3D programing

mornin all i was wondering where i can get a 3D program ready to carve it doesnt have to be anything special i have not done a 3D yet i really dont know how to i dont use any cad other then easel i am not to good with this stuff i learned how to use easel and that is it i really would like to carve something 3D thx all and have a happy new year

Not sure if any of these will import into Easel or not…

Inventables sells MeshCAM, which is well-regarded.

List of opensource / free options here: http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/CAD#3D (commercial here: Shapeoko CNC Router, Rigid, Accurate, Reliable, and Affordable )

If you want to do programming though, OpenSCAD is likely your best option: http://www.openscad.org/

If Easel won’t accept a .stl or similar file you’ll need a 3D CAM program such as MeshCAM or pyCAM.

As @MarcCohen mentioned, have a look at V Carve by vectric. Powerful and relatively simple, fantastic for sign making. Not cheap though (but I use it for 99% of what I do).

Vectric products also have a trial version which is free. It has limitations, but is a good starting point.

try fusion 360. its free to hobbyist so nothing to lose. their tutorials are great also.

I like Fusion 360 but also have been using OnShape (there is a free version with limited storage) which works amazingly.

i am leery of these cloud based programs, fusion included. at the end the data isn’t on your machine and can’t be sure who has access to it. just dont be surprised when you see your design out there on the shelf.

i was messing with fusion and noticed that the files weren’t local when in order to import a rhino file, it needed to be uploaded. kind of weirded me out.

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If either of them can’t guarantee basic online security they will be out of business shortly. There is a separate issue with IP and possibly international IP rules on shared servers, but that may depend on your project, country, etc…

Nothing is secure. Formerly being involved with testing various security, I know from experience. None the less, aside from external getting the data, there is internal to also worry about. Just something to consider and keep in mind when making a decision.

some others I found tonight; I haven’t tried them yet, but downloading just to check out.

http://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Download

Estlcam can also do 3D programming:

I use the following toolchain for 3D milling:

CAD: FreeCAD
CAM: pycam
CNC: Universal-G-Code-Sender

Its all free software, but has a significant learning-curve