"TurboCAD and 3d Printing?" Topic

My artists are talking me into figuring out a minis line for my spaceship game*, and we're looking at TurboCAD Deluxe as an option. It's inexpensive, as CAD programs go, and exports to OBJ and STL files.

Does anybody have any experience with this tool? If so, can you enlighten me to its strengths and weaknesses?

Also, premptively: the first person to mention Blender gets a boot to the head. The artists loathe it.

*(Purple Fuzzy) Starships. I might have mentioned it once or twice.

I've had success with ViaCAD which also exports STL files.

I find it a bit clumsy but I am entirely self-taught on CAD so it's likely more my inability to use the program properly that is causing the problem.

Not sure if this helps you or not…but it is another option to look at.

If you do consider it, get on their mailing list, it seems to go on sale almost every other weekend.

You want something which can port to .dxf files.

Not necessarily. See link

"Supported file types include STL, OBJ, X3D, DAE, Collada, and VRML97/2 (WRL)."

I've used TurboCAD quite a bit for making 3D models for printing. TurboCAD Deluxe is inexpensive, but it only makes Surface models rather than Solids so you will not be able to use some functions – in particular, you won't be able to fillet the edges of the model unless you're working with a Solid. TurboCAD Professional (and Pro Platinum, which I use) support Solids as well as Surface models, but is quite a bit more expensive. Fortunately, TurboCAD tends to release a new version about once a year, so you can find brand new copies of older versions of Pro or Pro Platinum for about $300 USD (which is what my copy of version 17 cost me two years ago).

By the way, my copy also supports .dxf files – which is handing for transferring between 3D CAD programs.

Low end CAD is limited, but you might make do. Try the free trials that are out there. It has been awhile since I used TCAD, but what I remember, it was not too bad. Also look for Geomagic (formerly Alibre).

I use SolidWorks and NX which cost a fair amount, but I use it for work and model railroad kits. I am getting back into war gaming, so I have been trying SW for ships and have produced a couple decent models for practice.

I use SolidWorks and NX which cost a fair amount, but I use it for work and model railroad kits.

Greetings fellow NX/Unigraphics/bestest CAD system in the world user :)

By the way, my copy also supports .dxf files – which is handing for transferring between 3D CAD programs.

So the functional equivalent of MXF files for video, huh? Makes sense.

Thanks, guys. Will now do a little reading about Solid versus Surface Models, and decide if I can get by without the extra horsepower.

Tachikoma — which version of TurboCAD did you use? I'm looking at the latest Mac Deluxe version ( link ) and it includes this blurb:

Choose advanced architectural tools for 2D/3D home design or 3D surface and ACIS® solid modeling tools for engineering designs.

It's very similar to the blurb for Pro. Does this mean they've pushed solid modeling down to the cheaper product?

I use Pro Platinum 17. It's possible that the newer Deluxe versions support ACIS Solids; my copy of Deluxe is about two years old, and I haven't bothered to upgrade since I've been using PP17. I've used Solidworks and Inventor as well as TurboCAD, and .dxf files transfer well between them. Each program has its advantages over the others.

Inventor is another good program, but a bit steep cost-wise unless TCAD and Geomagic don't pan out. I have about a dozen programs under my belt, and if I had my choice, would only use Inventor of SolidWorks. NX is an over bloated dinosaur as is Creo, neither worth the cost as the mid-range programs have grown in ability to supplant the high-range offerings in most uses.

If you can handle the cost, I have heard good things about Rhino, but have yet to use it. I imagine they have a trial. Play with some of the trial offerings, and anything you want to keep, save in STP format. STL formats are not easily editable in most programs.