I want to start doing learning 3D modelling since I want to design small accessories and jewelry, mainly the kind of stuff that would be injection moulded.So, what software should I be using? Blender seems to have a lot of tutorials available but a lot of people also decry it as having an unintuitive interface. It also doesn't seem to be that good for when you need exact measurements, which I'll undoubtedly need to be able to fit in pre-fab components such as snap buttons etc.AutoCAD is unfortunately Windows only, which I'm not going back to ever considering the dumpster fire it seems to have become since I left. FreeCAD might be sufficient for my needs, but would using a straight-up CAD program actually be good for my use case which isn't really that technical?
>>986416>but a lot of people also decry it as having an unintuitive interfacethat's because Blender modeling relies on keyboard shortcuts a lot and some people prefer button-clicky modeling even though they're slower doing it.
polygonal modeling is a little inaccurate for this kind of stuffso freecad it is
>>986418You can not use polygon modelling for injection molding anon, no mold manufacturer that I know will make you an injection mold from a poligon model
the blender UI is fine, it's very intuitive and easy to learn and troubleshoot. People on this board just hate it so they have something to be angry about.That said, CAD is better for what you want to do. You could try plasticity, it's a CAD program but a lot less technical. But you're probably fine with freeCAD.
>>986418>>986420What's wrong with polygonal models in this case?I have some experience with 2D vector graphics by the way, aren't polygons basically just vector graphics but in 3 dimensions instead of 2?
>>9864371. The polygons curve and bend to create shapes. Even if the model is subdivided 10 times these fragments are still there but smaller 2. You don't measure in polygons, you just kinda gauge looking at it. 3. Making holes dents in grooves is much smoother in cad. You don't boolean or model that stuff
>>986438So polygon modelling doesn't involve using bezier curves, it's just a bunch of straight lines?
>>986432I just checked out a tutorial for Plasticity. This looks way easier to use than Blender or any other polygonal software. It seems kinda like vector graphics but in 3 dimensions.
>>986439CAD and modeling programs is like art pencil and compess. You can create robots with Blender/Maya while CAD/Compess will say that’s stupid because science says so.
>>986439correct.>>986442Yeah, it's very intuitive. It's not ideal for inputting exact dimensions which you'll need for injecting moulding, but it can do it. It might be useful to do the design work in plasticity then bring the models into freecad to set up exact dimensions, tolerances, draft angles etc.Not sure how useful that workflow would be, the work I do is just artwork and occasional gaming stuff, so I do my hard surface design in plasticity then take it into blender for texturing and refinement. It might be better for you to work exclusively in freeCAD. Try both and figure it out.
>>986511What makes Plasticity less ideal for all of those exact dimensions?Also, any good primers for how draft angles etc work? I'm not gonna be doing any advanced engineering exactly.
>>986515It's just not user friendly for inputting dimensions, it's not really a drafting program. It's pretty exclusively about direct modelling, not parametric modelling. >Also, any good primers for how draft angles etc work?Not my line of work. I just know you want an angle for pulling your shit out of the mould, but as far as specific considerations for injection moulding I have no clue. How come you're talking about injection moulding and not 3D printing? That's a pretty specialised and expensive thing you're talking about for someone who doesn't seem to know too much about this stuff.
>>986416OnShape is easy to learn, very powerful and always online in your browser. Your linux bros will fucking hate you forever.
>>986537>How come you're talking about injection moulding and not 3D printing?3D printing is not suitable for mass production, but I'll obviously use it for prototyping.
>>986537>>986549Moreover, 3D printing is less limited in a way than injection moulding, so anything I design for injection moulding can be 3D printed. With regards to cost, I'll start out with designing stuff that can be produced using laser cutting and the like, since that doesn't require a huge up-front investment. Injection moulding will have to be for once I get the ball rolling.
>>986437>What's wrong with polygonal models in this case?Polygon models can't be used to make injection molds.The machines that cut metal don't work with poly models. Don't make that mistake.If you need to make a mold for injection molding you need nurb surfaces, that why we use cad instead of blender.
>>986416solvespaceIt's foss, has a parametric constraint solver and is intuitive.There's also dune3d which uses the same solver
>>986416linux? a kernel for server operating systems? why would you sneed a 3d design software for that?
