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CAD software for 3D printing


Bumblebee08

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Last weekend I've been looking for more info on CAD-software to design a case/enclosure for multiple dongles with a Raspberry Pi. I've seen dozens of possibilities, but have no idea which tool to choose. This is what I am looking for;

- Software to design enclosures for PCB's

- Preferably free/open-source

- Not cloud based

- For use with an Ultimaker printer (compatible file types: STL, OBJ, X3D, 3MF, BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG)

Hopefully someone has any tips about good software to use for creating enclosures for various types of hardware. Looking forward to hearing the experiences in using different CAD-software and recommendations. What software does Hak5 uses to create the enclosures for the different products for sale? Thanks!

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Whats your experience with CAD software? 

  • I know Fusion 360 does not meet two of your four requirements (It is cloud based but can be cached offline, it is free - not open source) but it is very easy to use and a lot of documentation online to help you learn if you are new to CAD.  Not the best software if you want to edit STLs but great if you want to design then export STLs for printing.  
     
  • FreeCAD is a good option as well but it is better suited for someone with some CAD experience or if a beginner plan to do a lot of reading/videos to learn.  It has a ton of features and addons that make it very versatile but just not always the easiest to use.
     
  • OpenSCAD is another option but it is different from what some users know as CAD software as it is a programming style software.  It has some advantages like once a design program is written it can have editable parameters so others can easily change the design with just a few value changes.

There are other options as well but really comes down to desired features and your background in CAD software.

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Thanks, very helpful! 

I have no experience with CAD software, but I've seen some good video tutorials. FreeCAD seems like a good option! I'll give it a try and see how it works. In the end I guess the choice of software is based on personal preferences, but thanks for guiding me in the right direction for designing a custom enclosure for multiple dongles and a Raspberry Pi. 

I'm also interested to see other personal projects with 3d printed cases, so show 'em if you want, that would be awesome!

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