What is Reddit's opinion of
Onshape?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
100 reviews of this app found across Reddit:
For designing artistic objects, there are many free options out there like Blender. I'm not terribly experienced with that, though.
If you want to design something that is mechanical or has well defined physical constraints, I highly recommend a parametric CAD program like Onshape. I'm a huge fan of Onshape, as it's pretty much literally Solidworks, but free for hobbyists and is entirely cloud-based so it runs in any browser on any computer. I can provide more info if that's an avenue you want to go down.
Some of the iPhone photos are legitimate-- thanks to the hard work of Peter Belanger. That said, these aren't the photos we're seeing in Apple Ads-- he just shot a MacWorld cover.
Overwhelmingly, the product images are 3D renders. This allows them for to achieve a perfect-- perhaps impossible-- lighting setup, where the blacks are truly black, a soft-box is filled with light entirely evenly, and microadjustments can be made easily.
This process has quickly gained popularity globally-- 80% of Ikea's Catalogue is just renders.
If you're seeking ways to make glossy objects look that good outside of a controlled setting, you're largely out of luck. Sure, the paintbrush tool can straighten out the edges in a reflection, but ultimately-- a camera is there to capture light. If you want to change the light, it's way easier to do that before you've taken the photo instead of after.
Onshape https://www.onshape.com/ , free accounts, similar interface and workflow to SolidWorks
I've written tutorials on it and taught classes in public libraries using it, since it runs in the browser, it's very accessible for the general public. Onshape has called me and thanked me, which was super cool.
I was on r/solidworks and people are complaining that Onshape took their best devs lol
Full version of Affinity Designer (like Illustrator) is getting ported to iOS. They already have it running since the beginning of the year internally, but need to tweak the UI, especially for the ipad Pro.
https://twitter.com/macaffinity
Their other apps like Photo (like Photoshop) and future Publisher (like indesign) might follow.
If you're into CAD, there is Onshape, a professional tool which works in the browser by the people who created Solidworks. It's well regarded among CAD pros.
Yep. In reality lots of new VC backed B2B companies that make enterprise software build their apps for iOS. Since we're talking about CAD in this story, Onshape is a good example that's trying to disrupt AutoCAD (themselves supporting the iPad Pro as well).
Yep we (the engineers) use that as a cheap/free autocad alternative in our engineering consultancy so we arent hogging a license from the designers, although that is on windows. Its great because it plays nicely with Autocad and is good enough for tweeks to existing drawings.
Another option is https://www.onshape.com which has 3d modelling similar to solidworks etc. ive not used it in anger, and im certainly no expert in CAD, but it looks great. It is all run in the cloud so should run fine on linux.
Onshape has a free option . The caveat is your designs will be open to the public, there might be other restrictions as well.
The creators of SolidWorks left Dassult systems after a few years after they got bought, and created onshape. It's all cloud based, and is great. You can have multiple people working on the same project at the same time. It's a terrific tool. I use it almost daily.
It’s free for personal use.
https://www.onshape.com/en/products/free
I used Solidworks for years and this is basically cloud based Solidworks or as close as possible to it. I highly recommend it. I use it all of the time for stuff that I 3D print.
I'm a big Open-Source advocate, i use it for simulation and I'm able to get everything i need out of Open- source tools. I wanted to love libreCad, but in the end i use Onshape because it is ridiculously easy and their webinars are free and informative. they offer a free tier that I use.
Try onshape, they are a cloud-based, browser CAD system, so you can use it on any device (win, mac, tablet, whatever). There is a free plan that has no limits on functionality. Developed by former SolidWorks employees and very similar user experience.
As a browser-based CAD program it's excellent. Watch a couple OnShape tutorials and you'll have few issues transitioning from Fusion 360.
