There are a lot of applications that provide CAD features that you can use to create 3D objects. You can find some that are open source, some free to use (but limited in some way), and those that you must purchase. Most have a graphical user interface that allows you to see the object as you build it. As you will see, there is one that uses a C-like programming language to build a script to create the object. Some applications are available for online use. Furthermore, some are easy to use, whereas others take a lot of time to learn. In general, the more features the software application has, the more difficult it is to use. If you are just starting out, you may want to try an application with fewer features until you get the hang of it or outgrow its features. including cost basis, degree of difficulty to learn (how long it takes to create your initial object), and type of interface. This is not an exhaustive list, but it is a list of the choices known to export or save files in .stl format. In the next sections, I highlight the first (most difficult/full-featured) and last (easiest) options available.
The Following List Contains one of the Best Software used for a 3D Printer , You Can Select one of the best fit for you which are as follows :
- Blender
- 123D ( Autodesk )
- SketchUp
- FreeCAD
- TinkerCAD
- NetFabb
- OpenSCAD
Now we are Going to Discuss about these 7 Software in Details as Follows :
- Blender
The Blender CAD application (blender.org) is a veritable Swiss army knife of CAD software. Not only can you create highly detailed 3D models, you can also create 3D animation and more! For 3D printing, it’s really overkill for most of the types of objects you will create. On the other hand, if you plan to develop complex models for commercial use or for creating parts for a complex solution, you will want to take a hard look at this application. Figure 1-3 shows a screenshot of the Blender application. The example shows the editor window in which an object has been loaded. In this case, it is the extruder body for the Greg’s Wade hinged extruder. I was able to import the .stl file, and Blender converts it so that I can modify the object however I like. For example, I may want to move the mounting holes or cover the existing legacy mounting holes (the ones for mounting on a Prusa Iteration 2 X-carriage). If I had modified the object, I could save the object (model) and export it to a different .stl file, slice it, and print it. Clearly, this could be a useful feature if you need to modify an object but do not have the CAD software with which it was created. Perhaps best of all, it is open source! I rated this application with a high level of difficulty for several reasons. First, there are a dizzying number of features to learn and hundreds of menu choices. It is definitely not something you can sit down and learn in an afternoon. However, it is a first-rate CAD solution—one that you would do well to master if you plan to design highly complex objects.
- 123D ( Autodesk )
123D is a 3D CAD or Solid Modeling Application for Windows. It was designed to help "maker" who want to be able to create or design 3D object for themselves without using complicate or high end CAD system, or anyone who want to design "digital prototyping" which can be printed out as physical 3D object. Let us look into the 123D application. At this point, if you do not have 123D installed, it is a good time to download and install before stepping further.
- SketchUp
SketchUp is a very popular 3D software suitable for beginners and experienced users alike. Its main goal has always been to introduce people to 3D modeling as easily as possible, which is why it’s so simple to use. The platform is popular in industries like architecture, design, and film-making. It’s also useful in the maker community as it’s capable of handling large models as well as small objects. SketchUp is also a great tool for those who want to start with 3D printing but don’t have too much knowledge about 3D modeling. It allows you to start modeling in a very short time.
- FreeCAD
FreeCAD is a 3D design program that allows you to easily navigate and modify your 3D model by browsing back into the model history and changing its individual elements. It can be used on Windows, Mac and Linux, and reads and writes many open file formats including popular 3D printing formats such as STL, OBJ, and DAE.
- TinkerCAD
Tinkercad can be used for a range of applications, including 3D printing. The 3D models can be saved in three different formats, STL, OBJ, and SVG. Once you have an STL file of your model, you can go on to using slicing software.
- NetFabb
Autodesk® Netfabb® is a software application tailored for additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and 3D printing. It prepares three-dimensional files for printing and converts them into 2.5-dimensional slice files, consisting of a list of two-dimensional slice layers.
- OpenSCAD
This solution is on the opposite side of the difficulty scale. Indeed, if you know a little programming (or at least the concepts of writing executable scripts), you can create simple objects very quickly without reading tome after tome of instruction manuals. To build an object, you begin by defining a base object (say a square) and add or subtract other shapes. For example, to build a standoff for mounting a printed circuit board (like an Arduino or a Raspberry Pi), you start with a cylinder (the outer perimeter) and “subtract” a smaller cylinder (the inner perimeter). While this sounds simple, you can use this very simple technique to create very complex objects. In fact, this is the process that was used to create the plastic parts for a popular variant of an open source printer created by Josef Prusa.Take a moment to observe the figure. Notice that there are three parts to the interface. On the left is the code editor window where you enter all of the statements for defining your objects. On the right, at the top, is a view of the model (generated when the script is compiled) and below that is a list of feedback and messages from the OpenSCAD subprocesses and compiler. As you can see, you can create very complex objects and even several in the same file. When you save the file, you are actually only saving the statements and not a rendered model. This enables you to save a lot of disk space (CAD-based files can be quite large), but you must compile the script to visualize the object(s). OpenSCAD allows you to export the compiled model in a variety of formats that can be opened by other CAD applications for further manipulation. More importantly, you can generate the required .stl file for use in a CAM (slicer) application, permitting you to use OpenSCAD as the first stop in your 3D printing tool chain. Even if you do not know the language, it is not difficult to learn and there are many examples on the web site (www.openscad.org) to help you get going. If you are looking for something to get started quickly, you will want to consider using OpenSCAD until you need the more advanced features of the larger CAD applications.
I Hope Now Everything is clear regarding How to Choose a Best Software to Start Printing on a 3D Printer .But I must Say , Try to Use and play around with all the enlisted software .
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