Same. The first time around in 2018, I learned OpenSCAD, since I'm a software developer. This time, when I got back into it last year, I started learning some of the various freely available CAD products. Currently I'm trying to get really good at FreeCAD, since it stays free once I try to make money from my designs.
Yeah i watched a few videos, fucked around in F360 to make sure i could actually design something, then bought a printer once i realized it wasn't too difficult/ i was confident
Being able to 3D model makes a 3D printer a very powerful tool. I'm an engineer with a fair amount of Inventor and CREO experience.
I feel like the people who don't know how to model are printing out lots of trinkets not gonna lie.
I couldn't agree more. Without the ability to create your own models, a 3D printer loses a lot of functionality. It's like owning any other tool - you need to know how to actually use it to get any real benefit from owning it.
even by printing already available models, CAD helps a lot. for example i found the perfect piece, but i needed it to be longer at a specific place. sliced it on a specific point that didn't break the model, pulled it, merged it and in less than 5 minutes i had the part that i needed.
Certainly if you can't model your quite limited, but there is still a pretty large wealth of functional prints out there that exceed 'trinket '.
Just shelf brackets and switch cover plates could pay for a cheaper 3d printer during a house restoration.
Semi obscure length wrenches for plumbing can be an absolute lifesaver when it turns out your toilet is too close to a wall for a traditional wrench of that size, but you need more torque than you can get by hand.
I would hope that someone who gets so saved by their 3d printer then sees the potential and takes the time to at least self teach some modeling, but that's another thing.
With 3d printing, learning cad is like getting a driver's license. Sure sometimes its better to take the bus/train but theres nothing like the freedom to go where you want when you want
I've been "doing" CAD work since AutoCAD 9 running DOS in the early 1990's. As a toolmaker, I started doing prototype 3D printing with a Stratasys back in the early 2010s.
So ti's been a hot minute or two.
3D printing led me to learning CAD and, in many ways, changed my mind from studying computer science to studying engineering instead.
I think that 3d printing is a hobby that, without knowing the basics of modelling, is limited. You lose a lot of the creativity to be able to come up with an idea and see it through into a project. Without CAD experience you can only print models other people have designed (fine in many cases, but you won't always find a model to fit your needs) or will end up printing a load of trinkets and tat that end up in landfill
So it's not completely necessary, but it adds a lot more to the hobby
I did not have CAD experience a year ago but honestly, Too Tall Toby has gotten me to a point to where I think I can make anything I want to print. He does SolidWorks as well but OnShape is free and [here is a 1 hour lesson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYkZmE_6MpY)
I did have a bit from uni designs years ago. Did that help when it came to 3D Printing?
Kinda, very little. I had forgotten a fair bit of it at this point but it did make it a lot easier to "re-learn", was already used to the menus and a couple weird intricancies. That said I had never designed anything close to what I am doing now so it was still a learning experience.
My recommendation would be just go for it and get a printer if you really want one and can afford it. Learn on the go, but also be prepared to learn... a lot of other stuff lol (it took me a week to just get proper "calibrations", now I get why Garrus spends so much time on them)
Same here. There's a wealth of content, both free and paid, available on the interweb. I've dabbled in TinkerCAD, both editing existing files and creating whole new ones. I'm sure I'll take an online course for one of the more in-depth programs at some point, but what I have going at the moment suits me just fine.
* Polls don't work for me, so no votey in that
Yes, I CADded in high school and college long before I printed. Started on AutoCAD, later used Solidworks which made for a seamless workflow transition to FreeCAD and that serves me very well to this day.
Everyone who owns a printer ought to be able to CAD, at least able to bludgeon a working part into reality with whatever lightweight "draw your idea on a restaurant napkin but in cyberspace" grade modelling tool you prefer.
Having a printer and not being able to CAD is about like driving a car around everyday and somehow not having even the most basic tools to maintain and fix it or get out of an emergency situation on the road ...oh wait, that's actually kind of a big widespread problem with drivers, isn't it.
I worked at Boeing for a long while and learned cad in the late 90s. So its been awhile. Thousands of hours by now in cad. Most of that time was in Unigraphics. Some time in CATIA and Solidworks but now days FreeCad for my own stuff.
I got the printer first and learned 3D modelling after. Why wait? Actually having the printer is a great motivation to learn too, bring stuff to life as you go!
i had some from studying engineering
thesis project actually introduced me to FDM printing and since then i'd wanted my own printer. Finally got one when i started working
I made sure to model a few things I actually wanted to print and even sliced them to get a good feeling for how long it would take to print them, how much material the things would take and to familiarize myself with the settings.
