this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2023
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3DPrinting

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TLDR = what's a good next step after kid-friendly 3d creation tools?
Solved = Fusion360 is voted as winner, we even got a nice tutorial playlist.

Hi all - I'm still very much a new user. Highly skilled in IT but just getting my feet wet in 3D printing, since a month or so. I love the possibilities! I can physically create anything I can image, it's amazing.

So far, I've used mostly TinkerCad and done lots with it. The learning curve is practically non-existent, and it has sufficient features to do a lot.

But of course it's not perfect. Obvious example: can't do fillets, except in roundabout ways using negative blocks.

I've tried OnShape, OpenScad, Fusion 360, but found them quite a steep hill to climb.

Are these good choices, or is there something in-between that would make it easier for me to advance?

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[–] wccrawford 2 points 1 year ago

You've already accepted Fusion 360 as the answer, but I thought I'd provide my experience, too.

I picked up Fusion 360 pretty quickly because I'd dealt with 3d modelling programs in the past, such as Blender.

Openscad calls to me pretty strongly, but it's kind of a weird mindset and almost more like a puzzle game than a productivity product. Freecad just has too many problems still, especially when dealing with the timeline.

And so I still use Fusion 360 any time I need to bash out something for around the house. For basic usage, I find it really easy to use. I'm sure I'll get into more complex things later, but the ease with which Clough42 on youtube uses it to design nice things makes me think that it won't be that hard to get more into it.