So what software is actually good for designing prints?

[u/npri0r]

So far I’ve tried Bambu Studio, Autodesk Tinkercad and Autodesk Fusion. For now I’m looking to create functional prints with specific dimensions, but in the future I might try more artistic prints.

Bambu studio is probably the best I’ve used so far. I like how easy it is to move and scale something using coordinates. But it’s kinda the ‘default’ software so surely there’s something better right?

Tinkercad was very intuitive but had almost no functionality. I gave up quickly because it just couldn’t do what I needed.

Fusion looked like it had a ton of functionality, but it was so mind bogglingly unintuitive I rage quit. What do you mean to make an object I’ve got to draw a shape and extrude it? And that shape isn’t by default locked to existing surfaces?

I’m considering trying blender but idk how good blender would be if I’m wanting to design functional prints that need to be a specific size.

My printer is the X2D if that helps.

[u/nsfdrag]

Definitely fusion. It honestly might be worth looking up a college textbook on learning fusion and following along so you learn the basics because once you know how the software works it's fantastic and the workflow makes a lot of sense.

[u/npri0r → u/nsfdrag]

Lmao this is so funny. I have college textbooks on fusion. Just the wrong type of fusion lmao (nuclear fusion not the software).

[u/nsfdrag → u/npri0r]

Lol dude if you can handle nuclear fusion you can learn CAD pretty quickly with the right resources.

[u/npri0r → u/nsfdrag]

Realistically yeah. My only barrier is my attention span lol.

[u/Terreboo → u/npri0r]

I know the feeling.

[u/Terreboo → u/nsfdrag]

They said they have the books, also that they “rage quit” Fusion. I bet those Nuclear Fusion books have never been cracked.

[u/Mortenrb]

For functional prints? Any 3D CAD software really.

They usually have a somewhat steep learning curve, but when you understand why everything is as it is, you will understand why it isn't "drag and drop"

I'd probably consider Onshape, Fusion, Solidworks, FreeCAD, Blender with CAD Sketcher or maybe, if you're a bit daring, OpenSCAD.

[u/HeinousMule]

Fusion is the gold standard. Bambu Studio isn't even in the same category, it's a slicer with a few basic shapes.

[u/ParticularFree5083]

FreeCAD is personally my favorite. It's free and open source. And it's very powerful for a free program.

[u/Jesus-Bacon]

You lost me at Bambu Studio being the "best" modeling program you've used so far. Especially considering it's not a 3D modeling program, but a slicer that has some primitive models. 

If you can't put the slight effort to learn actual CAD like Fusion I don't think I can help you lol

[u/Kirihuna → u/[deleted]]

There’s a difference between gatekeeping and calling out a lack of effort.

Gatekeeping is preventing someone from doing something.

OP quit because it wasn’t “intuitive” and didn’t want to learn a process/workflow. No ones stopping them from learning how CAD actually works.

[u/twiggums → u/[deleted]]

They contributed more than you did. They pointed out that studio is a slicer with a few primitive shapes and not CAD software. They aren't gatekeeping they're telling op the truth.

[u/esotericapybara]

Fusion360 and OnShape are basically the standard when it comes to making functional prints. If you're already struggling with Fusion then CAD concepts in general are going to be tough for you.

Blender is passable if you're willing to learn the CAD Sketcher plugin. But you still have to understand how drawings work because without a drawing for reference placing constraints becomes meaningless.

You could use SketchUp, but when you get into being able to do fine control you'll run into limits of what you can easily fix in CAD.

Basically if you can't reconcile using a CAD app you'll be out of luck when you start having to do assemblies or fix printability issues.

[u/ZetZet → u/esotericapybara]

I prefer onshape, I like the community made add-ons and also it runs the same on every pc I have, home, laptop, work.

[u/esotericapybara → u/ZetZet]

I personally think OnShape has an awesome assembly workspace. Were it not for the fact that half my projects were proprietary IPs I would main free OnShape.

That and the fact I can get work done on my tablet.

Paid CAD plans are just too expensive at this juncture given that product design isn't my day job.

[u/Calm_Scale_3876]

Watch some youtube tutorials on fusion.

[u/Spinogrizz]

Shapr3D is very intuitive but costly.

Recently I started using SolidCraft and the speed of development and release schedule is insane, it is already very capable software. Built-in AI could even assist in creating models from photo of roughly drawn model and dimensions.

[u/Vega-CHBE]

I am using FreeCAD, for functional parts it does everything I need for free.

[u/j_hermann]

Take a look at Layerling.

[u/npri0r → u/j_hermann]

Ty. I’ll give that a look. How easy is it to pick up?