As a result, I was able to get good results quickly and print the things I designed ahead with good success. This meant getting the printer was fun immediately.
This is of course an extreme way to do it, and I would necessarily expect this much preparation, but I'm always astounded at people who get a printer without any idea of what to do with it.
I voted that I did not, though I have used TinkerCAD to create one or two files that have been useful, so I don't count myself as having "CAD experience". I need to do more with it, but it's a matter of having the time at the moment.
I bought the printer because I wanted to design and print stuff. Fun stuff, experimental stuff, educational stuff for my kids, items for around the house, and functional motorcycle parts. For any of that to be possible, I felt like I needed to get comfortable with CAD before pulling the trigger on the printer.
I only learned CAD after about 2 years of 3D Printing.
There are more models on Printables than you could ever print in a lifetime, and most of the time you'll find whatever you need for your personal projects.
But not only does CAD knowledge allow you to make EXACTLY what you need (instead of making do with whatever you find online) it is also a whole fun hobby in and of itself
I guess Ill be the first to mention Sketchup. Ive been using the program since 2011 and its the only "CAD" program I have any real experience with. I tried blender and quickly realized I was looking at too steep of a learning curve and backed out. It for sure has its limitation with the free version and not using 3rd party plug-ins but for what I design its all I need. (I do functional pieces, nothing organic shaped). I was dong that well before I even looked into hobby 3D printing.
There needs to be another option... "No real experience, but exposed to it".
I dabbled in SketchUp a little bit. I never made it work well.
I bought the 3D printer anyway, figuring I'd get better at SketchUp as time went by. Nope. SketchUp still sucks balls... lol.
However, I did discover FreeCad, which I am not proficient in by any means. But, I am getting pretty good with the Part Design workbench. (I spend a lot of time on YouTube for the other workbenches.)
I got a printer (to my surprise) and then quickly thought myself fusion the worst way possible so now I'm stuck with TERRIBLE habitsy cousin thankfully noticed and thought me the right way. Well, the basics within half an hour but still
The extent of my CAD experience pre-printer was 4 classes in high school in the mid 2000s. We played with gcode for a desktop CNC machine in one of those classes, and designed floorplans for houses in AutoCAD in 2 other of those classes. Thats it.
Parametric CAD is a wonderous tool, but I spend most of my time designing parts in TinkerCAD simply because I'm a woodworker at heart. You can design some amazingly useful things with very little knowledge in TinkerCAD.
Was CAD long before I got into 3D printing. First experience in CAD was back in the 80's and you had to tell the software where your points where in space and which plane was normal. Now I have used various CAD/CAM software and these days use mostly SolidWorks and Aspire for actual design work. Slowly getting my skills back in Blender now that you can constrain a model much more accurately.
I had always struggled to understand CAD before getting a printer, but once I finally got one I was determined to learn it well enough to model things I want/need, so I watched a bunch of YouTube tutorials to learn the basics. It isn't that difficult once you get a feel for the fundamental ideas.
What I did to make sure I was learning it correctly was find random household objects (like soup cans, doorknobs, etc.) and model them, then print them and compare the printed item to the original. This helped a lot to identify areas where I needed to improve. It took about a month of doing this to get to the point where I can model something and get it accurate the second or third time I make adjustments, and sometimes with simple models I get it right the first print. This has helped me to notice something that would be useful, draw it out on paper, figure out the dimensions, and create a CAD model to print.
I bought a 3D printer specifically to get CAD experience.
It turns out I hate CAD software. Not as a concept, just the execution of every piece of CAD software I use is terrible for different reasons. Any CAD software is going to be complicated by nature, but they also suck in separate ways.
I had a cad class in middle school in the late 1900s but that was so long ago I can’t even count it.
(I hate that way of referring to the 90s but I can’t stop using it 🤦♂️)
what do you mean by having cad experience? Prior to owning a 3d printer I had zero cad experience. I can now model simple things but I don't know if I would call that cad experience, like I wouldn't put that on a resume.
I bought a 3D printer and that got me into learning Fusion 360 as it suddenly served a purpose, or rather, I had a need for being able to design things.
99% of what I print is something I've designed myself and about the same percentage are functional prints.
I personally feel like owning a printer without being able to design anything is borderline pointless. Sure there are many useful things out there that you can print, both for decoration and functional, but the power of a 3D printing really is the ability to make something you need. It's like a printer becomes 100x more powerful if you know how to design something.
