Got a 3D printer on the way, got a design question

[5bites]

Originally Posted by k7zpj

Fusion 360 has a learning curve and requires you to get into a different mindset on how visualize 3D bodies. Once you really get how it works it is very powerful.

I ended up taking a classe from desktopmakes.com which really improved my mastery of Fusion 360.

If money wasn't an object I would use Solid Works but that is way out of my budget.

We homeschool so I thought about making my kids take classes on fusion lol. I think there are some instuctable classes on it. If anything they can teach me haha.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by 5bites

Glad to hear I’m not the only one.

I reeeeeally want to try solidworks but it’s not exactly cheap either. I have heard there are discounts available though.

SolidWorks isn't cheap. And I don't think they offer home licenses. I use my work license as part of their take home program.

Originally Posted by 5bites

We homeschool so I thought about making my kids take classes on fusion lol. I think there are some instuctable classes on it. If anything they can teach me haha.

YouTube has tons of tutorial videos and some of them are official tutorials from AutoCAD.

Learn Fusion 360 in 60 Minutes

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiM...bW5mbx0iDcRQ2g

[5bites]

Awesome thank you sir.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

SolidWorks isn't cheap. And I don't think they offer home licenses. I use my work license as part of their take home program.


YouTube has tons of tutorial videos and some of them are official tutorials from AutoCAD.

Learn Fusion 360 in 60 Minutes

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiM...bW5mbx0iDcRQ2g

SolidWorks had student discounted licenses but you had to basically scan and email school records to prove you were a student.

Autocad didnt verify anything ......

[EddieO]

Solidworks doesn't require much anymore for the student versions....you can get them direct off amazon now for $100 or so....but they expire in 2 years and they do have limitations....along with using it for commercial purposes is a big no no and they do go after people for it....and they do catch people.

Get fusion and be done with it...its free, no drama....and you can pull yer models up on any computer its installed on....and it does cam if you need it.

Later EddieO

[BigSki]

Originally Posted by Robbob

SolidWorks had student discounted licenses but you had to basically scan and email school records to prove you were a student.

Autocad didnt verify anything ......

When I was going back to school recently for CAD, this is what I found to be true. Autodesk would give you any of their products including Inventor, which is a decent 3D design software. I personally found SolidWorks to be the easiest for me to grasp and run with it. I had a 2 year student license which recently expired. My last employer gave me a license code so I have a home copy to use, even though I'm no longer with them.

I've tried a few times to use Fusion 360, I can't get a feel for it. I hate having to key in commands to make basic functions work, even though making keyboard shortcuts in SW isn't much different fundamentally.

If you're a veteran, Systems Desault will give you a full blown version of SW for a very minimal dollar amount. You have to deal with them directly, not a software re-seller.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by EddieO

Solidworks doesn't require much anymore for the student versions....you can get them direct off amazon now for $100 or so....but they expire in 2 years and they do have limitations....along with using it for commercial purposes is a big no no and they do go after people for it....and they do catch people.

Get fusion and be done with it...its free, no drama....and you can pull yer models up on any computer its installed on....and it does cam if you need it.

Later EddieO

Originally Posted by BigSki

When I was going back to school recently for CAD, this is what I found to be true. Autodesk would give you any of their products including Inventor, which is a decent 3D design software. I personally found SolidWorks to be the easiest for me to grasp and run with it. I had a 2 year student license which recently expired. My last employer gave me a license code so I have a home copy to use, even though I'm no longer with them.

I've tried a few times to use Fusion 360, I can't get a feel for it. I hate having to key in commands to make basic functions work, even though making keyboard shortcuts in SW isn't much different fundamentally.

If you're a veteran, Systems Desault will give you a full blown version of SW for a very minimal dollar amount. You have to deal with them directly, not a software re-seller.

I really only wanted SW because it seemed like what everyone uses and the talk is how easy it is.

