My goal for this CAD Comparison week should be to get a very rough model from each system that I try. As possible, it should have ballpark dimensions and features, but only get to the level of rough sketch.
Prompt
"Prompt" for myself, any tutors that I have time with, and any LLMs that I experiment with.
- hexagon shaped box
- 100mm diameter
- extrude to 40mm height
- top has inset hexagon with 80mm diameter and 10mm depth
- two opposing edges have place for fingers subtracted, pills or spheres with 20mm diameter
Sketch
Sketching some views on paper seems like a good way to start the CAD process. ✍️
CAD software
Zoo
Zoo Modeling App evaluation – interesting demo, but not ready for real-world use.
picoCAD
picoCAD evaluation – delightful retro "3D pixel art" CAD toy.
SolveSpace
SolveSpace evaluation – steep learning curve, sleek app.
FreeCAD
FreeCAD evaluation – steep learning curve, a bit clunky, but includes the kitchen sink.
Cuttle.xyz
Cuttle.xyz evaluation – browser-based 2D parametric. Subscription software, which pays my bills.
Other
- Blender: Geometry Nodes and CAD Sketcher
- OpenSCAD: modeling a modular origami creation
- Other commercial software. I might get around to evaluating more, but I feel like I have plenty of room to grow with the open source tools.
Result
FreeCAD and SolveSpace project files: 02-project-files.zip.
Reference
CAD comparison chart from a DigiKey video introducing FreeCAD.