Like where is a good place to buy stl files online, so far ive only printed free files but i think i want to try those neat paid ones, im just not sure where to buy stl files from?
I mostly like useful prints like tools or anything that can help in day to day living.
What site would you suggest i checkout and why so?
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If your interest is in useful prints, I would highly recommend learning FreeCAD and just making your own to solve your own problems.
Nothing beats the feeling of trying to do something, wishing some tool exists to simplify the process, visualizing what that tool would look like in your own head, designing it yourself, and then watching it (a thing that, as far as you know, has never existed before) get printed into existence for the first time ever.
…
And then realizing that your design has some flaws and iterating over multiple versions as you make improvements. 😉
There are lots of excellent FreeCAD tutorial videos online targeting 3D printing.
How does freecad compare to tinkercad, i heard tinkercad is more for newcomers?
TinkerCAD is ok for simple shapes and basic functional parts. It works by adding or subtracting simple shapes together (cubes, cylinders etc) to make more complex shapes. It’s quick, easy and instinctive but anything slightly more complex than a dozen shapes grouped together and/or iterative designs quickly become a time consuming nightmare. It’s like trying to format a magazine in Word.
FreeCAD (or Fusion, OnShape, SolidWorks or any “serious” CAD software) use a parametric workflow. You start with a technical drawing by setting shapes, dimensions, angles and relationships (“constraints”), extrude or revolve this shape to create a solid, then continue by drawing another sketch on a face and adding more constraints, extruding this sketch, then… you get it. It has a much steeper learning curve, but once understood it’s much quicker and easier to build very complex shapes. Plus iterative designs are usually a breeze since everything is constrained together, so changing any dimension or angle in any sketch means the whole design will follow. It’s also trivial to add chamfers, filets, working with mirror and central symmetry etc. When designing functional parts, parametric design is the proper tool for the job.
They are vastly different, in tinkercad you mkstly operate with 3d primitives to make your model end result being an stl file. Freecad supports this workflow as well but their main loop is completely different, you draw your part in one dimension, then extrude it, then draw details in other dimensions and do operations on them, in the end you ideally get an model that can be easily modifable in every step. You can change for example hole diameter in your drawing and it will automatically propagate into model.
I just model nearly everything I print. The one time I purchased was from cults3d. I’m sure printable or anywhere else is fine too. Most of the paid ones just have better pictures but some are great designs imo
I really should learn 3d modeling for printing?
I think so. While it may seem daunting and very complex at first, getting the basics down in blender will get you pretty far. FreeCAD is another popular choice. They’re two very different ways of modeling, so I recommend trying out a tutorial for each and see which style works for you.
There’s also onshape which has a free tier (your files are public) and it’s web based so you can model on any platform. Or fusion 360 which comes from an annoying company but fine for little things. I’ve been using onshape for little things lately. I
don’t think I’d recommend blender to a newbie. It’s more involved and really takes time to learn. Similar for free CAD. I love the idea but it’s really clunky to use.
The best (imo) modeling software has a simple workflow with easy to find tools. Create a sketch, extrude that sketch, then do it again if needed, add holes etc…
I’ve never really found anything unique enough that I’ve felt the need to purchase it over a free option that is available. Frankly, these days I tend to get frustrated by all the obviously bad models out there and just use my CAD skill to properly design exactly what I want.
Also I’d never purchase just a STL file, I’m opposed to the format because it is so difficult to modify. I might consider buying a STEP file if it does something unique and useful to me while saving a bunch of modeling work.
Pretty much all the functional models I use are free. I get them from https://www.printables.com/ https://makerworld.com/ https://www.thingiverse.com/ https://thangs.com/ or I design them myself. Back when I was on Mac I would use Fusion but lately I’ve been 100% Linux so I’ve been using FreeCAD and it’s way better since v1.0.
As far as paid models, it’s mostly been things from https://www.myminifactory.com/ and generally sculpts because I want to support authors. Sometimes it’s through patreon but they usually send myminifactory links to redeem.
But yeah, get yourself a pair of calipers and learn a CAD program.
Why do you think that the paid files are better than the free?
Good question! I don’t automatically think paid files are better than free ones. I’ve just mostly printed free stuff so far and now I’m curious to see if some of the paid designs have better fit, features, or instructions for more “everyday use” tools. I’m mainly looking for well‑designed functional prints, so I’m asking where people buy STLs and why they like those sites, not saying free files are bad.
I bought the printer so I wouldn’t have to pay as much to repair things that just had some stupid plastic bit break. I ain’t paying for the models. If I need something not freely available “off the rack,” I engineer it myself in a cad program or slicer (depending on complexity).
For free stuff I generally use Thingiverse.
I similary only print useful things and tools, and my impression was that paid models seem to be mostly decorative things, whereas the most useful functional prints seem to usually be free. I don’t think I’ve ever paid for a model, but cults has a lot of paid stuff if you want to look.
https://myminifactory.com/ is the only one I know 🤔 The trench crusade guys use it. Thats how I know it
Are you coming from a CNC background? I ask because it seems like everybody in the CNC world wants people to pay for designs, and everyone in 3D printing just uploads it to Printables or Thingiverse for free. I’m always surprised at the difference between the two hobbies that are so closely related.
