TL;DR version:
Given a tiny bit of prior experience, could I expect to learn enough CAD in my spare time to be able to make usable simple designs for rapid prototyping/3D printing? How should I start?
Background:
I’m a college student working in the environmental sector (specifically, appropriate technology) and from time to time I get fed up with the limited product options in the consumer marketplace – there’s a lot more greenwashing than actual ecologically-minded design – and I’ve had many “if only” moments where I’m tempted to design and prototype some simple things to be distributed under an open-source model. I understand there are many people doing this, and I want to contribute to that effort in my own way, for example by making adapters and interconnectors between common COTS devices/parts and readily-available construction materials such as lumber, old bike and backpack frames, scrap metal, etc. Essentially, duct tape, rope and screws can only do so much and I want to be able to build longer-lasting things with higher-quality, precision-prototyped parts when necessary.
One example is a kit to make low-cost bamboo bicycle trailers with universal mounts (you harvest/buy the bamboo, print the connectors, and bam, you have a grocery shopping solution that could last 5+ years).
My experience:
All I know about 3D modeling I learned from gaming and I’ve had no formal training. I played with Rhino 3D as a kid, but AutoCAD was terrifyingly complex and I ran away in horror as soon as I started it up. I use Google SketchUp from time to time to model simple buildings, but I’m limited to primitives and extruded polygons. I wouldn’t know how to draft something as seemingly simple as, say, a binder clip.
Finally, the question:
Given my objectives and my very limited prior experience, could I realistically learn what I need to on my own or is this something best saved for the professionals?
I have taught myself enough CAD/CAM to design things such as birdhouses, boxes, shelving units, weaving loom parts, and various other objects in my spare time. I have access to a CNC machine so I’ve been able to actually cut parts for and assemble some of these designs.
I very much prefer Rhino over SketchUp for this sort of work (I have both SketchUp 7 and Rhino 4 on my computer). Can’t stand AutoCad, but that’s solely my opinion and there’s plenty who think otherwise. You certainly can do this with SketchUp, even the shareware version, but you’ll need some sort of “translation” software so SketchUp can talk to the CNC machine. The CNC machine I have access to is a Phlatprinter from Phlatboyz. There are issues with cutting heavier materials like wood and plastic with it, as it was designed primarily for cutting foam, but the forum is full of people who range from hobbyists to folks doing this for money. Phlatboyz are working on a 3D printer. Note that I mention Phlatboyz only because I have direct experience with them, not because they are the only source of machines, information, support, and idea exchange. There are other people out there doing this sort of thing.
Yes, you can learn this on your own - but it will require considerable work and self-discipline on your part to do so. You’ll also need to actually produce designs from time to time to make sure you’re doing it right, but the good news is that there are probably folks out there willing to download and try out an open source design (I have the parts to a witch-on-a-broomstick RC aircraft… unfortunately, there were design errors so it never flew, but that’s part of the learning curve).
Being able to draw the old-fashioned way, or experience in actually build things, seems to help with learning CAD/CAM but it still takes time to learn the new tools.
Hmm, that’s reassuring. Discipline is something I don’t have in droves, but I do learn pretty quickly, so maybe the two will help offset one another to some degree.
So people still use Rhino? I loved it back in the day – it was actually intuitively usable, unlike AutoCAD – but I didn’t realize it actually had popularity. Do translators/format converters exist for it for CNC/3D printers?
I’ve learned half a dozen 3D modelling packages, and taught and supported them and find AutoCad utterly opaque. It’s not a 3D package - it’s a 2.5D package - 2D with a 3rd dimension tacked on, poorly.
It’s possible to teach yourself by going through tutorials and books but the learning curve can be steep.
I taught myself the very basics of AutoCAD (2D) as a prototype machinist when we were without a engineer. Then I took a night class and made a lot more progress. The class included a great book and student versions of many of the various AutoCAD programs that was good for a year. Very good bang for the buck. You may want to look at what classes are available in your area. I now have a seat of AutoCADLT at home that I use to design stuff for the hobby shop. I find AutoCAD to be a good fit for the way I think. I have tried some of the free trial software but didn’t care for them.
Autodesk has free 3D software specifically for 3D printing.
We have SolidEdge at work and it looks almost too easy to use. I may be turning into a crotchty machinist but some of the recent technology is making it too easy, IMHO. Guys are making parts without being able to read G-code much else write it. You need to walk before you run.
The “translation” software is CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software. It will take a 3D CAD model and turn it into a program for whatever machine you are using. So far, I haven’t used it but most machine shops do.
You might also favor AutoCad because it’s what you know and what you’re most familiar with. Which is totally OK. Different strokes for different folks.
Reply, you made a comment indicating you weren’t sure Rhino was “popular”. Some of the companies that use Rhino for professional reasons include familiar names like Airbus, Boeing, Ford, John Deere, Lockheed Martin, Mercedes, Siemens, Toyota, and Walt Disney. In fact, the car I’ve driven nearly every day for the past 10 years (a Toyota) was designed on Rhino. It’s quite a robust program.