My issue with OnShape is specific to their Free Plan and what it means that your documents are "Public." It's not only public like "anyone can view this online." It's public like "public domain":
> For any Public Document owned by a Free Plan User ... Customer grants a worldwide, royaltyfree and non-exclusive license to any End User or third party accessing the Public Document to use the intellectual property contained in Customer’s Public Document without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Document, and to permit persons to whom the Document is made available to do the same.
https://www.onshape.com/en/legal/terms-of-use
If you invent something cool/marketable in OnShape Free anyone can find it, copy it, sell it, etc., and there's no opting out. It's probably unlikely that will actually happen, but something about it rubs me the wrong way.
It's still great software and you should try it out! Just be fully aware of the terms. Also means you can browse and use everyone else's public designs...
If you are looking for a free CAD option to build up competency, I would recommend Onshape. The founders of the company worked on Solidworks so there is a fair amount of overlap between the systems. It is also a cloud-based CAD system, so you do not need a dedicated workstation to use the software.
They have an education plan if you are a student and a free plan if you are a hobbyist. The free plan requires your designs to be publicly available, but if all you are after is the learning experience this should not be an issue. The education plan lets you have private designs, but flags them for educational use only.
For training and education, they have a learning center with freely available self-paced courses. I have gone through the several of the courses and they provide a good background on the software. They go from basic drafting/modeling through assemblies and on to data management. They also provide additional, instructor-led training for a fee.
actual 3D modeling is still a distant dream of tablets. It simply requires a mouse and keyboard to be viable IMO. But you might want to try out https://www.onshape.com/ . they are a cloud based free drafting software that does a very good job and "will" run on a tablet.
Good luck
I highly recommend taking a look at Onshape. Its completely web-based, very similar to solidworks workflow, and has a massively growing user base that is able to make their own functions that do whatever you would like. My robotics team uses the program and though it does have its limits, it's been so easily accessible and simple for my students to understand. It's also free for educational purposes.
If you use onshape,com, you can use the featurescript beams to draw a sketch line and instantly turn it into a beam with a specific profile. I can't seem to make a link available here, but I have a public copy of the feature with rev, open builds, and makerbeam profiles already added. (Edit: I've renamed my copy of the featurescript 'FTCBeams' to make it easier to find)
If you can't find it in the search, send me a DM and I'll explicitly share it with you.
Of course the other option is to get cad for the extrusion at any length and project the face into a sketch. This will work with onshape, solid works, and fusion360. Once you have a sketch, you can extrude to any length.
All of my onshape docs are public. There are ftc parts libraries and examples of how to add mate connectors to extrusion for assemblies as well.
Edit link to video on using the beam feature: https://www.onshape.com/videos/creating-weldments
Hey boss, jeg er maskiningeniør, og jeg skal bruge lidt flere detaljer for at give et godt svar, men først og fremmest:
Gå på https://www.onshape.com/ og opret en bruger som en gratis profil. Bemærk at alt hvad du tegner her er offentligt tilgengæligt! Skal det være privat må du punge ud efter noget CAD-software eller en konsulentingeniør der kan tegne for dig. Jeg kan læse du er nede i under 0,1mm tolerancer - det er altså ikke noget en traditionel 3D printer kan overholde, så skal du ud i noget SLA/SLS som er en faktor 100 dyrere at printe i. Her skal du snakke med Damvig eller Davinci, som er de bedste i DK.
En 3D-printer spytter kun det ud, du selv kan designe. Ligesom et maskinværksted ikke kan spytte noget ud du ikke kan tegne ordentligt for dem. Konsulenter kan lave det for dig, du ikke selv kan.
Start således:
-Tegn det emne (din 'kop') i CAD du vil bruge som reference. Mål ordentligt efter med en skydelære sådan du får de korrekte mål, ikke noget med sjusk og øjemål og linealer, brug det rigtige værktøj! Det er en god førsteting at tegne noget i CAD man har i virkeligheden at tage og føle på.
-Tegn det emne du har tænkt dig at lave. Overvej om du kan vende og dreje det så det passer at 3D-printe. Hvis ikke det gør, så del det op i flere emner der kan printes ordentligt og limes sammen bagefter.
