Staples doing 3D Printing In Store

[peteski]

Some of the 3D printing services offer assistance in making minor corrections to your drawings for a nominal fee. Might be worth considering when the time to correct it yourself outweighs the correction fee.

Thanks David - I'll keep that in mind.

[Lemosteam]

All as mentioned earlier, I work on Catia V5 for my daily duties (and I know there are others among us using CAD systems daily).

If you guys are interested, I will try to download each free software and assess it against my experience.  Maybe this info will help others decide which one to use (from a RP perspective).

Suggestions as to which software to try first would be most welcome.  I'm thinking of a separate thread where I can report outcomes?

I can judge them against the following and additional suggestions are welcome:

* Accuracy capability
* Point, line, plane and surface creation
* Simple solid creation
* Complex Shape creation
* Boolean Operations (seamless joining of separate solids)
* Filleting capability (turning hard corners into smooth ones)
* File type export capability (for RP)
* File Import capability
* Surface Quality
* Ease of Use (user friendliness, intuitiveness)

May take a while but I am willing to assess them if you guys feel it is a worthwile endeavour.

[Scottl]

Thanks for your offer, I would appreciate the benefit of your experience with this. 

[GaryHinshaw]

If you guys are interested, I will try to download each free software and assess it against my experience.  Maybe this info will help others decide which one to use (from a RP perspective).

Suggestions as to which software to try first would be most welcome.  I'm thinking of a separate thread where I can report outcomes?

That would be great.   The scratch-building forum would be the logical spot for it.

[PAL_Houston]

That would be great.   The scratch-building forum would be the logical spot for it.

I agree.  I would find that kind of comparison, from a pro looking at it from the perspective of a modeler/user, to be very useful and to have a lot of credibility.

[peteski]

All as mentioned earlier, I work on Catia V5 for my daily duties (and I know there are others among us using CAD systems daily).

If you guys are interested, I will try to download each free software and assess it against my experience.  Maybe this info will help others decide which one to use (from a RP perspective).

Suggestions as to which software to try first would be most welcome.  I'm thinking of a separate thread where I can report outcomes?

May take a while but I am willing to assess them if you guys feel it is a worthwile endeavour.

That would be great John!

How about Google SketchUp first?  If you take it for a spin, maybe you can tell me why I have problems modeling certain shapes.    Maybe starting a new thread about this endevour (in the Lounge section?) might also make sense.

[Lemosteam]

Our Global Moderator has already decreed where the new thread shall originate and I shall comply! 

Thanks for the suggestion peteski!