I am currently on win10 but have been toying with mint and liking it. I intend on fully switching over soon. I have also been toying with the idea of some simple 3D modeling, like making custom parts for projects around my house. Maybe using a CAD software to generate stls for a 3D print or using it to spec out parts for a design made out of aluminum extrusion (like 8020) little things like that. I was thinking about getting a solidworks hobbyist license for 45 a year but solidworks doesn’t support Linux. I could keep a Windows dual boot HDD, but removed that. Any suggestions on a CAD software that fits? Have a gaming PC with a 3060 and some beefy hardware.

    • hungover_pilot@lemmy.world
      13·
      8 months ago

      +1 for openscad. I switched over from Fusion 360 back when autodesk changed the personal use license in 2020.

      It takes a bit to get used to it, but once you’ve made a few parts you begin to see how powerful it can really be.

      Its also super lightweight, so you can run it on most systems without any issues. I’ve ran in on a chromebook before.

      The only thing I miss about fusion 360 is an easy way to add fillets to parts, that can be tricky in openscad. I use chamfers for the most part though, so I don’t miss it much.

      • nyan@sh.itjust.works
        3·
        8 months ago

        The only thing I miss about fusion 360 is an easy way to add fillets to parts, that can be tricky in openscad. I use chamfers for the most part though, so I don’t miss it much.

        There’s an OpenSCAD add-on lib called BOSL that offers primitives with built-in fillet options (plus a wide array of other stuff, like premodeled metric bolts). Admittedly it spends a lot of time reinventing the wheel, but I’ve found it useful from time to time.