Colleges and Universities don't want to use Altium, AutoCAD, or Solidworks for actual modeling despite having the educator licenses to hand out like candy. Professors hate actually teaching you to be useful.

The problem with all cad software is it's filled with bullshit, nigger I just want to select the line tool, and click on something and just press a key for heading and type the length.
I open most cad software and there isn't even a line tool. You can't actually draw or make anything.
I exclusively use sketchup 2017 for all 3d modeling and just run it through chatgpt if I need curves on something

>>2959180
I don't know, i use plasticity for everything.

>Free, really truly, honestly free. No college e-mail address student free version, no weird repeat "No, I'm not selling the stuff I make with your program" free license
>Child friendly, their main audience
>Strangely probably one of the easiest ways to reverse engineer someone else's STL to fit your needs (I think, I forget which one is good for that)

And on the unlikely chance one of the big CADs might sponsor a video, they probably won't exclude you for having used the Fisher Price one.

>>2959200
>Colleges and Universities don't want to use Altium, AutoCAD, or Solidworks
My college has student licenses for Autodesk and Siemens software (no Dassault Systemes stuff, unfortunately), so technically we got AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, and Siemens Solid Edge/NX licenses, even though I only had to use the last two of these for class.
Altium and Eagle are roughly on the same calibre as KiCAD when it comes to doing solo projects, even though they do have some notable advantages when it comes to collaborating on the cloud, but then again, (in my experience) most student projects are usually solo projects or projects involving 4-6 guys, each one with a completely different task and none of them actually looking at what the others are doing.

The two programs I really wish I'd had a license to in college were Proteus and NI LabView. Unfortunately, my college decided that laundering money by setting up gay music events, sports events, and inviting "motivational" speakers was a better way to use excess funds than by spending on software fees (and lab equipment) that could be of real benefit for students.

>learn inventor and autoCAD in HS
>need to design a folding table last night
>try online CAD programs
>can't use any because they're clunky and most don't have basic features like snapping and constraints
>get the grid paper out instead
I don't feel like sitting down with tutorials just to be able to draw a few rectangles to check the fit of a few parts. Is sketchup any better now that they require signup? The last version I could freely use worked but not well enough that I want to go through the signup process to use it again.

>>2959252
My sister's an architect and uses Sketchup on a daily basis. I've seen some of the stuff she makes, from models for tables to entire houses, and it all looks very decent.
It's currently got a subscription-based model, and if you just want basic features, you can pay $10.75/year, which, due to inflation (not sure if Bidenflation or Trumpflation), is now less than the price of a pizza from Domino's Pizza.
Then again, if you just wanna make ONE table and never do any more 3D modelling again, you can get the trial version for free (or well, use that TinkerCAD web app suggested on the OP), but if you want something that's 100% free (both as in libré and gratis), you'll have to stick to stuff like LibreCAD and FreeCAD.

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>>2959180
i use it because it easy and i dont need as much detail just to make a rough idea. im designing and building this midengine car and i used tinkercad just to get an idea im not building it off of tinkercad specifically

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>>2959180
this is a model of a shifter assembly i plan to make a copy of some super expensive unit. its very basic but it makes sense how it needs to be made

I'm just here to say, fuck cloudshit.

>>2959180
I use tinkercad for most of my custom 3d models i make. As another user wrote, its easy to use if you just need something simpel. I just started using design spark mechanical, because tinkercad has its limits. And the problem with some of the other cad programs is that they cost money. Or the free ones like freecad are a fucking mess.

>>2959224
imagine having this level of mindrot

>>2959180
so what's the best program for quick but precise modelling? i use sketchup for pretty much everything, but i can imagine it getting too messy for complicated stuff

>>2959180
It's probably risky to show off your pirated Autodesk Inventor.

>>2959180
Fusion360 has been a pain in the ass for me and it's really the only viable free software.
Their weird 10-editable-files only rule, the always online thing, and for whatever reason I have to keep downloading and running the installer for it to update, and I can't use it without updating. I've grown to hate using it.
I tried OnShape but it was laggy as hell and I couldn't figure out how to dimension lines. I really don't understand why every "new" CAD developer has to reinvent the wheel.

I learned how to use solidworks in college but my education license expired several years ago. I'd buy it if it weren't so fucking expensive AND on a subscription model like everything else is. Apparently up until a few years ago you could get it for real cheap through some membership but that's not a thing anymore.
The other option is pirating it but then you can't have your internet connected while using it or they'll start sending you threatening letters, Dassault has a whole department just for tracking down people who are using their software unauthorized.

From what I've read modern solidworks sucks ass anyways.

The market is ripe for a cheaper 3d CAD software that just werks and is a single-time purchase.

>>2959180
it just werks

>>2959747
>The other option is pirating it but then you can't have your internet connected while using it or they'll start sending you threatening letters, Dassault has a whole department just for tracking down people who are using their software unauthorized.
can't you just block its internet access

>>2959747
Freecad has been getting some major updates and fixes in the last several months. AFAIK it's still kinda janky, but hopefully this will be it's blender/kicad moment where it becomes good enough to see significant adoption and subsequent improvement.
Software subscription is pure cancer. I would be much more comfortable knowing I can still reopen my models after a year.

>>2959747
50 bucks per year now. I mean i guess thats sorta ok

>>2959747
Learn to use a PC.

>>2959838
Fusion360 is awful anyway. The wizards that run Autocad are retiring and they can't find anyone that can code that well so they made this shit to replace it.

They'll keep jacking he priceup until it's $2000 and then announce end-of-life for autocad

>>2959747
On this topic, if I want to edit an STL in fusion 360, why does it bog down with plenty of ram and a 4080? is the online thing really doing all the computation not locally? It's not even that complicated of an stl but it's a major pain making any minor changes.