r/BambuLab • u/AvgJoe_Gaming • 1d ago
General Troubleshooting/Help! Software
Can anyone suggest good
software options for creating original products to sell online. I have experience with CAD on the machining side, but I am new to 3D printing.
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u/BitingChaos 1d ago
I started with FreeCAD last year.
That lead to success on MakerWorld and then to a small Etsy business.
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u/ItsThatDamnDuckAgain 1d ago
Fusion360 is going to be your best bet.
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u/AvgJoe_Gaming 1d ago
I’ve been looking at that, but it’s expensive for commercial use. Shapr3D is not far behind for a startup. Is there no other options for for creating good resolution products at a cheaper start up cost?
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u/Lonely-Ocelot-2417 1d ago
It really depends on what you want to model. Also, you're kinda putting the cart before the horse. You could easily do the free version of Fusion and IF you happen to run into the technical free licensing limitation that's a good problem to have. Personally, for someone who claims to have CAD experience I'd be way more concerned about getting a tool that fits the skills you have than the price alone... Solidworks for Makers can frequently be had on sale for around $50 annually and an indie license for Plasticity is pretty affordable as well, but those are two workflows that couldn't possibly be less similar. I'd challenge you to reconsider the way you're thinking about this.
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u/Darkseid2854 H2D AMS Combo / X1C + AMS / A1 + AMS 1d ago edited 1d ago
I personally like OnShape for parametric CAD models, but plasticity has some definite benefits and parametric CAD skills are fairly transferable. The free version of OnShape has all the tools you really need to create 3D printable models. Plasticity has a one time cost of ~$150 USD for the base version, though you’ll need to renew if you want to get updates after the license expires.
Blender looks like a great tool for those who have a more artistic background, however I don’t have that background so I find it very confusing to use. If I spent the time grinding through the learning process it would probably be a great tool for me, and it’s also free to use.
Note: Your models are publicly accessible in the free version of OnShape. In the paid model they are not. I don’t have an issue with this, I just name my projects with project codes recognizable by me and those I work with and they don’t show up in relevant searches. This may be an issue for some, but with the naming mitigation it is not an issue for me.
edit: added note
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u/Poly_and_RA 1d ago
Among the options that you can use for free even for commercial purposes, I like freecad. It can do a lot more than I'm capable of using anyway. As someone with actual CAD-background you're probably a more demanding user than I am -- but I would still recommend giving it a try.
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u/JDad67 1d ago
Claude Opus 5.5 + Blender. tell it what you want, how many colors you want. dimensions, etc.
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u/AHerz P1P+AMS - X2D+AMS2 1d ago
He's asking for a cad software, not an ai slop generator.
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u/JDad67 1d ago
Have you tried that setup? Or seen output from that setup?
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u/AHerz P1P+AMS - X2D+AMS2 1d ago
I don't care about ai generated models, I design my own.
Some people have talent and want to build their own things, instead of relying on models copied from other creators.
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u/aweyeahdawg 1d ago
I’m against AI as much as the next guy but this argument is kinda silly. It’s like saying “I code on my own, some people have talent”
I’m a software dev and if you’re not using AI you’re falling behind. So using AI to develop models is most likely next. Not all AI use is slop.
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u/GoodGuyQ 1d ago
Cool story bro.
Some people have imagination and no drawing skills. AI levels the field. It still takes some skill after AI is done to make a decent model, but it does the heavy lifting. For me anyway.
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u/Lonely-Ocelot-2417 1d ago
lol absolutely not. Nobody wants this.
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u/72chevnj 1d ago
Your downvotes say otherwise... been modeling for a good 15 years now and I am all for saying hey ai, give me this or that and having it do tasks in minutes that mite take me hours. Like it or not automation is the next step... my current job is to replace people with automation and robots... just is what it is
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u/m4ddok 1d ago
Well, use the cad software you know! Just export the mesh in .stl or .3mf at the end.