Our Top 3D Design Software: The best picks for you

3D printing with Cooksongold is an incredible opportunity for creatives to unleash their imagination and produce a beautiful design that can be bought to life for you. Today’s blog in our 3D series will be the perfect guide to help any beginner or pro wanting to design, to choose the best 3D design software suited for you.

While there are many different versions of free 3D modeling software available, the key is to find an efficient program that matches project requirements and provides the opportunity to make edits easily as product development moves forward.

Quality 3D prints depend on a strong foundation, backed with solid designs and a growing knowledge of 3D modeling tools. Designers and engineers tend to rely on a handful of well-known 3D modeling software programs, serving as the building blocks for successful additive manufacturing of parts. Gaining skill in using 3D modeling tools takes time, and there is always room to improve and advance further as a 3D designer.

Here are five great examples of 3D design software tools for beginners but can be utilized by all levels.

Lets begin with:

1. Rhino3D

Rhino3D is a printing software utilised within multiple industries for 3D design. It can be customised to suit you with paid add ons allowing you to create items specific to jewellery such as ring. We use rhino3D with out inhouse designers and to prepare you file for printing.

On it’s own Rhino3D is a 3D printing software used in multiple industries for 3D design. It can be customised with paid add ons, which allows you to create jewellery specific items such as rings. You can find out more on their website for distributors and prices.

We use Rhino3D with our in house designers and to prepare your file for prints.

Pros:

• Large Community
• Lots of online Resources
• Popular in the industry including for CNC and 3D printing
• Reasonable cost, no subscription fees

Cons:

• Not really beginner friendly
• No jewellery specific tools
• Limited history to go back and alter designs

2. Blender

Blender is a free and open source application that enables 3D modelling alongside other features such as animation and 2D design. There are plenty of resources available online as well as plugins for jewellery design. Visit their website for the further details.

Pros:

• Free
• Plenty of resources available including add-ons
• Multiple Use software
• Strong 3D modelling capability

Cons:

• Steep learning curve
• Not technically designed for CAD
• Needs plugins for rendering metal

3. TinkerCAD

TinkerCAD, one of the easiest and most accessible programs for 3D modeling, has an easy-to-use web browser interface.Create an account and either import 3D design files or utilize pre-existing shapes from the 3D modeling application to get started.

Pros:

• In-Program tutorials that teach design fundamentals
• Projects to practice on that improve understanding of 3D modelling
• Designers can edit their imported designs

Cons:

• Pre-existing designs make up most of the available models thus limiting the amount of intricacy for models made entirely in the program

4. 3Design

The 3Design CAD Software gives you an easy-to-use and efficient management, and 3Design CAD allows you to focus on the most important things. It’s friendly to use; maybe you will love it, and 3Design CAD can be used on ios, windows, or Android devices.

Pros

• You can be a realistic rendering with this CAD software that is inspired by video game graphic technology.
• Also, as its interface is quite intuitive, it is easy to learn with a little bit of training.
• “A powerful parametric engine” 3Design saves all the parameters of your design, making it easy to modify a design in front of the customer or at a later stage.
• It includes many precise tools that will be useful for micro pave or stone creation and will improve your productivity.

Cons

• The biggest drawback of this software is you always need to use the provided catalog of components and assemble them to create any new pieces you want, in that way this software can be a bit rigid.

5. Sketchup

Powerful 3D modelling software SketchUp is well-liked by designers and engineers working in different fields like 3D printing for construction, urban planning, and interior design. It is well-known for its architectural design capabilities. The freemium version of SketchUp Pro, which provides more sophisticated functionality for 3D designers who want to import and export 3D design files and vector pictures, is called SketchUp, a simplified CAD tool. For more experienced designers who are interested in 3D printing on a professional scale, we advise upgrading.

Pros

• Very user-friendly interface
• Easy to navigate the world of 3D modeling software and 3D printing
• Free to use

Cons

• Resource heavy software that may slow down your computer
• Program can be tricky to use for more complex projects

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