Transform any drawings, photos and sketches into 3d printable files with MakerBot's Shape Maker Tool
Though Autodesk make a number of different software for various industries, TinkerCAD is perfect for beginners who want to play around with 3D design software and maybe make something cool. You can then export your models as STL files or any other file format, and send them to a 3D printer to be 3D printed. It is another great printing and modeling software that is a perfect mix of usability and functionality. SketchUp is a drawing based popular 3D printing tool for designing 3D models that offer a. Watch the following 3d printing video demo on a new 3d printing design software called shape maker tool by MakerBot to convert any drawing into 3d printable file. Discover the best CAD, CAM, and other software for your 3D printing projects. Compare current software to find the best tools for your 3D design applications. Some platforms create models that will need to be repaired after printing. Lastly, CAD software for 3D printing should also be easy to use when modeling and creating objects. Having seen what makes CAD software ideal for 3D printing, let's take a look at the best options.
MakerBot introduced a new iPad app alias Shape Maker tool that is an upgraded part of the MakerBot's free PrintShop App. By applying this newest 3d modeling app, the users will be able to transform their drawings, photos, sketches as well as screen captures into the 3d printable files.
With the in-built camera of the app, the users can snap a photograph from any drawing or sketch (the drawing or sketch must be bold with higher resolution). As soon as the photograph is taken, the users can use the option to extrude the shape according to their preferred depth.
This new 3d design tool will facilitate the users to produce 3d designs out of any 2d drawing easily and make them 3d printable.
This 3d printing app will be a great resource for classrooms which apply a 3D printer as part of their STEM curriculum.
The new Shape Maker Tool is accessible in iTunes for download on iPad.
The users can download it from MakerBot.com/PrintShop
Watch the following online demo of this newly launched 3d design tool.
Best 3D Modeling Software for Mac: 3D Printing with Mac OS
Free Drawing Software
Not all 3D modeling software is available for every operating system. That's why we compiled a list of the most popular 3D design programs for Mac users. Read on to discover the top 20!
The list of the most used 3D design software for Mac (see below) is based upon our list of the 25 most popular 3D modeling programs. However, we excluded software that is not available or not suitable for the Mac OS. This leaves us with the ultimate 3D modeling list for Macintosh users.
The Ranking: 3D Modeling Software for Mac Users
The two most used 3D modeling software programs for Macintosh devices are freeware program Blender (score: 80) and freemium software SketchUp (75). Blender is known for its enormous design freedom and its endless number of tools and functions – however, it's also known for its steep learning curve. SketchUp, on the other hand, is said to be rather beginner-friendly and great for architectural and geometric objects. However, it's not suited for creating organic structures.
Next come three programs from the Autodesk family: its professional high-end programs AutoCAD (59) and Maya (59) as well as its beginner-friendly free-to-use online app Tinkercad (51) all score well with Mac users. ZBrush (49), a professional 3D sculpting software, comes in 6th. Its free light version, named Sculptris (19), made it to rank 15.
After ZBrush, Cinema 4D (43), 123D Design (42), OpenSCAD (38), and Rhinoceros (36) complete the list of the top 10.
Screenshot of SketchUp, a popular 3D modeling software with Mac users.
The Popularity Score for 3D Modeling Programs
3d Print Drawing Software
We calculated the popularity of a 3D modeling software for Mac based on their ‘popularity score' in the 3D printing community. The popularity score consists of mentions and fans on social media, page authority, forum mentions, video mentions, 3D printing database mentions, and Google results. This score is especially helpful if you're looking for a modeling software for Mac that is widely used for 3D printing, so you can be assured of an online community to brainstorm with and help you out if you get stuck.
3D Design Programs that Won't Run on Apple's Mac
Most 3D design programs are available for Windows and Mac users alike. However, some 3D design software that is not available for Mac OS includes Solidworks (62), 3DS Max (55), and Inventor (55). While these are not many, they still represent quite popular 3D modeling software packages. In our original list which includes all platforms, these programs ranked 3rd, 6th, and 7th among the most popular.
Drawing
Some good news to end with: there are more and more options for Mac users. For example, Rhino 5 is available for Mac. Since many 3D design apps run online now (browser-based), programs like Tinkercad and 3DTin are also accessible from any device. With Cheetah3D there's also a 3D design software which is exclusively available for Mac OS.
3d Printer Drawing Software Free
Are you new to the world of 3D modeling and 3D printing? Make sure to avoid these 5 common mistakes in order to create stunning designs. Do you already know how to create printable 3D files? Then simply upload them to our website, choose from more than 100 materials and finishes, and let us take care of printing your object.
