solidworks: Industry standard CAD software
Fusion 360: Free for students, startups, and makers!
Tinkercad: great for beginners
Onshape: Cloud-based with free option
3D Modeling
CAD software is great for functional objects, things that need to work mechanically or fit to a real world device. That said they may not give direct enough control over a design to allow for freeform, artistic work. This is where 3D modeling software comes in. Long used by the film and video game industry to make animation and special effects, you can also use these programs to create printable 3D models.
Modeling softwares are based around surfaces created from 3D geometry. This may be based around a system called NURBS, or may be simple polygons composed of vertices, edges, and faces. In many cases, programs will let you switch between these systems with ease, depending on your workflow. These points and surfaces come together to form the edges of a 3D object.
The advantage of modeling over CAD is that modeling software gives users direct input into each vertex or surface individually or as groups. This always for different ways to manipulate the shapes, often in ways that look more organic.
Some programs are even designed to treat 3D models as if they were lumps of clay so that designers can take a more sculptural approach. Using tools that emulate traditional artistic techniques, artists can get the most out of the geometry of a digital object.
Examples of 3D modeling software:
Sketchup: Free and popular
Maya: Industry standard for film and animation
Blender: Free, open source, and runs some of Shapeways’ backend tools
ZBrush: Professional digital sculpting software
Sculptris: Simpler, free version of ZBrush for beginners
Overall, knowing what you want to achieve with your design is vital to choosing the right tool for you. If a design needs to be functional, fit to other real-world objects, or have specific measurements, starting with CAD is the way to go. If a design needs to emulate a real-world or imaginary object or showcase your artistic vision, modeling could be a solution. If a design wants to do both, try mixing and matching software within your process.
This post originally appeared in Shapeways Magazine on Oct. 22, 2016.
Also 3DSMax; modeling package with CAD roots. and Mudbox, sculpting and texturing package like ZBrush
Very true. I use max for prints all the time and might revert to mudbox because i still think zbrush has a very clumsy and confusing UI (to me that is).
Nice article Andrew! 😀
Just wanted to add if you haven’t heard already, that Pixologic just came out with ZbrushCore a little more than a week ago. They announced it back in early September, but it has only been available for purchase since the 14th of this month. It does most of the core things that Zbrush does, but for only $149.95 instead of the $795 for the full version of Zbrush. I haven’t had the chance to use it yet, so I can’t give a good opinion of the differences between the two, but looking at the comparison of features found here,
http://zbrushcore.com/features
it appears that there are some major drawbacks concerning color 3D printing. It doesn’t decimate, retopologize, or project so there would be no way that I can think of to do decimation. Yet, they have this line, “*ZBrushCore limits STL and VRML export file size to 200,000 polygons. Larger models must be decimated before these formats can be used.” So they may provide some way to do it that is strictly a ZbrushCore feature. Although, the other bad thing is there is no UV mapping capability. So, color would be limited to vertex color at 200k polygons, which is very limited, unless one were making cartoon characters or something like that.
For sculpting non-color stuff and exporting as an OBJ I think that would be pretty good if they have provided a way to correct for polygon stretching like one can do with DynaMesh retopologizing. For example, if one were sculpting something like an octopus and one started with a ball and then used the Snakehook brush to pull out the eight legs, this could stretch out the polygons on the legs to the point where no more sculpting could be done on them like if one wanted to sculpt the suction cups on the legs. One could make eight Subtools for the legs and they would be able to be sculpted in that case, however, to blend with the body, that wouldn’t work very well, since blending in Zbrush only works well as a single mesh.
When they provide a way to evaluate it I’ll get it and make a review.
James
Looks interesting. But I’m not too keep on it. Too advanced for people where Sculptris would suffice, too limited for people where full toolset is necessary.
I actually combine various products together. I use OpenSCAD to create various shapes that I then import in Poser Pro to combine them into one figure. I also use models from DAZ3D for creating figurines or to combine figurines with OpenSCAD models.
The next step is that I generally import my Poser figurines in E-On Vue to render them as an image with a landscape and I export the Poser models to .STL files and modify them in AccuTrans.
In AccuTrans I will merge parts with similar textures, clean things up and export it as a Caldera file. It can then be imported in simulation games like SecondLife or any OpenSIM environment, allowing me to look at my model in a 3D environment and show it to others.
In AccuTrans I will also clean up the model, remove all textures, make everything opaque, remove the unwanted parts and merge it all together as a single shape, before exporting it again as a .STL file.
The .STL file is then imported in MeshMixer where I will rescale it to the desired size, rotate it into a proper position and occasionally to hollow the model, adding holes so the inside of the model can be cleaned. Once done, it is exported again as an .STL file for NetFabb.
With AutoDesk NetFabb I just do a quick repair on the model as this tends to prepare it all for ShapeWays to print. Once NetFabb is done fixing the model, it is exported again a last time as .STL and uploaded to Shapeways, where I will have it printed in white plastic or frosted plastic.
Although this involves various software products, the end result is that I have my models as a rendered image, within a virtual world or as a statue on my desk, if it is a figurine.
Poser and Vue are both commercial products but all others can be used for free, although SecondLife requires a monthly fee. (But you can use OpenSim as an alternative.)
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But I do love the use of OpenSCAD as you can just script all the model parts and combine them into a bigger model. Or do as I do and create multiple smaller parts and use a second application (Poser in my case) to put them together.
I’m mainly a 2D graphics artist for the gaming industry when it comes to art, creating 3D models is something I’ve only recently started doing on a regular basis, first for the purpose of creating 1:1 scale 3D printed replica items based on movies and games.
I’ve wanted for several years to get into model making, for creating miniatures and statuettes, have owned licenses for several sculpting softwares for years but never set aside enough time to tame any of the programs. I tried perhaps 8-10 different softwares before landing on Autodesk Fusion 360, which is a blessing to work with. ZBrush and 3D Coat is still something I’m slowly learning, but they are not as intuitive to learn as I would want them to be. Blender gave me a headache after 10-15 minutes, that one was a quick uninstall.
What is with Cinema 4d ?
Which combines CAD sculpt and modeling and rendering too .
Zzz …. you screwed it. C4D is one of the oldest!
Pity, is probably more a support of the above software and not
Independently.
grüße
Christian
My personal choices are for hard surface LightWave with or without LWCad. More organic sculpting is done in 3D-Coat. Haven’t found anything that does the job better, and as a nice bonus these are also some of the cheapest solutions.
I did not know you used Blender from some backend tooling, is there more published about that? I would be really interested to learn more about how you use Blender.
Blender is my go-to tool of choice and easy to extend with a bit of Python scripting.
3D Coat is a great alternative to ZBrush that is much easier to learn, with a traditional UI that maps to other 3D software. They even have a stripped down version (3DC Printing) for $50 that is specifically geared towards 3D printing with real world measurements… https://3dcoat.com/3dcprinting/
My own decisions are for hard surface LightWave with or without LWCad. More natural chiseling is done in 3D-Coat. Haven’t discovered anything that improves, and as a decent reward these are additionally a portion of the least expensive arrangements. http://www.makuv.in/
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