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Do I need to learn a 3D modeling software?
(lemy.lol)
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this post was submitted on 11 Nov 2024
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I was in a simiar boat, but once I started learning it really took off and I couldn't find enough things to model/fix! I started with meshmixer, it's pretty simplified but still somewhat powerful and I think Windows only. Once I found stuff I couldn't do with it I switched to blender and now I'm much faster with it. I found there are some things each implements better so if having an issue I'll switch and try something else. I highly recommend picking one and watching youtube videos specific to what you want to change in a model
Edit: you may be able to get by on some of the connectors by lowering flow too, depends on how dialed in your printer is, everyone needs different tolerances
Yeah. I will want to learn some more of this soon but part of it is picking one that doesn't drive me batty and taking some time to work with it before trying to print something complex.
But as for now I found outer wall order and x/y home compensation worked for me really well to get the pieces together. Slicer settings brute forcing for the temp win.
I can't compare it to the cad examples but meshmixer is definitely easier to use for small stl edits than blender, especially for things like cutting and keying parts. If you are just trying to make a pin smaller or hole larger, editing the xyz of specific points in blender may be easier depending on shape. Good luck!
CAD and 3D modeling can look overwhelming for a beginner, but there are some tools that are pretty quick to pick up the basics of.
Tinkercad is probably the fastest for most people to get some basic results from.
Personally, I have been working on learning FreeCAD. The newest version is a major step forward in capability and the learning curve isn't too steep - especially with some of the tutorials I've found on youtube.
Blender is it's own beast - super powerful, but very different that anything else I've tries to use.