Fusion is the same thing for me, it feels weird and I cant wrap my brain on it yet.

Autocad is just user friendly for me. I learn by doing so to watch videos and try to learn that way is harder then trying to figure out machine settings for cutting anything besides carbon fiber lol. Math is easy in my head but google is great when Im trying to figure out settings to cut metals.

[Jim85IROC]

I'm definitely having a hard time getting over the Fusion learning curve. I was able to bang out a somewhat simple shape (LED light bar mount), but then when I had to go back and move a couple holes, it was quite apparent that my sledgehammer approach wasn't going to cut it, so I had to more or less start over, and over, and over, and... until I finally had it done in a way that allowed me to move things after the fact. Then I had to get cocky and put an arched screw slot into it to let the light bar pivot. I ended up spending almost all day modifying a simple design until I got it how I wanted it.

It gets easier with every screw up though!

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by EddieO

Solidworks doesn't require much anymore for the student versions....you can get them direct off amazon now for $100 or so....but they expire in 2 years and they do have limitations....along with using it for commercial purposes is a big no no and they do go after people for it....and they do catch people.

Get fusion and be done with it...its free, no drama....and you can pull yer models up on any computer its installed on....and it does cam if you need it.

Later EddieO

The stores-everything-in-the-cloud "feature" of Fusion scares me. I'm afraid they might take the SolidWorks model and one day start forcing everybody to pay. If that's the case all of your modeling work is lost unless you export it to your computer after saving to the cloud. I urge everybody to do that.

[BigSki]

Originally Posted by Robbob

I really only wanted SW because it seemed like what everyone uses and the talk is how easy it is.

Fusion is the same thing for me, it feels weird and I cant wrap my brain on it yet.

Autocad is just user friendly for me. I learn by doing so to watch videos and try to learn that way is harder then trying to figure out machine settings for cutting anything besides carbon fiber lol. Math is easy in my head but google is great when Im trying to figure out settings to cut metals.

When I was in school, Autocad 2012 was the first program that I was introduced to. I personally found it cumbersome to have to pick, plot and move every group of lines that I wanted to move, and having to type in commands and plot points to the locations of the moves. Once I got to SW the next semester, I never looked back. Parametric modeling was the way that made sense to me since I came from a machinist background. Datum points and dimensions were my world.

There's no right or wrong design software per say, if you're competent/comfortable in a certain one then it's probably the right one for you.

[JM-RC]

With Fusion 360 you can set it to back up to your own drop box and one drive account, I recommend Fusion 360 because it is free for hobbiest /small businesses until you make $100,000 with it then you are supposed to pay for it .

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by JM-RC

With Fusion 360 you can set it to back up to your own drop box and one drive account...

I didn't know that. Good info!

[JM-RC]

some information worth passing on:
use Fusion for the following reasons :

1. it's free to use until it becomes affordable for you to afford
2. It allows for cloud storage both on Autodesk servers or your own private service
3. It allows cloud conversion of popular file formats from other programs such as Solidworks , to formats Fusion can use.
4. it is a very small learning curve(compared to Solidworks ) to learn most features plus has a very large help community

.

The place I'd invest money is into brand of material and the slicing program

Simplify3d is absolutely unmatched in the Quality . I have used Cura and MatterControl. Both are subpar and super buggy but yes they are free. Simplify is around $100 for a lifetime livense but the cost definitly shows you get what you pay for .

[vwdaveb]

Just saw this cloud based one that seems pretty good www.vectary.com

[gonper]

I use Onshape for the hobby and work, and I think that at the moment it is the most advanced 3D CAD you can find. It is very easy to use, fully capable to any mechanical engineering design task, and more with the available third party apps. Works on any computer as it is web/cloud based.
It has been created by the exCEO and exCTO and part of the team of Solidworks so they know what a 3DCAD software needs.
Been using it for the last 3 years.