-Overvej tungt om det du laver kan produceres efterfølgende. Hvis du overhovedet ingen erfaring har med at fræse/dreje/skære/bukke/støbe i plast, metal eller hvad end, så igen, er det her et seriøst projekt I forestiller jer skal sælges, så overvej en konsulent.
Og endeligt: Du får ikke adgang til de printlabs uden at kende nogen derinde - de kan til gengæld printe på de traditionelle maskiner gratis. SLA/SLS-maskinerne har de ikke adgang til uden en underskrift fra en underviser.
Not all that technical. Basically I just make aftermarket accessories for things I'm interested in (cameras, bicycles, motorcycles, and 4x4s). If you're personally into something that has a market and you're reasonably inventive, the tools exist now to efficiently manufacture things. Even electronics are heading that way with affordable pick and place machines. Excellent 3d CAD is now free for anyone, a used cnc machine can be had for less than a compact car, and we're just now starting to see robots that are much easier to integrate.. (this is the one we're getting). I think the future looks exciting for cottage manufacturers.
It is very much a good idea, and there are some folks that have already done a great job at it: https://www.onshape.com
P.S. it's funny that you mention SolidWorks on Chrome, because that company, OnShape, includes the original SolidWorks team.
You could create a free account on Onshape
Then you can upload the files, view them in your browser and download in any format, including stl. I've been creating most of my 3D printed parts in Onshape recently.
It's very simple - they are programs with massive legacy code bases (millions of lines of code) that were developed using native Windows frameworks. The cost for rebuilding these to be multi platform is astronomical for a small user base. I'm a native Mac user at home and would love to see this but I just don't see it happening.
I think it is much more likely that we will eventually see an edition of SAP / ETABS running natively on the web to leverage cloud computing capabilities. If CSI is not already exploring this then someone else should - it could be a different business model based on usage tokens consumed for each analysis.
Similarly, I think the end game for Autodesk is to fully leverage their BIM360 platform for a web-based version of Revit.
There are companies already doing this - take a look at OnShape and OnScale as examples of what you can do on a web platform.
If you're a student, try downloading autocads free student version, and watch some 2D modeling videos from there. It takes many hours to get quick at drawing lines, arcs, circles, fillets, all to scale at the proper length and angle. You might have better luck taking a bunch of pictures of the thing and uploading them using autodesks recap photo to create a 3D printable object likeness. For free online (not good quality or likeness to any widespread software), you could try onshape as a very preliminary start.
If you are looking for a 3D parametric CAD then consider OnShape ( https://www.onshape.com/ ). You can setup a free account, and use it for some initial work before having to pay for it. As a hobbyist you should be able to get pretty far with the free account. Additionally, it is cloud based and helps save you on having to get a high spec PC to use it well. One of the founders is former SolidWorks, and they have been adding great functionality to it.
Yeah, I was surprised they kind of hide it as well. But the link in my first comment was to their free version page. I found it through Google, but you can also find it in their sitemap page.
I think knowing some CAD package is almost required at this point. The form factor of the electronics is typically driven by the form factor of the actual product. Also, a lot of time you don't have the luxury of working with a mechanical engineer so you have to make your own case.
I find Solidworks pretty easy to use. The guys that invented Solidworks started a free online version called OnShape which is what I currently use for all my case design.
I'm using SolidWorks working as a product developer. Fusion 360 is the popular one these days and I'm learning to be familiar with that as well, it's free for hobbiest.
OnShape is also a good option.
- Rough out your robot on paper
- Fire up your favorite CAD program
- Design any custom parts you intend to build
- Download models for the Tetrix KoP, hit up the Vex/AndyMark/ServoCity/ModernRobotics web sites for models of their parts, etc.
- Join all of the parts together in to a model of your robot
They actually posted a blog about using Onshape in a classroom setting a few weeks ago that might be of interest to you! https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/cad-in-the-classroom-5-best-practices-for-teaching-onshape
I'm starting a basic CAD course at my local hackerspace at the beginning of January, and I'll be using onshape due to the accessibility of it. Being able to see student's individual/team work, as well as a complete history that they cannot modify would be a big help, as even in my university classes there were still students who would try and cheat on even the most simple homework.
