CAD software for someone who has never done it before

Hello, I am entirely new to the world of CAD and manufacturing in general but in the last month I took the plunge and enrolled in Clackamas Community College for an Associates in manufacturing technology. However, the term begins in the Fall and I'm getting a little impatient because I have some stuff I want to start working on. That being said, I need a CAD software that is pretty easy to learn that will help me design parts for firearms. I currently have a lot of ideas and want to start 3D modelling to see if any of it is actually practical.

If you guys need to ask me any clarifying questions to help me out please do!

Sorry if I should have posted this in the Gunsmithing forum or if I missed an introduction area of the forum, and thank you for your time.

Echon said:

Hello, I am entirely new to the world of CAD and manufacturing in general but in the last month I took the plunge and enrolled in Clackamas Community College for an Associates in manufacturing technology. However, the term begins in the Fall and I'm getting a little impatient because I have some stuff I want to start working on. That being said, I need a CAD software that is pretty easy to learn that will help me design parts for firearms. I currently have a lot of ideas and want to start 3D modelling to see if any of it is actually practical.

If you guys need to ask me any clarifying questions to help me out please do!

Sorry if I should have posted this in the Gunsmithing forum or if I missed an introduction area of the forum, and thank you for your time.

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Fusion 360 its free hard to beat or Solidworks since you're a student

Or if you just want 2d you can download and use DraftSite which is an autocad clone. I am not a big fan of learning this stuff by taking a class. It is too quickly forgotten. If you do this (take a class) then fine but more important is to pick a project you need or want to draw and draw it. For most of the project you will be very frustrated but get the answers you need and forge ahead. After a project or two you will be as expert as you need to be then you can add to your knowledge as needed from there.

Just to amplify a little on what M98custom1212 said...

Autodesk Fusion 360 is free for students, hobbyists, and startups. It has CAD, CAM, Rendering, FEA, and other capabilities. File storage is cloud based, but the software runs on you local computer (PC or Mac). As such, if your internet connection is not rock solid, the software will run in an offline or local mode for up to two weeks, at which point you need to go online and sync up your data to the cloud. In the last year or so, Fusion has added significantly to its learning resources, both for beginners or folks coming from another CAD package.

If you have a real solid internet connection, another option is OnShape...this is purely a cloud hosted application the runs in your browser. It was created by the same group that pioneered Solidworks and bears some resemblance to that application. Have not looked lately, but it is only the core CAD program that is free (with some limit to the number of projects that you can have concurrent).

With either of the above, you don't pay for the cloud storage.

If you are looking for more traditional CAD apps that run exclusively on a local computer, then both DSS Solidworks and Autodesk Inventor have student editions that are available at very low cost (think both are actually the previous years version, but for learning that is usually not a problem).

Do you have info as to what application is going to be used in your course work?

Fred

Plug for Delta Cad not fancy but easy to use with very good support costs $30 or so.

I'll echo what previous posters have said. Fusion if you're just doing parts or Inventor if you're dealing with assemblies.

I believe Inventor is also free if you're a student. In fact, it was explained to me that EVERYTHING from autodesk is free for students for 3 years after they graduate. Take that bit knowing that I'm not a student so I haven't tried to go that route.

I like Onshape. Updates are released frequently, and since it's cloud-based, you are always using the latest version.

In their last update on May 26th they introduced FeatureScript. I think this feature is extraordinary!

A sample of what I was able to create after working with Onshape for a couple weeks is at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ7YDuQ86so>.

Echon said:

Hello, I am entirely new to the world of CAD and manufacturing in general but in the last month I took the plunge and enrolled in Clackamas Community College for an Associates in manufacturing technology. However, the term begins in the Fall and I'm getting a little impatient because I have some stuff I want to start working on. That being said, I need a CAD software that is pretty easy to learn that will help me design parts for firearms. I currently have a lot of ideas and want to start 3D modelling to see if any of it is actually practical.

If you guys need to ask me any clarifying questions to help me out please do!

Sorry if I should have posted this in the Gunsmithing forum or if I missed an introduction area of the forum, and thank you for your time.

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What is your goal? Are you looking for a job or is this a hobby? Although I cringe at saying this: Solidworks is still the most widely used 3D cad. Learning it will open numerous opportunities if you are looking for a job. Don't just look at the cost of the software, be sure to look at the cost of your time and the potential to make money with the tool you learn to use in the future. If nobody else uses that tool it is tough to get a job using it.

Tim

You enrolled in the "Manufacturing Technolgy" curriculum at your local Comm College. What CAD software do they use? I think I'd be inclined to try and learn THAT software. What CAD software do they have available for students in that curriculum?

morsetaper2 said:

You enrolled in the "Manufacturing Technolgy" curriculum at your local Comm College. What CAD software do they use?

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This is the only worthwhile answer.

Sorry I've been away from the thread for so long, I've been busy with work and some other projects of mine.

However I did start playing around a bit with Fusion 360. Still getting the hang of it, but I think while I'm just learning how to play around with CAD software it will be perfect. I'll probably have dumb questions in the coming weeks but I think the Autodesk will serve me well.

behindpropellers said:

What is your goal? Are you looking for a job or is this a hobby?

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Until I am actually graduated I'm just gonna be doing this as a hobby. While in school most of the questions I'm asking will probably be more or less irrelevant as they'll be leading me through the process. But until I'm actually ready for a job in the field it's gonna be a hobby.

morsetaper2 said:

What CAD software do they have available for students in that curriculum?

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I'd assume Solidworks but I've been unable to get that information. I would play around with Solidworks but I currently have absolutely no money due to paying for my classes.

If possible, I would try and investigate local support. Unless you already know the software, which in your case you don't, support will be a HUGE factor. Just to compare two I know of offhand- Inventor here seems to be lacking in vendor/reseller support, as well as Mastercam. The big difference to me (my opinion anyways) if I click on the help button inside Mastercam, it brings up a pretty clear "help" section, with pictures and pretty damn good explanations. Inventor links the help button to the internet (so no internet no help maybe?), which to me, 7 of 10 times just rehashes the the little pop up help tips inside the software, not actually explaining anything in detail.

edit: Mastercam is not a full fledged cad package, it is cad/cam while Inventor IS cad, with an option to have cam....

Somebody had to do this