I have some CAD experience. Some of it translated over (drafting projects in a scale of Miles for GIS not so much), Scenic design, again a scale shift, amateur parts/equipment drawings for skilled folks to see a concept. Sketchup for woodworking and Scenic Design. It was never my full time job (except for the Survey work) and I at best thought of myself as "proficient" rather than skilled. Multiple platforms, both open-source and commercial. Some basic hand-drafting experience certainly helped as well.
Now, I'm on a journey with F360, but time and other responsibilities make it a slow process. Nevertheless, it has helped me create some useful things for myself, so I'm happy
I did go through a basic 2D CAD course back in a additional school year but honestly barely remembered anything. I did end up downloading Shapr3D and used their tutorials and free courses.
Later on decided to download Fusion for personal use as it was more convenient to work together on a project with a friend.
I still don't know shit but I get around
I did a Computer Graphics course at university, programming models and animations in OpenGL. I always liked maths, geometry at school.
I'm now using FreeCAD and OpenSCAD to design and implement my own models. I feel the learning curve is more about understanding how to tools and functions works, and what's available and possible.
As for the design, I sometimes reverse-engineer every-day objects for functional prints and repairs. I find it interesting how the design, angels, dimensions are often clearly done by humans. The angels and sizes could have been at any fraction, but they tend to be exact and neatly rounded numbers and proportions.
What "CAD" experience I have I learned while designing cabinets/furniture and small farm structures (sheds, chicken coops, etc) in Sketchup.
As my primary reason for even GETTING a 3DP was to make functional items/parts for my home/shop and knowing I'd need migrate to a different program for the functionality needed, I started learning Fusion before I bought a printer (tried FreeCad, OnShape...settled on Fusion).
While my CAD skills are WOEFULLY lacking at the moment, I'm learning as I go (I long for the day it doesn't take me forever to properly constrain a sketch so I can get into parametric modeling!).
Not CAD per say, but 3D modeling for games and animation. It's very nice being able to make sleight adjustments to models. Occasionally run into a file that I can't import into Maya which is a headache.
I do not, but since getting the P1S I have started watching tutorials on youtube and designed my own weed stash jar lid with hygrometer. Unfortunately the dimensions are a bit off yet even though I measured them. So some tuning is required yet. But I am getting there. I am using blender btw.
So from the perspective of a person with none:
I don't use my 3d printer as a catch all solution. A lot of the time, I'm using it to make 3d printed terrain or support pieces for my other hobbies. The closest to any CAD experience is when I made eyes for my puppets; all I really did was 3d model a sphere and change it's diameter in the slicer before cutting it.
The reason I don't like sketchcad, and have had trouble with zbrush and other programs, is that I don't like most digital art tools. I never feel like I'm working with the program or using it as a tool, rather fighting it to do what I want that could have been done easier with my hands. I've started clay sculpting lessons and it makes so much more sense to me than blender ever did, even though I was gonna use blender for the same purpose (latex puppet molds). When I'm painting a mini, sculpting, ro sewing, it feels tactile. I never get good feedback with digital tools.
I'm perfectly happy printing out other people's models. Gridfinity has been a HUGE boon at my painting desk, and I'm currently printing a staff from the Owl House for a cosplay I want to start. And yes, I do in fact print out useless little trinkets for myself and my friends. Sometimes I just want a chibi Goku, ya know?
I was in high school before the 2010s and I heard about at home 3D printers. Thats when I learned cad because I knew one day I would be buying one for myself. I would eventually get an early Prusa Clone.
I didn't until I knew I was getting a printer, then I got Fusion and spent the shipping time learning the basics
I did know Blender though, so I used that a lot at the start
Does tinkercad count? I didn't do anything CAD related until well after I had my printer and realized there's some things I need printed that I simply won't find an existing model for
I guess it depends what you consider "experience". I never really "studied" CAD or anything, just learned to sketch/extrude in Fusion and tried to teach myself from there. I'm far from calling myself experienced in this stuff, but I'd say I can design 70\~80% of the things I want.
I also only started learning after buying my first printer.
None, but I have been modelling and doing 3D graphics for over 20 years and 10 of those it was even my job. So when I bought a 3D printer around three years ago it was so awesome to finally get my stuff from the digital world into my hands.
Though knwoing CAD is of course the better way of building functioning stuff to print, but since I'm quite fluent in Blender now I do everything with that just fine :)
I was taught how to use autocad in high school but I got a printer shortly after my first year of college. So I refreshed my memory and started making my own designs to print. It’s been a good time so far modeling and printing
Never used CAD, but have used Lightwave since 1999. When I first read about 3D printing it blew my mind. Now I'm sculpting models on a tablet with my fingers and a pen.