It's cloud based. Your work is available from any device you use. They offer import and export in a lot of different formats:
https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/import-export-onshape
It's not strictly for mobile devices. It also works in any web browser that supports webGL. It can also even work with some 3D mice.
The only thing it's missing at this point that I need is 2D drawing generation. That's coming soon though.
Among several other, Onshape has free accounts (student trial?) but your parts are publicly accessible.
OP, this is a super simple part to make (one dimensioned cross section sketch and one central axis revolve) and export to STL.
Onshape had a Competition this year. The prompt was “How would you design the ultimate home office to make remote work easier, more efficient or more fun?”
Competition participants were given a three-hour time limit to accomplish the following tasks:
1.Assemble the basic robot arm system from the box and attach it to the desk.
2.Design a new end effector for the robot arm.
3.Model the elements of your work-from-home setup so that your robot will interact with the system, and show how they all work together.
You could try Onshape or Tinkercad, both are great and the learning curve isn't to steep (especially for Tinkercad). Onshape is particularly good for mechanical design.
I found the Blender learning curve to be pretty steep and it seems to be better for sculpting rather than parametric design, although that might just be my inexperience.
Onshape offers a more or less fully featured student edition and has a lot of nice tools made by the FTC community such as the FTC Onshape Parts Library: https://www.onshape.com/en/education/
https://discover.solidworks.com/makers
Cloud version. $99/year
They are trying to compete with OnShape for the makers having access to non-commercial CAD needs.
I use Onshape - it's free for hobby users, and there's no download. They also have a mobile app that makes it convenient for me to check dimensions when I'm away from my computer.
OnShape has some gear functionality and Ive seen ppl trying to get the motion down for ratchet and pawl however Im not sure if it support intermittent CONTACT in motion.
Onshape acct is free for non-professionals with the caveat that all your files are public.
Some people read "public" and think "anyone can view or copy this." But to be clear, OnShape's "Public" is equivalent to public domain. That's why I care: free users retain zero rights to anything made there.
https://www.onshape.com/en/legal/terms-of-use
> For any Public Document ... Customer grants a worldwide, royaltyfree and non-exclusive license to any End User or third party accessing the Public Document to use the intellectual property contained in Customer’s Public Document without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Document...
Now, how often is this really an issue? I don't know. It's unlikely anyone will find my designs among thousands of others, especially if I give them weird/random names. (It's "security through obscurity" in a way.) But it just rubs me the wrong way.
Contrast, for example, TinkerCAD-- where I can share a public link AND still choose any Creative Commons license.
I use Onshape. At my "day job" we use Solidworks, which is one of the big names for fully-featured CAD programs. Onshape is similar, it's free, and it's cloud-based so I didn't have to download anything. They also have a mobile app. The app isn't great for building in, but it's super convenient to check dimensions when I'm making the real parts at my bench.
Another option is OnShape as it seems to be picking up on industry acceptance. Its cloud based and built by people that left Solidworks. PTC (Pro/E/CREO) just bought the company.
Onshape. Free (for home and hobbyists, and runs in any browser. Also has a mobile app, so if you want to check something once you're in your shop, away from your computer, it's super easy.
Thanks for the kind words!
Fortunately, it's completely free for unlimited open-source projects/usage for hobbyists, much like GitHub used to have, and for students and educators, it's free for unlimited closed-source use! I'm currently on the education plan.
They have a financial incentive to have a free tier (with open-source projects) since it provides them with a large data set for automatically testing upcoming updates. Since the free tier projects are open source, if their update fails on any model, they can make a copy for internal investigation and bug fixing. That way, they don't have to maintain their own internal data set for testing and updates don't cause loss of work.
Admittedly, the price is pretty steep for commercial use compared to Fusion 360's free/$500 yearly tiers, but I think the price is pretty fair when you compare it with SolidWorks, Inventor, or other pricier CAD packages. It's amazing how low-cost Fusion 360 is to get into for commercial use, but unfortunately, it just can't handle the projects I usually work on.