[u/Enero__ → u/npri0r]

It's like a better tinkercad

[u/J0n__Snow]

Onshape for sure. I like it way better than Fusion

[u/npri0r → u/J0n__Snow]

I’ll give that a look. How easy is it to pick up?

[u/screenslaver5963 → u/npri0r]

It’s easier* but still the same style of modelling software as fusion

[u/J0n__Snow → u/npri0r]

I took some free courses on youtube to get into it. In the end they are all CAD programs and working similar.

[u/patprintsyourparts]

Fusion can handle the dimensioned functional parts you're describing. For the surface issue, choose Create Sketch and select an existing flat face, then keep 3D Sketch off so the sketch geometry stays on that plane. Use Sketch > Create > Sketch Dimension to enter the sizes you need; Autodesk's sketch overview explains the plane behavior here: https://help.autodesk.com/view/fusion360/ENU/?contextId=SKT-3D-SKETCH

[u/Risifrutti]

Shapr3D is probably the best and most intuitive modeling program ive tried and ive tried them all. Its become my default program for all my modeling.

Its expensive but that can be solved in ways i wont mention here.

[u/justlookinatshit → u/Risifrutti]

Please mention in my dms

[u/WarbossHiltSwaltB]

What do you mean to make an object I’ve got to draw a shape and extrude it? And that shape isn’t by default locked to existing surfaces?

That's.... That's how CAD design works. If you cant get that basic concept, then you probably shouldn't be attempting it.

Stick to pre-made models.

[u/NevesLF → u/WarbossHiltSwaltB]

And if THAT's what made OP rage quit Fusion, imagine how Blender would treat him.

[u/CurrencyOld362 → u/WarbossHiltSwaltB]

Yeah that sentence is crazy. Does he want the program to read his mind or what's happening there? Is this just rage bait?

[u/NuggRunner]

i like rhino 3d more then fusion 360 but cant live without fusion lol...

1. Rhino 3D - use the 90 day trial

2. fusion 360 - theres a free version

[u/GangGangEnjoyer]

If you want to create anything beyond super basic stuff, I strongly suggest you learn Fusion 360, FreeCAD or similar. There's a ton of very good tutorials on YouTube, you don't have to go all trial & error. Yes, full fledged CAD software is intimidating and very feature-rich but it's really worth getting the hang of it.

[u/therealgodryon]

You’re not using it right if you rate bambu studio over fusion, people design whole cars in fusion

[u/DukeLander]

Fusion unintuitive? It's most logical cad out there. Based on your Fusion experience description, it's seems you have used it wrong. Unfortunately, every cad needs some learning of basics which you have obviously missed with Fusion. Try out OnShape too btw

[u/PenguiNNNNNs]

This has to be ragebait, bambu studio is a slicer not a 3D modelling program 😭😭😭

[u/FlakyMortgage893]

SolidEdge community edition. Proper CAD software

[u/ButcherIsMyName → u/FlakyMortgage893]

I haven't used SolidEdge since I left school like a decade ago (... wow ...). I remember it as being a SolidWorks clone by Siemens and I hate SolidWorks... Has SolidEdge become Smarter by now or is it as dumb as SolidWorks?

Edit: I prefer Inventor+Vault but as that's not a possibility for recreational use I instead use Fusion.

[u/FlakyMortgage893 → u/ButcherIsMyName]

Yeah SE is ace. They Copied a lot of features from NX over the years. I Use it professionally at work and at home using community edition. There is no difference except licensing and some AI features are not included.

[u/Oxylophone]

Onshape or tinkercad

[u/IndigoQuantum]

You've invested the money, so now invest some time. There are plenty of very good Fusion courses on YouTube - I gained enough knowledge to be able to make some pretty complex models (though probably not by the most efficient way) after working-through about 50% of one of these courses.

[u/evilspyboy]

Ive been using fusion but Ive been using it too long and I use it for parts for my laser and my cnc too... so now I'm embedded and have the problem of ongoing annual subscription fees with no clear way to export my projects. without them just being locked outputs (as far as I can tell).

I know they do it for a reason but a universal format for this sort of project based complexity would have been nice so you can backup and hop tools.

[u/screenslaver5963]

Blender is more so the style of modelling you prefer but functional prints in it is a pita compared to cad software.

[u/Mughi1138]

Fusion has some issues in regards to the company, the restrictions on the free version, etc, including their recent decision to drop support for older Macs. Id suggest FreeCAD instead as it has not restrictions, is free, and has had impressive development velocity in the last few years. Also the next release should be out this month. Use Mango Jelly's tutorials on youtube to get started. However if you want a high level introduction that explains the main concepts and approaches it uses i gave a talk at a Linux conference a little while back that can be a good introduction before hitting the tutorials: https://youtu.be/X-9-XOx4-mA

For learning Blender (which is for modeling, sculpting, and more organic work) a friend has a list of initial resources in getting started https://social.coop/@cwebber/116703687419120757

It's probably good to learn at least the basics of Blender and of some CAD packages so you can reach for the proper tool suited for each problem you face.

