The program has two flavors: Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Inventor Professional. It is especially suited for mechanical engineering applications. Digital prototyping of the highest quality can be achieved with Autodesk Inventor. Expect them to add additional functionality and features in the future.Īutodesk Inventor was created with mechanical design in mind, is an incredibly robust piece of software capable of 3D mechanical design, documentation, and product simulation.

Adobe’s effort to enable quick export of 3D printable files should not be overlooked. This relatively new set of features may seem lacking to advanced modelers who are more familiar with other premium software, however it is comparatively easy to use and easy to learn for those who are already experienced with Photoshop and the Adobe Suite. It should also be noted, however, that a free 3-year license is available for students.Īdobe Suite harnesses the power of Photoshop in the Creative Cloud to enable editing and creating 3D models. A short-run free trial is also available. A single license costs 3,675 USD in 2014. The considerable cost for a 3DS Max license can be seen as a relatively high barrier for entry. An exported 3D printing file will rarely, if ever, maintain visually-relevant surface data. When it comes to 3D printing, these tools are much less useful than in the world of rendering and computer graphics / simulation. Its tools are arguably more robust than necessary for modeling engineering parts that is, its tool-set may be better suited for figure modeling and artistic projects – while a program like Rhino, Pro-E, or Inventor is better suited for machine components – especially when scale matters.ģDS Max comes equipped with a wide range of tools capable of adding impressive textures and skins to 3D models. It is used frequently in the movie industry and in the creation of video games, and is especially useful for creating lifelike representations of living things and environments. Or, prototyping on a budget, or have a quick fix to make? There’s lots of great free tools out there for creating and editing 3D models too.ģD Studio Max (3DS Max) was developed by Autodesk, is one of the gold standard programs for 3D modeling, animation, and graphical rendering.

Everyone has their favorite tool, and below we outline some of the most popular CAD programs.

Designing 3D parts is tough, but with good software it become easier.

Best simple cad programs