Likelihood to Recommend 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.
Read full review TurboCAD is well suited to a smaller budget, it is by no means the best there is but for the money, it fills the gap. Being an
AutoCAD &
DraftSight user I find the user interface a little old and the lack of common drafting industry shortcut keys a bit of a hindrance. However this product, TurboCAD gets the job done, other packages like
DraftSight do not even come with an active 3D option on the cheaper end, standard license whereas TurboCAD does, even though it's a little clumsy to use.
Read full review Pros 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. Read full review Produces accurate drawings to scale, and with several ways to show the "views" to people in need of them at our factory. Relatively easy to use, once you understand the toolset. You can draw anything with it. Sending files to CNC machine shops to produce parts is easy with this program. Sending to mold making companies works out well. Just ask them what file format they want and TurboCAD can give it to them. James Arjuna Factory Engineer, Design Engineer, Research and Development Engineer
Read full review Cons 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. Read full review Hard to get onto your computer Bad UI Rendering Read full review Alternatives Considered 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.
Read full review TurboCAD is a well-priced solution for a small business, it comes standard with 3D modeling compared to
DraftSight which does not. The user interface could be updated along with industry-standard shortcut keys but for the number of drawings we do, this package fills the gap. The DXF / DWG feature could be worked on too, as above, trying to get in line with other packages like
AutoCAD &
DraftSight would make the whole package better. All in all, I believe that TurboCAD has a valid foothold in the CAD industry.
Read full review Return on Investment 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 Read full review Having issues with new employees learning how to build our products. The images are extremely helpful, in terms of training and making sure the products are built to our high standards. Saves untold time, because our factory is in Holland and many employees speak different languages. The photo renderings, speak everyone's language. Improved prototyping. We send parts out t0 be made by CNC and they come back nearly perfect for our needs. We have not used the 3D printing technology yet. Been waiting for that to develop better. The only negative impact is that people are reluctant to learn it because it takes a certain degree of intelligence to understand it. But if you are an engineer, it is easy to understand. James Arjuna Factory Engineer, Design Engineer, Research and Development Engineer
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