6.5 More design and CAD software – design your objects
There are many design and computer-aided design (CAD) software packages available; for 3D printing, you will just need a package that can save object files in .stl file format (recommended for 3D printing purposes) or OBJ file format (also supported by the Polar Cloud).
The Polar Cloud itself provides access and links to some convenient design and CAD software you can access and use, as discussed earlier in the chapter; in particular:
- BlocksCAD (see Section 6.1) has been described as OpenSCAD combined with a Scratch (the programming language) type of visual interface, and is especially oriented towards students and educators. It is open-source. As it is browser-based, no software needs to be installed locally, making it a great solution for Chromebooks.
- Doodle3D Transform (see Section 6.4) allows one to draw in 2D, and then transform the 2D drawing to 3D. Along with its simple, minimal user interface, designing via 2D drawing makes it immediately accessible for design beginners, including young students, or adults (such as parents, or community members) unfamiliar with and perhaps intimidated by 3D design. And its scan-and-trace feature allows designers to upload and then “trace over” a photograph, allowing for quick design even for those with less practiced freehand drawing skills. It is browser-based, so no software needs to be installed locally. However, while designing in Doodle3D Transform can be explored a bit for free, Doodle3D Transform does require a license or subscription in order to make use of its export features (and hence be able to actually 3D print a Doodle3D Transform designed object).
- Makers Empire, besides providing curriculum (see Section 13.2), has a (non-CAD) 3D design app (see Section 6.2). This is an easy to use app, intended to be used by children as young as four years old. Its engaging, visually-rich, light-on-text, design interface offers advantages to English-language-learners, as well as younger students. As it is an app, rather than browser-based, you or your students would need to download and install the Makers Empire 3D design app on supported devices. However, especially if you will be using the Makers Empire curriculum, you may want to investigate the Makers Empire 3D design app as well.
- For young designers or beginners, we also recommend Tinkercad (see Section 6.3). It is a free, browser-based design program so no software needs to be installed locally. This makes it a great solution for Chromebooks.
Alternatively, if you prefer, you may use many other popular CAD packages of your choice to generate .stl files (or OBJ files).
Autodesk Fusion 360 is higher-level CAD software provided on a cloud platform, available free to students and hobbyists, and available for Mac or PC.
Autodesk 123D Design, Onshape, and Morphi are good apps for iPad users. They have free versions (123D) or free for education versions (OnShape), or free with limitations (Morphi) and you can pay to unlock all the features. Morphi offers discount pricing for schools based on the number of seats purchased.
Note that AutoDesk offers several professional design software packages that are free to students and teachers. Some have already been listed above, but to list a few more with comparisons:
- 1.
- Autodesk 123D Design is a good intermediate design tool.
- 2.
- Autodesk Fusion 360 is higher-level CAD software provided on a cloud platform.
- 3.
- Autodesk Maya is an animation package that can be used for 3D modeling.
- 4.
- Autodesk Inventor is a mechanical design and 3D CAD software package that offers professional-grade 3D mechanical design, documentation, and product simulation tools. This is good for advanced users who need exact tolerances in designs that they are creating.
Blender is an open-source design package that can also be used for 3D animation, so time spent learning this tool means students can do more than just create models for printing.
OpenSCAD is open-source software for creating 3D CAD objects, with a focus on programming and engineering.
Sculptris is focussed on art, and in particular, virtual sculpting.
SketchUp can be another solution for designing 3D parts, and it has a free version. SketchUp is intended for designing models that look good on the screen, but it wasn’t initially designed for 3D printing. So with it you’ll need to install an STL plug-in for it to export models; see for instance SketchUp STL. And its models aren’t always entirely 3D-print-ready; users recommend also installing a plug-in or two to “fix” model issues that are problems for 3D printing, (such as “holes” in the mesh surface of the model), and using that plug-in before exporting models; see for instance Solid Inspector. Make sure to install such SketchUp plug-ins!