I’ll also note that I’ve learned a bit of G-code as well - for some of the SketchUp files I’ve used for CAM I had to go in and make edits in the G-code because the SketchUp shareware is far from perfect. Haven’t had to do that with Rhino. If you go with a more sophisticated CAD software you’re less likely to be forced learn G-code… although learning some G-code wouldn’t be a bad thing.
I’m going to see what I can do with 123D and then maybe transition over to another suite. I vastly prefer Rhino’s interface myself, but AutoDesk’s software is all free for students, which certainly beats Rhino’s $195 price tag. Is another AutoDesk program (Maya, 3DS) better suited than AutoCAD?
AutoCad’s chief marketing advantage is inertia - people use it because people use it, not because it is the best tool available. I haven’t played with it in a while, but when I last looked, it was a 2D package with 3D features tacked on. Solidworks, Rhino and others are 3D packages from the start. I moved away from the field and can’t say which geometric system each uses, but if you are looking to produce things for rapid prototyping, you really need to look at something that does solid modeling - B-Rep, Boolean modeling, NURBS, or other systems that produce models that are manufacturable.
Back when I was doing this stuff, 99% of our time was spent trying to re-build stuff designed in AutoCad into real 3D models. There is a big difference between an extruded rectangle and something that can be made on an injection molding machine. Solidworks knows the difference and AutoCad does not. You can do excellent work on AutoCad, but it is a hell of a lot more work to do so.
The reason they offer a free Student version? They HAVE to.
What about their Inventor program or the free, dumbed-down 123D version of it? It seems like a SketchUp-type modeling program, relatively easy to use. I don’t know how it records handles the objects and curves, but it seems capable of exporting to 3D printing formats.
Totally different structure, and a true 3D model unlike AutoCad. The only thing that would give me pause is that whenever a company has a “flagship” product, they tend to hobble the rest of their products to avoid undermining sales of the flagship.
For instance, Photoshop has very limited spline editing tools because they want you to purchase Illustrator if you want to edit splines.
I want to clarify that my comments on G-code wasn’t a dig at hobbyists. I think the spread of these technologies is a great thing. It allows people to develop an idea easily. IMHO, there is a good chance the next big thing or company could grow out of this. If not, a lot more people will at least reconnect with the very human need & desire to design AND make things.
It was more of a rant about the professionals who instead of using technology as a tool to make the most of skill and knowledge, use it to do their thinking for them. It’s a problem in the trade in general and at my day job in particular.
Very true. I’m only doing 2d stuff and I use it more like pencil drafting and as way to think through the details of a design.
If I ever need 3D I wouldn’t go with Inventor from everything I’ve heard &seen.
If you are a student, you should inquire with your university’s IT department to see if they have student editions of respectable CAD software, or ask a professor to inquire and obtain the licenses, most likely for a very nominal fee that the uni will cover.
Honestly don’t waste your time learning some package that is not used in industry, learn something that is worthwhile to put on your resume: Catia, NX, Hyperworks, Solidworks, Solidedge, ProE.
Forget the rest, listing Autocad or Rhino on your resume is kinda like putting “Firefox” or something.
The thing is, I’m learning this out of an ideological slant and not for profit. I don’t want to work in this industry; as per my background in the OP, I’d like to help enable regular people at home to design and make their own useful devices. To the extent that giant companies are centralizing technology to the point where it’s only available to the elite, I don’t really want to support that more than I have to.
Part of “appropriate technology” is cultural suitability, and in this context I’d like to be able to share both designs and methods that the general public (or at least a large subset of it) can adopt. It’s no use telling someone “You can do this too! You just have to pay $500 for the license for the first year, $300 for the renderer… etc.” That kind of barrier to entry is bad for adoptability.
Preferably all these tools would be free and/or open-source, but I’m not that much of a zealot and “free for millions of students” is good enough for me, for now. No doubt as the movement grows, more disruptive software and methods will follow.
I guess the counter-argument to that would be that these “free for students” deals are really just a way to get in your foot in the door, kinda a “first one’s always free” situation where they’re trying to get you hooked on a proprietary solution that you’ll eventually have to pay out the wazoo for.
Ah, I see. I understand your intentions. You are right about the “first one’s free” deal.
However, I disagree with your claim that technology is getting concentrated in the most powerful companies, quite the contrary, it has never been so available. And, once you leave school, you’ll realize that $500 is really not that much money.
If you want open source CAD and engineering, the defacto standard is www.caelinux.com
Thanks for that link. Seems overkill for the task at hand, but good to know that it exists
And about technology, I didn’t mean in general, I just meant old-guard creativity suites from Adobe/AutoDesk/etc. that demand hundreds of dollars even from home users. It’s a good thing that it’s quickly becoming more accessible, and apparently even AutoDesk is realizing that they need to be more affordable or risk being left out of the movement altogether.
$500 is a lot of money, and though I might be able to afford it once a year or so, most people I know can’t. I live in a relatively poor area and there are plenty of poorer people still, both in the US and abroad. Besides if I had any excess money to use on projects like this, I’d rather spend them on hardware printers and materials.
