3D design software for 3d Printing.
Discussion
We have a caravan that used to have 2 identical fridge vent grills as below.
Unfortunately due to an incompetent technical (me), the top one has left the party. They are no longer available. Used examples are rarer than hen's teeth.
I have a cunning plan and would welcome comments and advice on software
1. 3D Scan using an Ipad Pro with LiDAR. I don't expect perfection and ideally would have this done in a commercial scanner. The cost though is too high.
2. Using 'some' software that is hopefully free clean up the 3D scan data, and make a small design change that will enable me to fit a fan without using bodge techniques. I have not worked with 3D but am familiar with 2D CAD. how hard can it be?
3. Package up and arrange for a 3D print by a commercial printer. If this works the demand may be such that this becomes a repeat order depending on demand. Time will tell!
Any comments appreciated!
Unfortunately due to an incompetent technical (me), the top one has left the party. They are no longer available. Used examples are rarer than hen's teeth.
I have a cunning plan and would welcome comments and advice on software
1. 3D Scan using an Ipad Pro with LiDAR. I don't expect perfection and ideally would have this done in a commercial scanner. The cost though is too high.
2. Using 'some' software that is hopefully free clean up the 3D scan data, and make a small design change that will enable me to fit a fan without using bodge techniques. I have not worked with 3D but am familiar with 2D CAD. how hard can it be?
3. Package up and arrange for a 3D print by a commercial printer. If this works the demand may be such that this becomes a repeat order depending on demand. Time will tell!
Any comments appreciated!
surveyor said:
We have a caravan that used to have 2 identical fridge vent grills as below.
Unfortunately due to an incompetent technical (me), the top one has left the party. They are no longer available. Used examples are rarer than hen's teeth.
I have a cunning plan and would welcome comments and advice on software
1. 3D Scan using an Ipad Pro with LiDAR. I don't expect perfection and ideally would have this done in a commercial scanner. The cost though is too high.
2. Using 'some' software that is hopefully free clean up the 3D scan data, and make a small design change that will enable me to fit a fan without using bodge techniques. I have not worked with 3D but am familiar with 2D CAD. how hard can it be?
3. Package up and arrange for a 3D print by a commercial printer. If this works the demand may be such that this becomes a repeat order depending on demand. Time will tell!
Any comments appreciated!
The most obvious software is Blender. Free. It's sophisticated and difficult to learn, but 2D familiarity can help. Further, if you want to produce merely a 3D object, learning is easy enough, if time consuming. You can ignore the animation, texture and such, all of which take time to crack. Just a simple model is easier, although not easy.Unfortunately due to an incompetent technical (me), the top one has left the party. They are no longer available. Used examples are rarer than hen's teeth.
I have a cunning plan and would welcome comments and advice on software
1. 3D Scan using an Ipad Pro with LiDAR. I don't expect perfection and ideally would have this done in a commercial scanner. The cost though is too high.
2. Using 'some' software that is hopefully free clean up the 3D scan data, and make a small design change that will enable me to fit a fan without using bodge techniques. I have not worked with 3D but am familiar with 2D CAD. how hard can it be?
3. Package up and arrange for a 3D print by a commercial printer. If this works the demand may be such that this becomes a repeat order depending on demand. Time will tell!
Any comments appreciated!
One idea you don't mention is to make two such objects, so a slight variation will not be noticed when both are fitted.
I started learning Blender 15 months ago and, after a few problems first of all, I got the hang of the basics quite quickly, and although I'm fairly familiar with software such as Serif Affinity Designer, it was an effort. However, it is great fun. I'm now onto animation.
Any questions, feel free to ask. There's lots and lots of basic stuff on YouTube.
ALSO: if you approach the printing company, explain that it might well be a repeat order, they might well be free with advice.
I wouldn't bother scanning. Buy a £5 set of digital calipers and a steel rule and measure it.
Will be almost certainly be easy to model in CAD. There will be some manufacturing rules you may have to follow.