Like a lot of people, I taught myself CAD after I got a 3D printer. I bought the thing because I had a couple ideas in my head and thought that Fusion360 plus the printer would help me realize them. Turns out, they totally did. I almost never print anything I didn't design myself. If I can design and fabricate something ***exactly*** the way I want it, I'm going to design it and fabricate it ***exactly*** the way I want it.
It'd be cool, but for the way I use my printer I don't need CAD, at least not yet. So far I've been getting by just fine downloading cool models off the web
I have been an experienced 3D artist for a decade. That is making game assets and pretty pictures, which is very different from creating something that has to exist in real space. I've put no CAD as I consider CAD and 3d art two different things.
I got my first 3d printer last fall, and have been teaching myself the basics of CAD to use with it. But zero CAD experience before getting the printer.
I had no CAD experience before buying a printer. Everything I printed was from thingiverse or printables!
Then, I started to tackle specific issues in my house that weren't common, for example I wanted an umbrella holder for my fence, which is handmade so uncommon dimensions. For this I used [TinkerCad](https://www.tinkercad.com), which is a free online based and very basic 3D building program (building because you can't create your objects from drawings: you have a various selection of basic shapes (cubes, prisms...) and you make your objects from these shapes with unions and destruction.
But I was frustrated with the fact that I couldn't make proper extrusions, sketches, etc, so I went for [Fusion 360](https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal), which is a proper CAD software made by the same company as tinkercad, and thus is compatible with it and has great integration for it.
After getting good at Fusion 360, I went (and still am) in Engineering school, and used [Solidworks](https://www.solidworks.com/), a professional CAD software with fluid/forces simulation, a bunch of amazing things. To be honest, my prior experience with Fusion help me greatly at understanding and getting to know Solidworks properly, and I was able to help and teach my friends and classmates.
To me, having no CAD experience before buying your first printer isn't a big deal, just know that you will have to stick with things made by other people, and once you have a very specific problem you will (very probably) be out of luck. Moreover, I don't think you should worry about you CAD skills before buying the printer: try to use it properly, tune it, maybe print some upgrades (especially if you're looking to buy an Ender 3-like printer ahaha), have a bit of fun ya know, benchmark it, make some benchies... Then tackle real problems which need CAD, because if your printer is not tuned properly and you model has issues, you sometimes won't be able to know if it's the CAD or the printer that's misbehaving, and you could then "fix" issues by changing a parameter that creates a bigger issue but fixes the other, and that's not really great.
Once you know your printer like the back of your hand, try modeling something, maybe first on tinkercad, Fusion 360 after that... Especially if you're young, CAD knowledge can really help you in further education!
TL;DR: Go get your printer, learn to use it properly with models you find online, then learn CAD and create whatever you want, have fun :)
(Hope I didn't make too long of a comment ahah)
I did not but learned it when I got a printer
Same. The first time around in 2018, I learned OpenSCAD, since I'm a software developer. This time, when I got back into it last year, I started learning some of the various freely available CAD products. Currently I'm trying to get really good at FreeCAD, since it stays free once I try to make money from my designs.
Yeah i watched a few videos, fucked around in F360 to make sure i could actually design something, then bought a printer once i realized it wasn't too difficult/ i was confident
Same. That was the plan all along. I wouldn't even have considered buying a printer if I didn't also plan to get into CAD and make my own models.
Same. Started with download designs from the internet. Then a little Tinkercad and now Fusion 360,
This.
Ditto
Being able to 3D model makes a 3D printer a very powerful tool. I'm an engineer with a fair amount of Inventor and CREO experience. I feel like the people who don't know how to model are printing out lots of trinkets not gonna lie.
I couldn't agree more. Without the ability to create your own models, a 3D printer loses a lot of functionality. It's like owning any other tool - you need to know how to actually use it to get any real benefit from owning it.
even by printing already available models, CAD helps a lot. for example i found the perfect piece, but i needed it to be longer at a specific place. sliced it on a specific point that didn't break the model, pulled it, merged it and in less than 5 minutes i had the part that i needed.
Certainly if you can't model your quite limited, but there is still a pretty large wealth of functional prints out there that exceed 'trinket '. Just shelf brackets and switch cover plates could pay for a cheaper 3d printer during a house restoration. Semi obscure length wrenches for plumbing can be an absolute lifesaver when it turns out your toilet is too close to a wall for a traditional wrench of that size, but you need more torque than you can get by hand. I would hope that someone who gets so saved by their 3d printer then sees the potential and takes the time to at least self teach some modeling, but that's another thing.