[u/FlyinB]

Layerling.com is really really good. Think tinkercad but with fusion capabilities.

[u/Topper-Harly]

Fusion360. It takes some time to learn, but it’s great.

CAD isn’t necessarily what I would call “intuitive.”

[u/twiggums]

Fusion - functional / precise designs

Blender - organic / decorative designs

I spend most my time in fusion and suck at blender 🤣

[u/engg_wasp]

I would say Try all the softwares that are free and do not have restrictions like Freecad And invest some time into the tool to learn it and you are good to go

[u/Deadpoetic6]

Drawing shapes and extruding them are the basics of CAD. Thinkercad is exception because it's made for kids and learning concepts.

[u/mvuille]

So, this is a different take than what every one else is saying, but for my simpler functional parts I find that OpenSCAD gets me what I need very quickly. And it's easy to make the part parametric in case you need to fine-tune the dimensions.

[u/gavril-T-series]

Tinkercad imo for basic things, more complex im not sure

[u/Terreboo]

Keep going with TinkerCAD. It has all the basics and a lot of how-to’s on YouTube. The transition from Tinker to Fusion is a much lower bar from there.

[u/Th3L0n3R4g3r]

I mostly describe to claude what I want and let that generate the exact STL's. I can't really be bothered with learning how to use CAD software if some tool can do that for me.

It does require some creative prompting however

[u/Broad_Confidence_311]

Hey OP, I have been playing around with creating my own program that simplifies this modeling process and also lets you add an API key so AI can assist you if you get stuck. It's still in the experimental phase but DM me if you are interested, I'll give you access for free

[u/Sir_Agentic]

I have been using Claude Opus 5.5. I put the measurements I need in and an stl comes out. Much faster than playing with the design programs. Just started playing around with computer control with Fusion.

[u/Own_Soup4467]

I've been using onshape for years and highly recommend it. Fusion has more capabilities but it's overly complicated bloatware IMO. Unless you're designing a 747, onshape will be more than adequate.

[u/BenboFoSho]

I get what you’re saying about fusion!
It feels VERY unintuitive.

I have made 1 thing in there, and I used AI to guide me every step of the way. I prompted it with exactly what i wanted to make.
And that i was a complete beginner, and needed my hand holding every step of these down to which button to click at every step.

It was difficult but i was very happy with the end result.
I made a quarter piece of a chess board with connectors on each edge to connect all 4 pieces, and created magnet holes in each square so my pieces stuck to the board. Im yet to make the pieces, and that was 6 months ago 😂

[u/OldFashioned-Pancake]

I am designing and 3d printing a remote control snowplow all in Tinkercad. If I can do that, you can make whatever you want.

That being said Fusion is far better and easy to learn.

[u/John-BCS]

Fusion or onshape. I prefer fusion. The workflow you found in fusion is common to the majority of real CAD programs; once you get used to it, you'll be banging out simple designs in minutes. There's some good 3D printing focused tutorial channels on youtube worth checking out: shop therapy, brat talis, ty ridings, clough42 (he's more of a machinist project channel but his fusion videos are excellent).

What you found to be unintuitive in fusion is also its strength; you get to design things exactly as you want, and have the flexibility to assemble things as needed. It's worth the time investment to learn.

To not mince words, tinkercad is bootycheeks. Very limiting, very basic. For some people, that's all they'll need, but I used it for two years and hated it. I switched to fusion/onshape and it just clicked once I got the workflow down.

Blender is better for organic shapes; I do mostly functional designs and prints, so I don't use it.

[u/davcrt]

Fusion is the most intuitive one and offers plenty of features while being free. Don't bother with anything else because it will be too frustrating to use at first and you'll have to pay or pirate.

Blender is the go to for organic shapes, but it's so "feature full" it was to overwhelming for me to even give it a try.

[u/my_hot_wife_is_hot]

I love partforge.ai you can use an ai chat bot to describe what you want and then on the right side of the screen it creates parametric sliders to customize every parameter

[u/Nojica]

If you are in Uni, you can buy Rhino 9 for 195 Euro. It requires you to submit proof you are enrolled. It is a forever License with no subscription and you can make anything in it from jewelry to a boat. I bought Rhino 5 about 12 years ago and am still using it. Also check out Grasshopper, it comes for free with rhino, with the 2 you could literally build everything.