Thanks for the kind words!
Yes, two good options: for general hobbyists, the free plan provides unlimited public/open source storage and usage with all of the modeling tools (much like GitHub used to do). For students and teachers, the education plan provides the same functionality with unlimited private storage. I'm on the education plan.
We also use the Beams feature script addon with these profiles to create Rev extrusion at arbitrary lengths - https://cad.onshape.com/documents/c63266fe0de05f6e70446d8d/w/baf3014f0d45fbf3af927ccf/e/3a64f5977dd3a1ffc5049951
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Basically follow this example, but choose FTCBeams (the link above) as the feature script because it has Rev and MakerBeam profiles
OnShape is a free browser-based cloud CAD software developed by the same people as Solidworks (or so I hear). The catch with the free plan is everything you design is viewable by anyone, so fine for hobbyists but not for people who want to start a business (there are paid plans for that). I think they just got bought by UTC. Not sure how good the surface modeling is though. https://www.onshape.com/products/free
If you're familiar with Solidworks, there's a cloud application called OnShape that works similarly but isn't as feature-heavy. That's what I use.
It almost sounds like youre talking about Onshape's free tier. Its basically exactly what youre describing. https://www.onshape.com/products/free
Really no other software you'd encounter while 3D printing is going to automatically make your projects public or anything like that.
There are some high profile teams switching to Onshape! Some examples (these teams used Onshape for 2019) and their season record:
- 1678 - Citrus Circuits - 62-10-0
- 973 - Greybots - 48-8-1
- 319 - Big Bad Bob - 65-22-2
Onshape also has a page on their website for FRC teams: https://www.onshape.com/edu/frc
Also, make sure to check out the MKCad library of parts for FRC by 1836 Milkenknights!
https://www.onshape.com/products/free
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview
I have heard good things about Onshape, and have also heard that Fusion 360 can be had for free as well if you're just a hobby user (which you will be). Both are cloud-based so you can run them with an internet connection rather than having a strong computer. The learning curve of 3d modeling is steep but worth it.
If you have the dedication (willing and time to learn) and passion (proceed undeterred and have fun) then get at it.
I would normally recommend Solidworks but I’m not sure what your budget is. Here is some software that might work great in your “case”:
It’s free and is actually based on Solidworks. And since it’s cloud based and your design will be public, it’s easy to get help from people.
Good luck.
Onshape for when I need to share a model (since it's free), otherwise, SolidWorks. Onshape's UI is very similar to SolidWorks so switching back and forth is not a problem.
Runs in a web browser so I use it to teach people at the public library
ONSHAPE ALL THE WAY!!! Onshape is insanely easy to learn, and I mean REALLY REALLY easy. not just that, but despite it's super easy interface, It does not lack ANY features compared to something like solidworks. It is cloud based, and everything is saved in the cloud. plus, its free, so whats to loose.
there is the free online cad design/program place called OnShape, just register a quick account there and then search for "6x12 Pinhole Camera"
the whole design program runs in the browser too so you can access stuff there from anywhere
One big advantage is being able to define specific dimensions (the width of a box, thickness of a wall, etc.) and constraints (this line is parallel or at a certain angle from this line) and change them later to update the whole model, or even define variables for those dimensions.
If you want to try a solid free online CAD program, check out https://www.onshape.com/ (from the makers of SolidWorks) and look for tutorials on YouTube.
I use Cutlist Plus FX.
When paired with Onshape for 3d modeling and the OpenBOM plugin, I can model something up, export my parts list from OnShape, import it into Cutlist Plus, and it'll immediately optimize my layouts and tell me how much material to buy. It's particularly good for sheet good projects.
It's really an amazing workflow for a hobbyist woodworker.
OnShape is a pretty good software that you can get for free to try out CAD modeling. I use SolidWorks and Inventor, but have no issue crossing over to OnShape when I'm playing around with a design at home.
