best free 3d cad software for 3d printing

In this article, we’ll help you choose the CAD software that most suits your needs, is easy to use, and is free so that you can have a smooth experience learning how to work CAD softwares.įirst, you should know CAD stands for computer-aided design and is a computer technology that designs something and records the design’s process. Created by Autodesk, Fusion 360 is based in the cloud to easily share and work on projects simultaneously.If you’re looking to start or are new to designing and are wondering where to start from, here are the 10 best free CAD software for beginners. Here is a great PDF tutorial over how to create a keychain by the Center for Advanced Surface Engineering, one of our partners: Introduction to 3D Printing with Onshapeįusion 360 Cost: Free for Students and Educators Operating System: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac Tutorials Included: Yes, AUTODESK University Level of Difficulty: Medium to Hardį usion 360 is a fantastic software suite for computer aided manufacturing. It's also based in a web browser, and they also have a great app for tablets! is a more advanced modeling program, created by some of the same minds that made SOLIDWORKS. Onshape Cost: Free for Students and Educators Operating System: iOS, Android Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chromebook Web Browser Tutorials Included: Yes, embedded tutorials available Level of Difficulty: Medium SketchUp has tons of tutorials available on their website: They even have a web browser based platform, SketchUp for Schools, that works on Chromebooks with Google Classroom! is a great program to learn the basics of 3D design. SketchUp Cost: Free for Educators Operating System: Windows, Mac, Chromebooks Tutorials Included: Yes, embedded tutorials available Level of Difficulty: Easy to Medium Here's our video on how to create a keychain and export it for 3D printing: It's even based in a web browser, so it works on Chromebooks! It's made by AUTODESK, and the controls you learn scale great into Fusion 360.

is a fantastic site to begin learning how to 3D model.

Our favorite 3D design softwares are free for schools, easy to use, and have a lot of tutorials available on the web.Ĭlick here to download our PDF tutorial on how to export from these programs for 3D printing! Tinkercad Cost: Free Operating System: Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chromebook Web Browser Tutorials Included: Yes, embedded tutorials available Level of Difficulty: Easy 3D printing is the most fun when you make the models yourself!Īt NWA3D, we're constantly using CAD (computer aided design) software to 3D print.

Best free 3d cad software for 3d printing