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Do I need to learn a 3D modeling software?
(lemy.lol)
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this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2024
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In my view CAD is always worth learning, especially if you understand what prints best on your printer.
FreeCAD is basically the worse possible beginners tools. Don't get me wrong when you learn it, it's good and comparable to professional CAD software. But the learning curve is dumb.
Learn the basics first. TinkerCAD is free (from Autodesk) and will get you started. But if you want something which would take you further Fusion360 is fantastic for beginners.
The workflow of CAD is as follows. Sketch -> Action -> Sketch -> Action. Lets say you want to make a box with a hole in it. Sketch the outer box -> Extrude it -> Sketch the inner box -> Extrude/Cut it.
I have trouble remembering what key pans and what key rotates view and the thought of actually figuring out how to manipulate the 3D file in FreeCAD felt like it was gonna melt my brain.
But thank you for the recommendation. TinkerCAD made me feel like I was playing with children's blocks but at least I understand them.
I also think I'm gonna try get started on learning something else after I brute force this stupid single print. And I think it will just be trying some of them out.
Yeah Fusion is the way to go, especially if you are learning. Lots of hate for it around here, due to Autodesk endlessly changing their policies. But there's no point in learning the basics when you don't know if it's you... or the software.
But if your issue is just navigating the 3D space in FreeCAD, you can set it such that it's the same in TinkerCAD/Fusion 360. FreeCAD calls it Revit, and you can set it in the lower right corner. Hold you mouse over it to show tool tips.