Autodesk MeshMixer vs. FreeCAD

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MeshMixer
Score 7.9 out of 10
N/A
MeshMixer is a 3D design and modeling tool for 3D printing or scanning, supported by Autodesk (acquired 2011). While not discontinued, the product will not receive updates and Autodesk states they intend to include all functionality in updates of Fusion 360.N/A
FreeCAD
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
FreeCAD is an open-source CAD software that specialized in 3D design. New features are added to FreeCAD by an active community of developers.N/A
Pricing
Autodesk MeshMixerFreeCAD
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MeshMixerFreeCAD
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Autodesk MeshMixerFreeCAD
Considered Both Products
MeshMixer

No answer on this topic

FreeCAD
Chose FreeCAD
Freecad is used often when receiving files from multiple sources and the need to work with cad in various forms from meshes to solid cad. Often when receiving scans of 3d objects the format is easy to work with and convert to traditional cad later on. There is no other cad …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
Autodesk MeshMixerFreeCAD
Small Businesses
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
AutoCAD
AutoCAD
Score 8.8 out of 10
AutoCAD
AutoCAD
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk MeshMixerFreeCAD
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk MeshMixerFreeCAD
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk
Autodesk MeshMixer is best for repairing STL files and basic modifications toward 3D printing. It is excellent for hollowing out models and adding escape holes for SLA printing or lost-wax casting. Its CSG (Boolean) functions to combine different meshes are good too and seldom cause the program to crash. There is even an integrated algorithm to optimize the layout of multiple files on a print bed in case of small-batch production. Autodesk MeshMixer's sculpting tools are there yet limited and there are a few better alternatives. Best of all, it is completely free.
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FreeCAD
It is a great cad software if you are wanting to try something without the commitment of a payment plan. It has the ability to do most of what other cad systems do and has some functionality that is way superior to other cad systems. It could be better with things like assemblies and larger part count developments
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Pros
Autodesk
  • Auto-repair function works fast, and if it does not completely cover all problem areas, manual fixes will work 99.5% of the time.
  • Remeshing algorithm is fairly slow but does a wonderful job in creating meshes with homogeneous or adaptive triangulation.
  • It contains a comprehensive set of tools to optimize and prepare STL files for 3D printing, such as hollowing and support generation.
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FreeCAD
  • Importing CAD formats
  • Converting mesh formats to solid and surface objects geometry
  • Fixing errors in geometry cad
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Cons
Autodesk
  • The remeshing tool needs to be faster, as in some cases it takes up to a day of waiting time.
  • The sculpting tools need the addition of a proper brush for creating sharp creases and ridges.
  • The standard shape library is rather limited. It would be nice to have this connected to online repositories such as Thingiverse, MyMiniFactory, or Cults3D.
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FreeCAD
  • Would be great if it was cloud based
  • If it had some basic analysis tools
  • Had a rendering function
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Alternatives Considered
Autodesk
Using Blender for STL file preparation is like swatting a mosquito with a wrecking ball, plus its boolean functionalities can be glitchy. ZBrushCoreMini proved too limiting as a sculpting tool, but so did Autodesk MeshMixer, so I am sticking to Sculptris. Materialise Magics and Netfabb are somewhat better at STL file repair and offer more advanced functionalities. But Magics does not remesh as well and Autodesk MeshMixer is far more compact and faster than Netfabb, so remains my weapon of choice.
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FreeCAD
Freecad is used often when receiving files from multiple sources and the need to work with cad in various forms from meshes to solid cad. Often when receiving scans of 3d objects the format is easy to work with and convert to traditional cad later on. There is no other cad that can bridge the gap between all the cad formats that we found yet.
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Return on Investment
Autodesk
  • It speeds up projects by streamlining the CAD-to-3D-printing workflow
  • As an advanced user, I have written a few tutorials about it as well
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FreeCAD
  • It has allowed us to do some cad work that no other systems has allowed us to do and is key to getting that done fast
  • It has lots of online support through forums and blogs for trouble shooting
  • It could have an updated interface to make the functionality more user friendly for first time users
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ScreenShots