Favorite CAD software

[Jack of All Blades]

Need some tips on which CAD software for making 3D rendering of axes.

I tried Knifeprint.com but the water jet can only cut up to 6mm it seems, far too thin for designing an axe head.
Would like a software that can cut out the project and ship it to me if possible.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

 

[pafka]

It sounds to me that there may be a slight mix up of terms.
- CAD stands for Computer Assisted Design, it is used for pieces of software (program) and such software can help you model your creation so that it has a digital representation;
- When you talk about "software that can cut out the project" you probably talk more of a service/company which will take your digital model (either created with the CAD software from above, or they can even provide their own CAD like knifeprint does) and will turn it into a physical object.
It sounds to me like you might be looking for both, but they do not necessarily need to be provided by one entity.
If waterjet cutting is the technology you want to use, I suggest picking up some free software like Inkscape - in this program you can model your axe head.
Then you can take the file and send it to some waterjet cutting services around you, and inquire about available materials, thicknesses and so on.
EDIT: or you can export your design from knifeprint into DXF, and that means you have the design already. So then you would only be looking for the waterjet cutting service.

 

[Jack of All Blades]

It sounds to me that there may be a slight mix up of terms.
- CAD stands for Computer Assisted Design, it is used for pieces of software (program) and such software can help you model your creation so that it has a digital representation;
- When you talk about "software that can cut out the project" you probably talk more of a service/company which will take your digital model (either created with the CAD software from above, or they can even provide their own CAD like knifeprint does) and will turn it into a physical object.
It sounds to me like you might be looking for both, but they do not necessarily need to be provided by one entity.
If waterjet cutting is the technology you want to use, I suggest picking up some free software like Inkscape - in this program you can model your axe head.
Then you can take the file and send it to some waterjet cutting services around you, and inquire about available materials, thicknesses and so on.

Definitely mixed up terms, not familiar with any of it, but glad you were able to understand and explain it better. Awesome answer, will look into it asap.

 

[JV Knives]

Fusion 360 is my CAD software of choice and I think you can try it free for a while . Regarding the waterjet part that knifeprint kind of integrates in to their business model, most of them operate from a simple 2D drawing called a .DXF file. Any cad software can generally create those and that is where you would make your pattern (DXF file). Simply use that file to get quotes from metal cutters in your area.

 

[Drew Riley]

Fusion 360 is pretty hard to beat. Tons of support, how to videos, etc..., and it's free for hobbyists. It starts to get pretty pricey for some of the "pay to play" options, but even then it's still less expensive than some of the next best alternatives.

 

[Ken H>]

Are you stuck on Windoz platform for an OS? OR, perhaps do you use LInux? FreeCAD is a good program and it's free with lots of good video tutorials on YT. It's ported for most flavors of Linux, Windoz, and Mac OS.