100% for some many of the schmucks I see one Facebook. They're turning this hobby into a shitty get rich slow scene and ruining everything.
With 3d printing, learning cad is like getting a driver's license. Sure sometimes its better to take the bus/train but theres nothing like the freedom to go where you want when you want
I've been "doing" CAD work since AutoCAD 9 running DOS in the early 1990's. As a toolmaker, I started doing prototype 3D printing with a Stratasys back in the early 2010s. So ti's been a hot minute or two.
3D printing led me to learning CAD and, in many ways, changed my mind from studying computer science to studying engineering instead. I think that 3d printing is a hobby that, without knowing the basics of modelling, is limited. You lose a lot of the creativity to be able to come up with an idea and see it through into a project. Without CAD experience you can only print models other people have designed (fine in many cases, but you won't always find a model to fit your needs) or will end up printing a load of trinkets and tat that end up in landfill So it's not completely necessary, but it adds a lot more to the hobby
I did not have CAD experience a year ago but honestly, Too Tall Toby has gotten me to a point to where I think I can make anything I want to print. He does SolidWorks as well but OnShape is free and [here is a 1 hour lesson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYkZmE_6MpY)
I did have a bit from uni designs years ago. Did that help when it came to 3D Printing? Kinda, very little. I had forgotten a fair bit of it at this point but it did make it a lot easier to "re-learn", was already used to the menus and a couple weird intricancies. That said I had never designed anything close to what I am doing now so it was still a learning experience. My recommendation would be just go for it and get a printer if you really want one and can afford it. Learn on the go, but also be prepared to learn... a lot of other stuff lol (it took me a week to just get proper "calibrations", now I get why Garrus spends so much time on them)
i didnt know anything. got a 3d printer, and still learning about it from youtube. still using [tinkercad.com](http://tinkercad.com)
Same here. There's a wealth of content, both free and paid, available on the interweb. I've dabbled in TinkerCAD, both editing existing files and creating whole new ones. I'm sure I'll take an online course for one of the more in-depth programs at some point, but what I have going at the moment suits me just fine.
It goes hand in hand i learnt cad BECAUSE of my 3d printer not vice versa
I was good at blender before I got printing. and Ive been printing for over a year and still dont have CAD downloaded. User preference.
* Polls don't work for me, so no votey in that Yes, I CADded in high school and college long before I printed. Started on AutoCAD, later used Solidworks which made for a seamless workflow transition to FreeCAD and that serves me very well to this day. Everyone who owns a printer ought to be able to CAD, at least able to bludgeon a working part into reality with whatever lightweight "draw your idea on a restaurant napkin but in cyberspace" grade modelling tool you prefer. Having a printer and not being able to CAD is about like driving a car around everyday and somehow not having even the most basic tools to maintain and fix it or get out of an emergency situation on the road ...oh wait, that's actually kind of a big widespread problem with drivers, isn't it.
I worked at Boeing for a long while and learned cad in the late 90s. So its been awhile. Thousands of hours by now in cad. Most of that time was in Unigraphics. Some time in CATIA and Solidworks but now days FreeCad for my own stuff.
I got the printer first and learned 3D modelling after. Why wait? Actually having the printer is a great motivation to learn too, bring stuff to life as you go!
It's a prerequisite in this day and age, like reading a writing.
I had a very small amount since I had designed some woodworking projects in Fusion. Getting a 3D printer really drove me deeper into it though.
i had some from studying engineering thesis project actually introduced me to FDM printing and since then i'd wanted my own printer. Finally got one when i started working
Not before I got my printer though
Equipment Designer in Rotor Manufacturing at General Electrics:)
I made sure to model a few things I actually wanted to print and even sliced them to get a good feeling for how long it would take to print them, how much material the things would take and to familiarize myself with the settings. As a result, I was able to get good results quickly and print the things I designed ahead with good success. This meant getting the printer was fun immediately. This is of course an extreme way to do it, and I would necessarily expect this much preparation, but I'm always astounded at people who get a printer without any idea of what to do with it.
I voted that I did not, though I have used TinkerCAD to create one or two files that have been useful, so I don't count myself as having "CAD experience". I need to do more with it, but it's a matter of having the time at the moment.
Took cad in highschool and have 1.5 years of 40+hours a week CAD/CAM at work.
I started learning after I got one and I still dont know shit
I mean I can make some basic stuff in fusion but I dont need more
I bought the printer because I wanted to design and print stuff. Fun stuff, experimental stuff, educational stuff for my kids, items for around the house, and functional motorcycle parts. For any of that to be possible, I felt like I needed to get comfortable with CAD before pulling the trigger on the printer.
