3d Cad Software reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 190 Reddit reviews across 12 subreddits and 26 posts to rank the best 3d Cad Software brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/3Dprinting, r/cad, r/linuxquestions, r/Nerf, r/IndustrialDesign. Top-rated brands include Autodesk (4.1/5), Onshape (4.3/5), FreeCAD (3.7/5).

Stats

Reviews190

Subreddits12

Posts26

Brands43

Products18

Top communities

r/3Dprinting74 r/cad28 r/linuxquestions20 r/Nerf16 r/IndustrialDesign13

190 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Autodesk

4.1

(37)

"It’s incredible how Fusion 360 bridges powerful features with accessibility – perfect for long-term growth!"

"Went with fusion 360 and the timeline feature along with the possibility to make really well resizable objects when using relative measurements is awesome"

"If your looking to do mechanical/precise shapes then use fusion 360"

"Fusion360 for free, solidworks/inventor if willing to pay and will be closer to professional industry standard"

"Then you will probably want to use Fusion 360"

"Fusion 360 or Blender depending on what you want to print"

"Fusion is great for quick ideation because it doesn’t require you to fully define your sketches"

"Fusion 360 * my favorite when it comes to design functional parts and it's free for personal / student use."

"The ENTIRE AutoDesk catalog is free for students!"

"I personally really like fusion 360, and I'd highly recommend."

Onshape

4.3

(25)

"You can get a maker license for solidworks rather affordable. But there is no need to use anything else than onshape in my opinion."

"Onshape is the best I've used for making functional 3d prints."

"I use Onshape specifically for designing functional 3D prints. I started off with fusion360 but switched to Onshape because I could use it from any computer."

"I looked at a lot of reviews and settled on Onshape. It's free and cloud based which were very appealing. I like it a lot and so far it's been able to do everything I need it to."

"On shape. It works on every os, including chrome os and Android."

"Onshape is on par with SolidWorks, works on Linux as it is browser based, and has a free tier."

"Onshape"

"Onshape all the way"

"For low cost hobby stuff I like Onshape (which I’ve also used professionally) but based on a lot of conventions with friends and colleagues I’d also look at Fusion 360."

"I mean onshape is free so it can't hurt to check it out"

FreeCAD

3.7

(26)

"FreeCAD. Fully free."

"I like to use freecad."

"Parametric modeling software."

"FreeCAD is actually pretty good."

"I use FreeCAD. Its workflow is similar to Solidworks."

"Freecad (get the latest from their releases page, repository versions are often old) does a pretty good job."

"Yes, FreeCAD can be used quite well nowadays."

"\+1 for FreeCAD. I've been using it for a few years. It has a steepish learning curve, but it is very powerful."

"FreeCAD."

"Recently switched from Fusion360 to FreeCAD, was able to successfuly design a replacment part from scratch with a few hours worth of work."

Blender

4.2

(14)

"If your looking for organic/character modeling then blender is going to be your best bet."

"Blender for organic / fancy shapes (that’s what people use to make most character models)"

"Blender? Free forever, open source, Once you get used to it, all the comands are second nature."

"Not gonna lie, I use Blender because I’m comfortable with it."

"Have you tried blender?"

"Go for blender, its worth thé trouble."

"Blender and FreeCAD with the right plugins does wonders."

"Blender for character sculpting/organic shapes (there are also full cad plugins now! So it can technically do all kinds of cad if you want only 1 program)"

"Blender for organic shapes and Fusion 360 for functional parts. Both are free for personal use."

"I like Blender for modelling and OnShape for components etc"

SolidWorks

3.9

(13)

"Solid works for paid"

"Solidworks is hands down the best CAD software I've ever used."

"If it's mechanical parts, solidworks is probably the best commercial software at the moment."

"I use solidworks professionally and personally can’t stand fusion360, I’ve been playing in onshape free version for models I plan to release free anyways and really like it."

"I occasionally use solidworks to mock up a bag before sewing it."

"In industry SolidWorks is popular and then you could run CFD in Solidworks Simulation if you have the fluid package."

"I ended up using SolidWorks after getting frustrated enough."

"Solidworks and autocad are pretty much standard for most applications"

"Solidworks/inventor if willing to pay and will be closer to professional industry standard"

"Fusion360/Solidworks"

McNeel

5.0

(6)

"Rhino 3D. These forms will be fairly easy to create using it."

"Rhino is one of the few programs that you can still get inexpensively that is still reputable in many design companies"

"Rhino is probably the best non-cad focused modeling software that plays rather nicely back and forth with SolidWorks."

"Rhino hands down for ideation."

"Rhino is great as a balance between being a place where you can be sketchy if you need to be or super tight and send to engineering"

"Rhino & Grasshopper babyyyyy"

Fusion 360

3.6

(7)

"I find Fusion 360 more intuitive than SolidWorks."

"Then there's Fusion 360 it's more like a traditional cad software."

"I'd use either fusion360 (free for hobbyists) or blender."

"Fusion is great for hobbyist, those learning, and super small shops."

"Fusion 360. $40 a month."

"I would rather use Fusion than Inventor, personally."

"I torture myself with cryinkflys mediocre-working fusion360 wine adaption."

BricsCAD

4.0

(6)

"I've tried BricsCAD, it's compatible with AutoCAD dwg."

"Bricscad. it is not free. but it just works."

"Definitely BricsCAD"

"Bricscad recently hit Mac, its an AutoCAD clone."

"Brycscad, zw3d, spaceclaim... Look into those for cheap and good 3d modeling."

"Does everything you need and it's cheap."

Rhino

4.5

(4)

"For artworks, Rhino is the way to go."

"Try the rhino 5 trial, it's good and fully functional for 3 entire months, no catch."

"Rhino with Grasshopper and Weaverbird plugins."

"Rhino can do it if you have access to the program."

#10

Solid Edge

4.0

(4)

"Solid Edge community edition"

"If not for profit then you want the Community edition of Solid Edge. $0 local install. Onshape is great also."

"You could also have a look at solid edge which is also free for students."

"SolidEdge has a student free option as well."

#11

OpenSCAD

3.8

(4)

"I use SolveSpace and OpenSCAD."

"OpenSCAD might be a good pick."

"Most open source CAD projects use OpenSCAD, it is a programing language that makes shapes."

"Openscad or similar programs are great for batch creation of a lot of simpler designs."

#12

Tinkercad

3.8

(4)

"Tinkercad is a good start."

"There's tinkercad which is fairly simple."

"It's free and good for simple stuff and for beginners."

"Tinkercad for basic one-off designs."

#13

Shapr3D

4.3

(3)

"Shapr 3D with an Apple Pencil is one the fastest and most expressive 3D programs I’ve used in 30 years."

"Try Shapr3D. It uses the Solidworks engine and is quite simple to use - I prefer it with an iPad & pencil over a Mac."

"I use shapr3D."

#14

NX

4.0

3.0

(1)

"DesignSparks Mechanical"

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