Hopefully it changes your life the same way it changed mine. I use it for all my personal projects. It is free as long as you're willing to make your designs public.
These days, pretty much all engineers use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software to create computer models and really precise and detailed drawings. There is free CAD software out there on the internet if you want to check it out, however I haven't really tried any of them since I've always had access to my company's CAD software.
I've done a little bit with the free version of Onshape; that one's trying to be a cloud version of professional CAD software so it's really well done. It might be hard for a beginner to pick up though. The only other one that I can think of off the top of my head is Google Sketchup.
This is an interesting method of sharing files utilizing onshape. https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/video-using-onshape-alongside-solidworks?utm_campaign=Onboarding&utm_source=hs_automation&utm_medium=email&utm_content=28503148&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9y8ccu4P70pJa1tfYCxtyADVm80w0jeZTy5VG52uTQUfwpbWTO4j4LG...
Yikes.
That depends on what version of Solidworks you're trying to run. If you mean the newest version....no. Definitely not. It might be able to run a much older version from 4 or 5+ years ago but even that could be dicey. I worked IT at a manufacturing plant where they use Solidworks around that time and they were all using very beefy machines. You really need something with a dedicated graphics card and somewhat decent processor (for all the individual parts and calculations).
There are cloud based solutions that eliminate the need for a powerful computer.
I use Rhino for modeling and know enough Solidworks to be effective if the job requires it,but the licencing/price might be an issue if you are just getting started, I am going to throw another hat in the ring for your consideration:
Free account, promising and web based, plus it has a lot of overlap with solidworks which might make it a good candidate for your situation.
If there's an API for OnShape's app (not sure if there is, or even if they have an iOS app) you could probably take the live model and make it work with Cardboard without having to do full renderings.
Edit: Just did some quick searching, OnShape does indeed have an iOS app, and they also have an API. Not sure if their API covers mobile as well, but it could be worth a shot. https://www.onshape.com/api-access
https://www.onshape.com/ - free plan with limited storage
http://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview - free for hobbyists
I found onshape's training videos easier to understand, but eventually moved to Fusion 360 for more features and storage.
You should try https://www.onshape.com/ From what I've read, it was made by old Solidworks employee.
I mainly use Solidworks, but this is a very nice replacement when on the go.
It take some time to get used to the web interface, but it's really powerfull.
I've got a couple options for you:
-Thingiverse.com has a surprising amount of existing parts. I'd suggest googling the parts and include the keyword "thingiverse." Google's search is better than thingiverse's built in search.
I do 3D CAD all day so I could probably make you the file in 10-15 minutes assuming it's close to a 90-degree adapter plate design. I just need a sketch with dimensions you need. This would most likely be the fastest solution overall. Email me:
I discovered https://www.onshape.com/ a few days ago. I'm definitely learning this ASAP. It seems like the most modern and professional 3d CAD software, it's free*, and runs in a browser. So a couple tutorials later and you can send me your first STL
This is something that I look into every once in a while, also. But I'm never able to find an answer that really satisfies me.
I've fallen back on just having Parallels installed with Windows (and Ubuntu, but I'm having a hell of a time getting it to run properly) so that I can run software at home. I'm hoping that things like OnShape take off. I like the vision that Apple has been slowly-but-surely marching toward of the computer just being an access point, and all the real work being done "in the cloud", and things like this really lend themselves to that ideal.
Have you tried onShape?
3d isn't really my bag, but my buddy just got a printer so I feel like I should up my game. I've tried a few free 3d cad softwares and this one has me really impressed. Check it out and I can send you an invite if interested.
proiectul cad a fost initial realizat in solidworks (pana a expirat licenta) apoi portat cu bunavointa echipei rupta din Dassault systems (care au creat SolidWorks) pe un tool de design industrial online, onshape https://www.onshape.com/
Randarile sunt facute in cloud cu keyshot.