And the best, is that is free for hobbyist, there is no software capabilities reduced on the free version, only limited cloud space.
Here is the link: www.Onshape.com

[stormridersp]

Originally Posted by BigSki

When I'm using solidworks for designing RC parts, I use fillets for appearance and also if it's a part that I'll use to make a 2 piece mold for making resin copies, the fillets allow for easier removal of the part from the molds.

What kind resin would you recommend in order to make some quality, resilient and durable suspension arms?

[QuesoDelDiablo]

As a mechanical engineering tech, I'm also a daily "professional" user of Solidworks for solid modeling. I also use MasterCAM for all of our programming needs.

Similar to many here I tried Fusion360 and hated it. I'm so adjusted to SW that I actually found it unusable and gave up on it pretty quickly.

I'm using Onshape and I really like it. The UI is so similar to SW that the transition between them is essentially seamless. I don't love that anything I create with it becomes public domain, but that's the price I pay in order to use the service for free.

The only thing I don't like is the lack of a small business/artisan license option. I would like to upgrade to a service level that allows me to privatize/protect my files but I can't justify the $1500USD/year cost right now.

[smitty2919]

Look into OnShape. It's free and is similar to Solidworks.

I've been using SW for the past 10 years as well and for home use to import/export STL files and even create decent manufacturing prints it works. My daily job is a Design Engineer for tooling/gauges in a production facility.

As far as 3D printing and design engineering...yes fillet everything. Not only does it create a more finished look but it's also functional. Pay attention to wall thickness as well. I run a $100,000 machine here at work (Stratasys Eden 260V) which prints using a "jetted" process. This gives very good printing resolution and surface finish.

Things to consider:
Printer process: jetted, SLA, FDM (FDM is for compression loads only IMO, but not shear loads. Jetted can handle both)
Printing material
Intended part use: How will the part see loads? Compression/Tensile/Shear?
Design: marry the printer process with material and intended use

I can tell you that for my material that I use (Vero material family) it can be on the brittle side in terms of impact and or thin wall features. A 3D printed thin wall battery box in Vero material will be no match for a ABS molded battery box. Any loads perpendicular to a thin wall with a open end will not want to flex and just break.

Printing these days has the ability to combine hard plastics with "rubber like" material to create varying durometers of your choosing.

This may be much more in depth than you wanted, but things to think about. If this is a crawler/trail driver a printed box should be fine. I would hesitate printing a box for a basher though.

[gonper]

About fillets, with a 0.4 - 0.5mm nozzle the smallest radio for the fillets will be 1mm, less than that is almost not apreciable, although I use sometimes don to 0.5mm radio fillets.

About material, it depends what is the part final use. If it is decoration or non functional prototype or a part that needs to be hard but not exposed to heat at all then use PLA
For mechanical parts you can use PETG, Nylon, or even PC.
PETG is the easiest to use and will get more mechanical accuracy than the others. Nylon or PC produce very strong parts but they are difficult to handle materials on a desktop 3D printer.
ABS in may opinion is quite useless if compared to PETG on a desktop printer.

[k7zpj]

Originally Posted by gonper

ABS in may opinion is quite useless if compared to PETG on a desktop printer.

ABS like the other filaments have both Pros and Cons, but is the second most used filament for for desktop 3D printing with PLA being first.

It has to be printed with a controlled environment to prevent warping and ventilation to reduce brain damage. You also have to calibrate your printer's steps/mm or scale your print to compensate for the contraction that occurs when it cools. ( You should check calibration of steps/mm anything you want dimensional accurate parts since every filament type has a different coefficient of expansion).

With ABS you can make really strong glue joints using acetone and ABS does a better job of holding heat set threaded inserts. ABS isn't as hygroscopic so you have less issues with moisture/having to dry your filament. Currently ABS and PLA are less expensive- hopefully this will change as more people are using PETG.

So ABS is just another tool in toolbox of 3D printing.
I just finished up printing parts for a new 3D printer build and they came out really nice.