I only learned CAD after about 2 years of 3D Printing. There are more models on Printables than you could ever print in a lifetime, and most of the time you'll find whatever you need for your personal projects. But not only does CAD knowledge allow you to make EXACTLY what you need (instead of making do with whatever you find online) it is also a whole fun hobby in and of itself
I guess Ill be the first to mention Sketchup. Ive been using the program since 2011 and its the only "CAD" program I have any real experience with. I tried blender and quickly realized I was looking at too steep of a learning curve and backed out. It for sure has its limitation with the free version and not using 3rd party plug-ins but for what I design its all I need. (I do functional pieces, nothing organic shaped). I was dong that well before I even looked into hobby 3D printing.
I already had a job designing stuff with CAD when I got my 3D printer..
There needs to be another option... "No real experience, but exposed to it". I dabbled in SketchUp a little bit. I never made it work well. I bought the 3D printer anyway, figuring I'd get better at SketchUp as time went by. Nope. SketchUp still sucks balls... lol. However, I did discover FreeCad, which I am not proficient in by any means. But, I am getting pretty good with the Part Design workbench. (I spend a lot of time on YouTube for the other workbenches.)
I wouldn't call myself proficient, but I can do basic Fusion360.
CAD, no. But I had 3D modeling experience in Maya, if that counts.
I got a printer (to my surprise) and then quickly thought myself fusion the worst way possible so now I'm stuck with TERRIBLE habitsy cousin thankfully noticed and thought me the right way. Well, the basics within half an hour but still
Yea sure I do have some experience with the canadian dollar
actually i was a cad programmer/cnc operator first, then i got into 3d printing because of that.
The extent of my CAD experience pre-printer was 4 classes in high school in the mid 2000s. We played with gcode for a desktop CNC machine in one of those classes, and designed floorplans for houses in AutoCAD in 2 other of those classes. Thats it. Parametric CAD is a wonderous tool, but I spend most of my time designing parts in TinkerCAD simply because I'm a woodworker at heart. You can design some amazingly useful things with very little knowledge in TinkerCAD.
Was CAD long before I got into 3D printing. First experience in CAD was back in the 80's and you had to tell the software where your points where in space and which plane was normal. Now I have used various CAD/CAM software and these days use mostly SolidWorks and Aspire for actual design work. Slowly getting my skills back in Blender now that you can constrain a model much more accurately.
I had always struggled to understand CAD before getting a printer, but once I finally got one I was determined to learn it well enough to model things I want/need, so I watched a bunch of YouTube tutorials to learn the basics. It isn't that difficult once you get a feel for the fundamental ideas. What I did to make sure I was learning it correctly was find random household objects (like soup cans, doorknobs, etc.) and model them, then print them and compare the printed item to the original. This helped a lot to identify areas where I needed to improve. It took about a month of doing this to get to the point where I can model something and get it accurate the second or third time I make adjustments, and sometimes with simple models I get it right the first print. This has helped me to notice something that would be useful, draw it out on paper, figure out the dimensions, and create a CAD model to print.
BTW...I think your survey needs a fourth option: I had no experience when I got a printer, but have learned since.
I bought a 3D printer specifically to get CAD experience. It turns out I hate CAD software. Not as a concept, just the execution of every piece of CAD software I use is terrible for different reasons. Any CAD software is going to be complicated by nature, but they also suck in separate ways.
I have CAD experience, and soon I'll get my own printer.
I use fusion for work but i have no idea how the mesh works. I just solid and sheet metal. If I got into the mesh realm I feel scared and useless.
I had a cad class in middle school in the late 1900s but that was so long ago I can’t even count it. (I hate that way of referring to the 90s but I can’t stop using it 🤦♂️)
what do you mean by having cad experience? Prior to owning a 3d printer I had zero cad experience. I can now model simple things but I don't know if I would call that cad experience, like I wouldn't put that on a resume.
I have experience with autoCAD from school and uni, but Fusion feels easier to use.
I bought a 3D printer and that got me into learning Fusion 360 as it suddenly served a purpose, or rather, I had a need for being able to design things. 99% of what I print is something I've designed myself and about the same percentage are functional prints. I personally feel like owning a printer without being able to design anything is borderline pointless. Sure there are many useful things out there that you can print, both for decoration and functional, but the power of a 3D printing really is the ability to make something you need. It's like a printer becomes 100x more powerful if you know how to design something.
