For the 3D modeling/printing crowd.

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

jazzviper1

Well-Known Member
TRF Supporter
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Messages
1,156
Reaction score
568
I have tried several 3D programs, 3D builder, Blender and a few others. Is there one that lets me actually create something, instead of sticking f****n shapes together or using shapes to gouge out hollows?
I am extremely frustrated with this and could use some help.

Than you.
 
I have tried several 3D programs, 3D builder, Blender and a few others. Is there one that lets me actually create something, instead of sticking f****n shapes together or using shapes to gouge out hollows?
I am extremely frustrated with this and could use some help.

Than you.

Fusion 360 is free, and my program of choice.
 
I have tried several 3D programs, 3D builder, Blender and a few others. Is there one that lets me actually create something, instead of sticking f****n shapes together or using shapes to gouge out hollows?
I am extremely frustrated with this and could use some help.

Than you.

I have to laugh at this because I know exactly how you feel. I use FreeCAD to do exactly that however (stack, cut, gouge, whatever) and end up with an usable product. I don't know any other way to do it and tutorials think I am some kind of a math genius or computer programmer. It's got a stiff learning curve and is a bit frustrating - to me anyway.
 
It only has a 30 day free trial, but at least it allows sketching.
It might be easier to hire some one to create the object for me.
 
Free too hobbyists, just create an account.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum
 
30 days for FreeCAD or Fusion 360? I've been using FreeCAD for a few months now with no issues, well other than me not fully knowing what I am doing.

What are you looking for? I may can help. I've been able to do some pretty good projects.
 
I use SolidWorks as it is what I can get from work. I had never done any 3D CAD until recently, but with a little head-scratching I was able to draw quite complex parts relativley quickly. It is of the sort you don't seem to like, with extruding shapes and cuts as the basis for functionality. There are a lot of high-end features for creating very weird complex shapes but I don't dive into them often. I think a swept helix is about as complex as I have used so far. I was quite surprised how quick it was to jump from the old 2D AutoCAD across.
 
+1 for Fusion360. If you're a vet, you can get Solidworks for about $20.
 
What I want is a 3D model of the old G.I. Joe clam shell parachute pack. I am buying a 3D printer soon and I would like to print a few in unavailable colors. I have an original that I could send if need be.
 
I second the use of solidworks. My license from robotics is still active so it's what I'm using for now.

UAH classes require me to use Solid Edge, which is probably one of the worst CAD programs that I have ever used.
 
Making stuff with "shapes" (proper term being solid primitives) is a pretty foundational staple of CAD. More complex stuff needs defined curves and reference geometry.

Perhaps you could define "Actually make something"?

And I'd throw out another vote for S-works, but that isn't exactly wallet friendly.
 
I have tried several 3D programs, 3D builder, Blender and a few others. Is there one that lets me actually create something, instead of sticking f****n shapes together or using shapes to gouge out hollows?
I am extremely frustrated with this and could use some help.

Than you.
Depends on what you want to model. For the often symmetrical geometric shapes we usually need in rocketry, the free openSCAD parametric CAD program is fantastic. The model is created with what is basically a simple program you write which can contain formula's with user alterable inputs which allow anyone an easy way to alter characteristics, such as dimensions, to their specific requirements.
 
I use Rhino because it's what I can get from work. I like the interface, and it's a little easier to draw more free-form shapes. Student licenses are pretty cheap, too.

Replicating things like a GI Joe backpack is going to be pretty hard without a 3-d scanner . Those kinds of parts usually have lots of detail that is hard to rebuild in CAD.
 
I use Rhino because it's what I can get from work. I like the interface, and it's a little easier to draw more free-form shapes. Student licenses are pretty cheap, too.

Replicating things like a GI Joe backpack is going to be pretty hard without a 3-d scanner . Those kinds of parts usually have lots of detail that is hard to rebuild in CAD.

What I am talking about is just a box with some raised detail and rounded edges and corners here are some sample pics.

pack 2.jpg

pack one.jpg
 
I'm a big fan of Sketchup. Free and under active development. There's a learning curve, like all 3D design products, but I'm having no trouble designing exactly what I want. I have a rocket with 3D printed motor retainer, fin edges, av-bay, and rail buttons.
 
If you happen to be a programmer, you might want to check out OpenSCAD. It is to 3D modeling as TeK is to document creation. It's not WYSIWYG, you write code, and the code renders the 3D object, but that can make it a very powerful tool. I've used SketchUp a bit and played with FreeCAD when I first got into 3D modeling, but I greatly prefer OpenSCAD to either one since it truly allows me to capture the intent of the objects I'm designing, I can create the appropriate parameters for all of the things I want to draw and tweak things very easily, where I often found with FreeCAD that I'd make a mistake in a lower-level object, and since everything else was built on top of it so many other constraints would break when I'd try to fix the low-level object, with OpenSCAD so long as I wrote my code properly making an equivalent tweak is trivial. It's also handy to come up with libraries to make it easier to implement the functions or objects that you use frequently, so I can (for example) instantiate a rounded box with a single line of code (plus the include for the library file). Most if not all of the things you see on Thingiverse that allow customization are OpenSCAD files where you're just changing the variables the code uses to render the object.
 
Back
Top