ravenlures Posted September 30, 2018 Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 First I know nothing about CAD. Second I would like to try my hand at it for designing lures. I make bass to musky but would like to try my hand at it and get a 3D printer. I am retired and time is of no importance. What can you suggest something for me. Make it easy too. Not the best at computers. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted September 30, 2018 Report Share Posted September 30, 2018 I use Catia V5 because this is what I use for my job. It is a complex system that covers many industries. Although very expensive, it is available through torrent downloads to obtain free. I have had no problems hooking up to 3D printers with it. There is a wealth of training material available on the internet, and there answers to all your questions available from Google searches. Recommended, probably not, but this is my only CAD experience. I hope you get a good response with recommendations of simpler software. As for what I can do with Catia - no limits. You can expect to put a LOT of hours in learning no matter which system you use, and do not expect CAD design to be quicker than hand carving, it takes a lot longer. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayberry_Customs Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 I am self taught at CAD so I know where you are coming from, although I have a degree in networking technology so im pretty knowledgable about computers..I own a diy CNC wood router and a 3d printer....CAD is not a quick thing you can really be effecient at....it takes time to learn and can be very overwhelming at first...there is several suggestions i can make...dont expect to scratch design a fishing lure right out of the gate, you have to build some foundational knowledge before you can really design what you want to. There are so many design programs out there, many which are free to use but every program is different. You will learn that some programs use entirely different basic design principles...in my opinion, sketch based programs are the easiest to learn. You have to think of everything originating as a 2D drawing or sketch, then modifying that sketch by making it 3D as necessary..,you will see there is several "easy to use" programs out there but to me they are not that beneficial because you put the effort into learning a program thats not very powerful...my suggestion is to start with design spark mechanical, its really as easy as you are going to find but still very powerful..from there I suggest transitioning to Fusion 360 which is also free to hobby users. Fusion 360 is created by the makers of Auto Cad so it is very powerful. Both these programs are sketch based. You really need to be in fusion 360 to properly design a fishing lure with any complexity. Next ill talk about 3d printing...3d printing has a degree of a learning curve as well...most people can fairly efficiently download a model off of a 3d printing site, use a slicing program with recommended settings, and print with decent results...when you design from scratch for 3d printing you will learn that you have to design in a certain way. You have to have some sort of surface that maintains contact with the bed, in order to properly print. You can't design over hangs over 45 degrees, because the printer cant print something in mid air with no support...this is what supports are for, but generally leave a pretty rough surface which has to be filled and smooth to create a paintable surface like a fishing lure. When you get into custom print settings it can get somewhat complicated as well. If you really want to learn all of it you absolutely can, but its a process. YouTube is your friend, and absolutely do not pay for a CAD program for learning hobby use, you dont need to. Hope that helps a little. Andy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Very useful post Andy, thanks. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted October 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 Well that helps a lot. I thank both of you for your insight, I will start looking into it and see what the local tech school has to offer and probably find that I am way over my head, but thanks again. Wayne 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 I have taught Catia. Never had anyone that couldn't 'get it'. Keep in mind; CAD is one of those things that you have to use regularly otherwise you forget how to do it. Using once a year is no good. You might get away with once a month once you have mastered what you want to do, but it may be a struggle. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted October 1, 2018 Report Share Posted October 1, 2018 I decided a few months ago I wanted to learn CAD in order to create 3D stencils for painting my baits. I choose Fusion 360 and had no prior experience with CAD before this. Fusion 360 is free and powerfully. I won't scratch the surface of what Fusion 360 can do. I watched several YouTube videos to learn the basics. I ended up watching mostly videos by Lars Christensen. He is very good at explaining how to use Fusion 360. Here is a link to one of his videos for beginners... https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fusion+360 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitaker201 Posted October 4, 2018 Report Share Posted October 4, 2018 Fusion 360 is what I would suggest. It is free for hobby use, tons of "how-to" youtube videos out there for it, and you can 3d print from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