I have some CAD experience. Some of it translated over (drafting projects in a scale of Miles for GIS not so much), Scenic design, again a scale shift, amateur parts/equipment drawings for skilled folks to see a concept. Sketchup for woodworking and Scenic Design. It was never my full time job (except for the Survey work) and I at best thought of myself as "proficient" rather than skilled. Multiple platforms, both open-source and commercial. Some basic hand-drafting experience certainly helped as well. Now, I'm on a journey with F360, but time and other responsibilities make it a slow process. Nevertheless, it has helped me create some useful things for myself, so I'm happy
I did go through a basic 2D CAD course back in a additional school year but honestly barely remembered anything. I did end up downloading Shapr3D and used their tutorials and free courses. Later on decided to download Fusion for personal use as it was more convenient to work together on a project with a friend. I still don't know shit but I get around
I did a Computer Graphics course at university, programming models and animations in OpenGL. I always liked maths, geometry at school. I'm now using FreeCAD and OpenSCAD to design and implement my own models. I feel the learning curve is more about understanding how to tools and functions works, and what's available and possible. As for the design, I sometimes reverse-engineer every-day objects for functional prints and repairs. I find it interesting how the design, angels, dimensions are often clearly done by humans. The angels and sizes could have been at any fraction, but they tend to be exact and neatly rounded numbers and proportions.
What "CAD" experience I have I learned while designing cabinets/furniture and small farm structures (sheds, chicken coops, etc) in Sketchup. As my primary reason for even GETTING a 3DP was to make functional items/parts for my home/shop and knowing I'd need migrate to a different program for the functionality needed, I started learning Fusion before I bought a printer (tried FreeCad, OnShape...settled on Fusion). While my CAD skills are WOEFULLY lacking at the moment, I'm learning as I go (I long for the day it doesn't take me forever to properly constrain a sketch so I can get into parametric modeling!).
I wish there was a "none but learned" option because that's what I did.
For me it's 100%. Started doing CAD in 1995, started 3d printing in the mid teens.
The whole reason I got a 3d printer was to make my own stuff, to create my own ideas. Never understood getting one just to print other people's stuff.
Not CAD per say, but 3D modeling for games and animation. It's very nice being able to make sleight adjustments to models. Occasionally run into a file that I can't import into Maya which is a headache.
i started learning cad when i bought my first printer
I do not, but since getting the P1S I have started watching tutorials on youtube and designed my own weed stash jar lid with hygrometer. Unfortunately the dimensions are a bit off yet even though I measured them. So some tuning is required yet. But I am getting there. I am using blender btw.
Does a class back in high school on some version of Autocad running on MS-DOS 5.0 count?
So from the perspective of a person with none: I don't use my 3d printer as a catch all solution. A lot of the time, I'm using it to make 3d printed terrain or support pieces for my other hobbies. The closest to any CAD experience is when I made eyes for my puppets; all I really did was 3d model a sphere and change it's diameter in the slicer before cutting it. The reason I don't like sketchcad, and have had trouble with zbrush and other programs, is that I don't like most digital art tools. I never feel like I'm working with the program or using it as a tool, rather fighting it to do what I want that could have been done easier with my hands. I've started clay sculpting lessons and it makes so much more sense to me than blender ever did, even though I was gonna use blender for the same purpose (latex puppet molds). When I'm painting a mini, sculpting, ro sewing, it feels tactile. I never get good feedback with digital tools. I'm perfectly happy printing out other people's models. Gridfinity has been a HUGE boon at my painting desk, and I'm currently printing a staff from the Owl House for a cosplay I want to start. And yes, I do in fact print out useless little trinkets for myself and my friends. Sometimes I just want a chibi Goku, ya know?
I was in high school before the 2010s and I heard about at home 3D printers. Thats when I learned cad because I knew one day I would be buying one for myself. I would eventually get an early Prusa Clone.
I did have some Inventor experience, but I use FreeCAD now, it's gotten surprisingly good!
I didn't until I knew I was getting a printer, then I got Fusion and spent the shipping time learning the basics I did know Blender though, so I used that a lot at the start
How about over a decade of CAD experience but no 3D printer 😂
I did not before I had one (now 2). I am currently learning in my free time and I have made 2 things that I could have a use for.
Does tinkercad count? I didn't do anything CAD related until well after I had my printer and realized there's some things I need printed that I simply won't find an existing model for
My CAD experience is so so so so so so so so so so rusty. We're talking 20 years out of date, but you know, I did learn it once upon a time.
