The beginning users of 3D printers usually start their adventure with those devices from Thingiverse – the biggest database of free 3D models, where they download dozens of designs and try to 3D print them with greater or lesser success. Sooner or later, some of them reach the point when it turns out that the vast resources of libraries with free 3D printing projects are not enough for them and they would like to try to create something of their own.
This is where problems arrive, as professional 3D design software costs at best as much as a 3D printer itself, and often significantly outweighs its price. Fortunately, there are free alternatives – programs that may not be as rich in options and functionalities as commercial products, but allow the user to face himself primarily and let him check if his ideas about designing things by himself are reflected in reality?
Computer-aided design is extremely useful in the engineering industry, among others. Programs in this category allow you to extrude models from two-dimensional shapes. The fact of using technical drawings means that the obtained objects are characterized by high accuracy.
Programs designed with 3D modeling in mind allow for greater abstraction and creative freedom. They are perfect for preparing figurines or geometrically complex models.
To decide which software to use to materialise your ideas, first of all, determine which category it belongs to? You have to take into account whether it will be a technical work (in this case, CAD programs will work great) or rather an artistic form that requires 3D modeling.
The next step in narrowing down the selection field is the level of user advancement. In a situation where we have never had contact with creating models for additive technology, we should consider installing basic programs dedicated to these purposes. However, having some experience in this sector, it is worth taking an interest in more complex applications that offer a wider range of possibilities.
The diagram below presents a collection of 17 free programs for designing 3D models. The software is quite diverse in terms of purpose, specificity and ease of use. Some are very well known (Blender, DesignSpark, SketchUp, Tinkercad) – others are less, however they all have the same advantage – you don’t have to pay for them. And although they have some limitations because of this, it is so good that everyone can check whether they are suitable for designing things on their own – and above all, does it even amuse them? And only after completing a dozen (several dozen?) Projects will he make a possible decision whether in his or her case it is worth thinking about spending a few or a dozen thousand on a professional, commercial tool?
In both categories, the alphabetical list of programs has been extended with a short description along with information about the required level of advancement of use and the operating system.
| SOFTWARE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Level: advanced Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: an open source solid modeling system that includes interactive geometry editing and ray tracing for graphics rendering. | |
| Level: medium Operating system: Windows Description: software with an intuitive interface that allows you to easily create geometry, create detailed dimension sheets and introduce changes to CAD designs. | |
| Level: medium Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: software with an extensive set of functions for parametric design, with the ability to export a file to the STL format. | |
| Level: advanced Operating system: Windows Description: the twin-like interface to AutoCAD makes nanoCAD the ideal free alternative to parametric modeling. | |
| Level: advanced Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: tool for creating solid models, dedicated mainly to professionals working as a team on open source projects. | |
| Level: advanced Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: typically technical program for preparing parametric models. It requires quite advanced engineering knowledge to be used. It will not work in creating art projects. | |
| Level: beginner Operating system: online Description: a browser-based program with rather limited functionality, but allowing the creation of simple objects. |
| SOFTWARE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Level: beginner Operating system: Windows Description: free and fully functional system developed by Amabilis Software, suitable for creating detailed 3D objects. | |
| Level: medium Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: a powerful tool compared to commercial 3D modeling and rendering programs. Art of Illusion is primarily used to create graphics for visual purposes. It does not necessarily work as a tool for preparing models for 3D printing. | |
| Level: advanced Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: one of the most popular free software for 3D design in the world. It has enormous possibilities. It is quite complicated, which requires a lot of time to implement and learn about all available options. | |
| Level: medium Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: software for modeling and creating three-dimensional animations. It can be used when working on 3D printing models, but it is not intended for it. | |
| Level: beginner Operating system: online Description: basic 3D carving tools, ready to be used in the kitchen. It allows to build the levels of the model gradually. | |
| Level: medium Operating system: Windows, OS X Description: ZBrush developers software, designed for modeling objects in 3D. A relatively small number of functions allows for quick system learning. | |
| Level: medium Operating system: online Description: one of the most popular object-oriented design software developed by Google for many years. Since 2012, the program is owned by Trimble and is commercial in nature. The free version has a neat interface to facilitate quick work. | |
| Level: beginner Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: a 3D modeling tool with a range of features ideal for first-time users who want a solid foundation in 3D modeling without being overwhelmed by a myriad of options. |
| SOFTWARE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Level: beginner Operating system: Windows Description: a useful tool to simplify the process of loading, processing and printing 3D models. It allows you to adjust objects for 3D printing and to make changes to the project. | |
| Level: medium Operating system: Windows, OS X, Linux Description: software for editing and repairing existing STL files. Models are optimized for 3D printing. MeshLab has such functionalities as cleaning and filtering STL files and rendering large three-dimensional objects. |