I would look on Etsy for a hobbyist that does 3D printed lithophanes and the like. They will charge £1/HR print time ish, which will be a bargain compared to a commercial operation. They may even work off a sketch if you CBA with the CAD..
You will need someone with a larger home type printer.
Will be almost certainly be easy to model in CAD. There will be some manufacturing rules you may have to follow.
I would look on Etsy for a hobbyist that does 3D printed lithophanes and the like. They will charge £1/HR print time ish, which will be a bargain compared to a commercial operation. They may even work off a sketch if you CBA with the CAD..
You will need someone with a larger home type printer.
I do a fair bit of 3d printing through Treatstock with good results. I’d second using Fusion 360 instead of Blender - I found the latter pretty tricky and unintuitive and fusion much easier albeit I had quite a bit of Autocad experience. I do most modelling in Rhino right now 
It will be WAY easier to model a simple shape like a fan grille from scratch that trying to clean up a scan - as said above, some cheap digital callipers and bobs your uncle.
It will be WAY easier to model a simple shape like a fan grille from scratch that trying to clean up a scan - as said above, some cheap digital callipers and bobs your uncle.I learned Fusion 360 with this guy's help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5bc9c3S12g
Play along as you watch, don't try to watch a huge chunk and then go and sit at the computer and try to remember what to do. It's too much at first, and I kept having to go back to refer to the videos until it started to come together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5bc9c3S12g
Play along as you watch, don't try to watch a huge chunk and then go and sit at the computer and try to remember what to do. It's too much at first, and I kept having to go back to refer to the videos until it started to come together.
Those using Fusion 360.
How long did your free use of the software last?
I have it on my home laptop and apparently my trial has expired after approx 12 months.
As I only use it occasionally at home I'm loathed to pay for it as I use Inventor everyday at work and can model stuff up at work and export the stl files to bring home, sluce and print on my Prusa, but I would still like to be able to model at home when I need to.
Any other free alternatives to 360 out there? I've tried sketchpad and swore at it after less than 5 minutes and I've just tried Freecad I think it was called? And that was similarly terrible.
How long did your free use of the software last?
I have it on my home laptop and apparently my trial has expired after approx 12 months.
As I only use it occasionally at home I'm loathed to pay for it as I use Inventor everyday at work and can model stuff up at work and export the stl files to bring home, sluce and print on my Prusa, but I would still like to be able to model at home when I need to.
Any other free alternatives to 360 out there? I've tried sketchpad and swore at it after less than 5 minutes and I've just tried Freecad I think it was called? And that was similarly terrible.
I actually started this yesterday.
There is a cut-down free version of 360 with a 3-year license.
https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/fusion-360/per...
There is a cut-down free version of 360 with a 3-year license.
https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/fusion-360/per...
airsafari87 said:
Those using Fusion 360.
How long did your free use of the software last?
I have it on my home laptop and apparently my trial has expired after approx 12 months.
As I only use it occasionally at home I'm loathed to pay for it as I use Inventor everyday at work and can model stuff up at work and export the stl files to bring home, sluce and print on my Prusa, but I would still like to be able to model at home when I need to.
Any other free alternatives to 360 out there? I've tried sketchpad and swore at it after less than 5 minutes and I've just tried Freecad I think it was called? And that was similarly terrible.
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/fusion-360/learn-explore/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-renew-your-hobbyist-enthusiast-license-for-Fusion-360.htmlHow long did your free use of the software last?
I have it on my home laptop and apparently my trial has expired after approx 12 months.
As I only use it occasionally at home I'm loathed to pay for it as I use Inventor everyday at work and can model stuff up at work and export the stl files to bring home, sluce and print on my Prusa, but I would still like to be able to model at home when I need to.
Any other free alternatives to 360 out there? I've tried sketchpad and swore at it after less than 5 minutes and I've just tried Freecad I think it was called? And that was similarly terrible.
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