pjmac Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I am currently looking into free or very low cost 3d modeling software (mostly for assemblies). Does anyone have experience with this. I have heard good things on Blender. Also does google sketch up do assemblies or is that part based? Thanks, Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Sounds like you need something like SolidWorks or Inventor. Blender is a cool program but it is a subdivision program like 3DMax and Maya. Not really the same as a part modeler with assemblies. SketchUp does not have these either but it does have a very robust component system. Now neither of these are parametric like SW or Inv. There are a few free programs like this out there. One I recently looked at was FreeCAD which might be worth a look. Would Inventor Fusion (comes with AutoCAD 2012) work for you? Perhaps a few other with more experience, like JD can chime in and give some other ideas. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmac Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Free Cad look a lot like inventor and solid works. Inventor Fusion would work but I am not a student and don't have the funds to purchase out right. This is simply to practice/play at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Do you use AutoCAD 2012? InvFusion comes with 2012. Will your employer let you install it to learn on? You can download and use Inventor Fusion from AutoDesk and use it until April 1st, 2013. - http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/fusion/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmac Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 I use AutoCad and Inventor 2012 at work but I have no VPN to practice/play at home and am not able to do this at work. Looks like my only option is freecad. thanks f700es Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Are you also looking for a free CAD program as well? Re: Free modeling software. There is K-3D if you are interested. K-3D is free-as-in-freedom 3D modeling and animation software. It combines flexible plugins with a visualization pipeline architecture, making K-3D a versatile and powerful tool for artists. http://www.k-3d.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I use AutoCad and Inventor 2012 at work but I have no VPN to practice/play at home and am not able to do this at work. Looks like my only option is freecad. thanks f700es I listed a link for Inventor Fusion free for a year. Please try that FreeCAD and let us know how it works. Would be good to hear some feedback about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I tried that K-3D Remark, it is showing it's age. I would have to push someone to Blender over that one Hasn't been updated since 2010 should be a red flag. Are you also looking for a free CAD program as well? Re: Free modeling software. There is K-3D if you are interested. K-3D is free-as-in-freedom 3D modeling and animation software. It combines flexible plugins with a visualization pipeline architecture, making K-3D a versatile and powerful tool for artists. http://www.k-3d.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 f700es: Did you hear anything about Sketchup being sold off by Google to Trimble? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmac Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 f700es: Did you hear anything about Sketchup being sold off by Google to Trimble? I also heard that. Leads me to believe that google could have something else up there sleeves. And i will test out free cad and report back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f700es Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 f700es: Did you hear anything about Sketchup being sold off by Google to Trimble? Yeah Boofredly and I mentioned it in the SU section here. He is optimistic but I am not. Oh well I still have v7/8 to use and it's all I really need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Looks like my only option is freecad. thanks f700es What part of FREE Inventor Fusion did you miss? http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/fusion/ Anyone can download it - you don't have to be a student. I'm not sure, but I think Creo Direct Modeler is allso free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmac Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 What part of FREE Inventor Fusion did you miss?http://labs.autodesk.com/technologies/fusion/ Anyone can download it - you don't have to be a student. I'm not sure, but I think Creo Direct Modeler is allso free. It is only a year subscription. I dont want to spend a year becoming familiar with a program then have to do it all over again when the subscription is up. I will check out creo direct modeler. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Re: Trimble and SketchUp. See this article that appeared in the June 2012 issue of Desktop Engineering. ... Trimble Acquires Google SketchUp. ... Trimble has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SketchUp, Google's popular 3D modeling tool. ... www.deskeng.com/articles/aabfah.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 It is only a year subscription. I dont want to spend a year becoming familiar with a program then have to do it all over again when the subscription is up. I will check out creo direct modeler. Thank you. Well if history continues the next release will also be free (or if there is a cost - I would expect it to be very low). There is no guarantee that any "free" software you download this year will still be free a year from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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