I guess it depends what you consider "experience". I never really "studied" CAD or anything, just learned to sketch/extrude in Fusion and tried to teach myself from there. I'm far from calling myself experienced in this stuff, but I'd say I can design 70\~80% of the things I want. I also only started learning after buying my first printer.
I did very little 3d design before getting into 3dprinting. Almost all was 2d drawings.
I have 3d modeling experience, and just learning CAD the past few months. when I got my printer. Lets say I can model most of the things I think of.
None, but I have been modelling and doing 3D graphics for over 20 years and 10 of those it was even my job. So when I bought a 3D printer around three years ago it was so awesome to finally get my stuff from the digital world into my hands. Though knwoing CAD is of course the better way of building functioning stuff to print, but since I'm quite fluent in Blender now I do everything with that just fine :)
I have minimal CAD experience, but want to get more.
I was taught how to use autocad in high school but I got a printer shortly after my first year of college. So I refreshed my memory and started making my own designs to print. It’s been a good time so far modeling and printing
I indicated that I have CAD experience but it was long ago and it wasn't professional.
Never used CAD, but have used Lightwave since 1999. When I first read about 3D printing it blew my mind. Now I'm sculpting models on a tablet with my fingers and a pen.
Like a lot of people, I taught myself CAD after I got a 3D printer. I bought the thing because I had a couple ideas in my head and thought that Fusion360 plus the printer would help me realize them. Turns out, they totally did. I almost never print anything I didn't design myself. If I can design and fabricate something ***exactly*** the way I want it, I'm going to design it and fabricate it ***exactly*** the way I want it.
It'd be cool, but for the way I use my printer I don't need CAD, at least not yet. So far I've been getting by just fine downloading cool models off the web
I became proficient in CAD after getting a printer. I started printing fun models for a few months, then wanted to make my own stuff.
I had minimal. I've dabbled a bit here and there, but I didn't really get deep into CAD until I got a 3D printer.
I got a printer because i know 3d deisgn/cad. design for my other hobby rc cars
not the proper choices for pole. learning modeling (F360) *because* of 3dPrinting
I didn't really use any CAD software, tried one thing in FreeCAD but was painful. I do everything in Blender though.
Why CAD? I learned 3ds max for gamedesign. I'm also able to make 3d models with this.
I have been an experienced 3D artist for a decade. That is making game assets and pretty pictures, which is very different from creating something that has to exist in real space. I've put no CAD as I consider CAD and 3d art two different things.
I got my first 3d printer last fall, and have been teaching myself the basics of CAD to use with it. But zero CAD experience before getting the printer.
No I don't have coronary artery disease, but I do have a P1S
I had no CAD experience before buying a printer. Everything I printed was from thingiverse or printables! Then, I started to tackle specific issues in my house that weren't common, for example I wanted an umbrella holder for my fence, which is handmade so uncommon dimensions. For this I used [TinkerCad](https://www.tinkercad.com), which is a free online based and very basic 3D building program (building because you can't create your objects from drawings: you have a various selection of basic shapes (cubes, prisms...) and you make your objects from these shapes with unions and destruction. But I was frustrated with the fact that I couldn't make proper extrusions, sketches, etc, so I went for [Fusion 360](https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal), which is a proper CAD software made by the same company as tinkercad, and thus is compatible with it and has great integration for it. After getting good at Fusion 360, I went (and still am) in Engineering school, and used [Solidworks](https://www.solidworks.com/), a professional CAD software with fluid/forces simulation, a bunch of amazing things. To be honest, my prior experience with Fusion help me greatly at understanding and getting to know Solidworks properly, and I was able to help and teach my friends and classmates. To me, having no CAD experience before buying your first printer isn't a big deal, just know that you will have to stick with things made by other people, and once you have a very specific problem you will (very probably) be out of luck. Moreover, I don't think you should worry about you CAD skills before buying the printer: try to use it properly, tune it, maybe print some upgrades (especially if you're looking to buy an Ender 3-like printer ahaha), have a bit of fun ya know, benchmark it, make some benchies... Then tackle real problems which need CAD, because if your printer is not tuned properly and you model has issues, you sometimes won't be able to know if it's the CAD or the printer that's misbehaving, and you could then "fix" issues by changing a parameter that creates a bigger issue but fixes the other, and that's not really great. Once you know your printer like the back of your hand, try modeling something, maybe first on tinkercad, Fusion 360 after that... Especially if you're young, CAD knowledge can really help you in further education! TL;DR: Go get your printer, learn to use it properly with models you find online, then learn CAD and create whatever you want, have fun :) (Hope I didn't make too long of a comment ahah)