To all my CAD nerds out there I wanted to share this cool trick with you, next time you need to figure out a distance or measurement of an object just type the math in the dimension box and the program will do it for you. I tried it on the programs that I use, Inventor, Solidworks and 123Design all are able to calculate the math. Enjoy!!!
You can even use parameters in the equations for the dimensions, which is part of where the “parametric 3D CAD suites” gets their name from.
Thanks @Thomas_Sanladerer for the info. What programs do you use?
@Nuker_Bot_NukerBot_3 Pretty much only Solidworks, as that’s just what i’m used to.
Nice, I am still learning SW, I have gotten pretty good at Inventor though but that is because I am used to Autodesk products, I think after I get better, I will be more comfortable with Solidworks.
OK where does everyone on here get solidworks? Do you all work somewhere that uses it, using educational copies, “Trial” copies, what?
@Joe_Spanier i get the Student’s Edition for free through my university, which is a heavily feature-stripped version. As a student of any kind, you can also get a more complete one-year educational license for about $200.
If you’re not a student, however, there are very few options of legally acquiring Solidworks other than buying it for the full price. Now, as with every other piece of software out there, there’s always the option to pirate it, which is probably how most of the non-commercial users (and apparently some companies as well) get their Solidworks licenses. By the way, i’m not endorsing piracy in any way and generally object pirating a $16k CAD suite (or any piece of software, for that matter).
Those were my thoughts. I have some serious moral issues with making money off stolen software. Ive been looking for an affordable parametric CAD package that supports feature driven assembly before I finalize my plans and release them. I think Im going to settle on Cubify Design, even though it doesnt meet all my requirements, its the only one thats not 1500$
Sorry to derail your thread @Nuker_Bot_NukerBot_3
No Problem @Joe_Spanier , design is one of the most important parts of this 3D printing movement and if you cant custom design your own stuff you are stuck trolling on thingiverse for something you want and that just sucks.
I just took a look at Cubify Design, It kind of looks like Inventor and Solidworks, not bad for the price.
Hello, I think you could try Freecad. It’s free, full open source, work on Windows, Mac and Linux.
http://www.freecadweb.org