Ik had de studentenversie, maar ik geloof dat ik nu op de gratis versie voor persoonlijk gebruik zit. Alleen zijn dan al je tekeningen openbaar, maar verder geen restricties.
have you considered onshape? it would replace solidworks but works in a similar fashion except it does not have all the file problems. https://www.onshape.com/en/resource-center/articles/how-to-onboard-your-first-robotics-team. https://www.onshape.com/en/resource-center/articles/how-to-onboard-your-first-robotics-team .
I've been using Onshape for about two years now, it is my primary CAD tool for my freelance engineering work.
It's cloud-based like Fusion 360, is similar to SolidWorks, but doesn't have a lot of native support for simulations for heat transfer / Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for doing some of the tests you mentioned.
There is an "App Store" of sorts where you can browse extensions for these types of things. They were recently bought by PTC which is a big industry name in CAD and they are working on adding more features.
What I appreciate about it is that it is much cheaper than SolidWorks and offers a free plan for hobbyists. The downside of the free plan is that your files are made public, anyone can view them. Private access requires a paid plan starting at $1,500/yr, which is the tier I pay for.
I'd definitely consider Fusion 360 as well, I've never used it personally but it seems even more affordable and very robust in features.
Another contender should be the free version of OnShape. Similar in many ways to Fusion 360 it's a full capability CAD package. Unlike Fusion though it is entirely in the cloud which is good or bad depending on your perspective. No software to download or run! Also you can make drawings which can be handy to make for your reference as you're building in the garage! One catch with the free version is technically your designs are publicly viewable to others. To me that's not a deal breaker for my hobby designs but figured I'd mention it.
Here's a link for more info on the free version. https://www.onshape.com/en/products/free
In terms of free/low-cost cad packages, I prefer Onshape. Onshape offers multi-device support since it is browser-based.
Fusion 360 (Personal and Startup Versions) and Onshape (Free version) are probably the best options.
Well or you can make one...
3D printing without designing custom parts is just 30% of the fun!
easily
you can go browser based for everything
onshape for modeling and astroprint for slicing
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https://www.astroprint.com/online-stl-slicer-and-gcode-x3g-generator
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or get fusion 360 for the ipad
Be enrolled in some kind of solidworks course in college. My professor sent out codes for the license.
You can also look into Onshape, I've used it before and it's basically the same as Solidworks but it's online and the free plan makes it so your models are available to anyone through a search function. So if you use it I would recommend naming files with random letters or whatever so that people can't easily find your stuff.
>I think you and I are the only ones that use SI for youtube. :)
there is no right or wrong why use YT on DeX. I just like use it in SI
Another thing got fixed with this update. https://www.onshape.com/en/ CAD in a browser. Samsung did something and this was absolutely unusable on DeX. But now i can continue use it for 3D prints.
It depends a lot on which software do you use, but to me being able to export to Solidworks it’s a game changer. Check some of the export capabilities on this page: https://www.onshape.com/en/resource-center/tech-tips/how-to-import-and-export-with-onshape
Cheers!
OnShape is perfect for this. You can make a free account and import your models from Fusion 360, or create them directly in OnShape. Then just share a link and anyone with a web browser can see them, or even edit them if you give permission. OnShape is actually a more complete/professional CAD program than Fusion 360, however it does not have rendering and analysis built in yet. https://www.onshape.com/en/products/free
If you dont have modeling software, you might look into OnShape. You can get a free account if you are okay with all your models being available to the public.
Lidar normally cannot scan things that small, (unless it's abnormally expensive).
I recommend getting some $20 calipers and trying out some of the tutorials on Onshape Free.
OpenSCAD is pretty slow and heavy to learn with. It's great for making thingiverse-compatible-customizers and stuff. But for normal, parametric modeling, Onshape is ~50x faster than OpenSCAD.
Hey, I am studying robotics. So I have some experience with solidworks. I have a recommendation if you don’t have solidworks and you don’t wanna get it from a sketchy source tryonshape it is like solidworks(I mean solid is better)it is a simple cad software, really easy to use. If you set it up as a student you get this for free. Best part it runs on your browser!
at least try onshape.
i use solidworks (3d modeling) full time at my job (going on like 6 years now), so i'm a little biased on what is easy to use, but try onshape. it is a good place to start. its almost like solidworks but is browser based. should be able to pick that up in half hour or so.
with understanding of how onshape works, solidworks, siemens nx and catia (industry standards in engineering) will come super easy. so if you think your career, is headed any time down that path, i would take a look.
if your going down to civil or architecture just forget everything i have to say and just start drawing lines by hand, because you'll be using autocad (refered to as autobad or fucking the dumbest program ever) or revvit, which i hear is good
I found links in your comment that were not hyperlinked:
I did the honors for you.
^delete ^| ^information ^| ^<3
You should check out OnShape. (I'm not a bot lol)
It's a free ME software, fully online, that lets you do pretty advanced shit. For an ME, you could take advantage of this and at least design a project on your own in it. Then you could show off what you built + that you have CAD design experience. I bet you could get an interview off of that. Even a job.
Besides the upvote, I would have to second the recommendation of trying out onShape. They even also have available ‘mortise and tenon’, ‘box joint’, ‘dovetail’, ‘Lap joint’ features that “automate” the creation of those joints.
Another plus is the ability to share and collaborate on a design.
I use a CAD software called OnShape to get my non-work engineering things designed. It's free, online and pretty user friendly. It also has an insert image feature to sketch and dimension with.
(Edit) Link: https://www.onshape.com/
I did not have legal access to SolidWorks. SolidEdge is one of the main competitors to SolidWorks. www.onshape.com is probably the closest competitor to Fusion360, but I think that they aim to be something different.
My 2 goto free CAD tools are cloud based ones : tinkercad and onshape.
Tinkercad is great for really quickly slapping together a prototype - like elementary grade school children easy. But you'll hit proper design limits real fast. But I still go back to it frequently for things where the model is simple and one off.
Onshape is a more real CAD program - lots of details and complexities. Parameterizing, etc. Steeper learning curve.
Both are free and in the cloud, so read T&C's carefully if you want to retain rights to what you are doing.
You could borrow this concept from a potato planter
Also if you're looking for a free CAD package, I've used OnShape a few times and I quite like it, it works through your browser so you don't need a powerful PC to use it, I run it off my Chromebook.
Hone your Google-Fu:
Lots of tutorials to easily learn, and since you are essentially just making rectangles it should be quick; all on the foundation of how precise you have measured though.
whichever one you're comfortable using is the answer. If one of them is taught at your school, probably use that one. If you have to learn one, I would learn OnShape maybe, they have the https://www.onshape.com/robots-to-the-rescue competition going on now so that could be a good learning opportunity. But if you have experience with Fusion360 or Inventor just stick with it tbh.
Generally 3D cad builds off 2D cad, think sketches and profiles. Using arcs as your base would probably be a good idea as much of the hard work for constraints is done for you. What you would need after is to build the tools for extraction from the 2D.
For woodworking joints you could have template 2D profiles for mortise and tenon's and dovetails and the like with parametrized values for length and angles (ratios of 1-8). But to get to that you need a solid foundation.
I suggest checking out Onshape for an idea of how 3d cad workflow works. Its what i use for my woodworking plans.
Make a free account, import your files, and measure. To measure click on what you want to measure and the measurement will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. They have great documentation online.
Onshape. It's mostly complete, everything runs in browser, and I've seen it used in at least the high school I went to for CADing when a full featured program, such as in my case Solidworks or Creo, wasn't available. There is a free version where everything you make is public, but if I remember correctly, students can get the full version for free (though I might be wrong).
I highly suggest checking it out as an alternative. It can also import and export files under the most common formats.
Super cool design! How do you keep more than one case from falling into the feeder hole in the rectangular block?
A little off topic but not really. . . If you don't have a 3D CAD system check these guys out! Free to use, cloud based with great tutorials.
No, I don't work for them but I do have an account with them and use it at home.