![]() punch is required to access this content. One thing I love in ViaCAD es getting a 2D geometry from an imported STL, I use it all the time to remix things I get from the internet.Log in to find reasons you might or may not like the following based on what you play, who you are friends with, and which curators you follow. You can do stuff, and I guess the more proficient you become the better it gets but ViaCAD is a breeze compared to FreeCAD specially at its price point. So I have to put a lot of effort to get good at FreeCAD, when ViaCAD 9 stop working on the new release of MacOS I jumped on FreeCAD full-time and it was not fun or exciting. When I started I manage to figure out ViaCAD just by playing around, in FreeCAD, is not only the interface is so intimidating but it is actually hard to figure things out without watching YouTube videos. I find it so easy and my ideas flow naturally, in FreeCad I get annoying with all the switching between modes. I do CNC and 3D printing stuff (not a super user), and I have used a lot of apps, I have Fusion360 (hobby), I spent a lot of time in FreeCAD, and I still find my self going to ViaCAD for almost every project. In VC is so easy to model things mainly with the mouse and some keyboard input. ![]() Yet seems like more mesh features keep coming to VC. I like to use solid modeling and not really a fan to work with meshes, specially meshes imported (like stl, etc) where I don't have a 2D geometry to edit them. From V10 to V12 I just wanted the new features. I started with VC 9 which I got on the Apple Store for $159.99 in 2015, from there my next update was forced by incompatibilities with new versions of MacOS. I have high hopes for FreeCAD (especially now that the Fusion 360 honeymoon is over) but generally find myself reaching for Shark first.Įdited by user Saturday, Octo11:26:48 PM(UTC) Admittedly the newer versions are getting better in this regard, and 0.20 looks to be quite promising if the topographical naming fixes make it in. I know it can do a lot of things, but I feel like if step off a well-trodden path then my model is going to explode. Personally I find FreeCAD to be quite intimidating for day to day tasks. Having an always-on Python console is really nice. A big plus for FreeCAD is its scriptability. ViaCAD also has a few more import/export options, especially once you get to Shark/Shark Pro, but that's probably not important for most hobbyists. It also has raytracing, but ViaCAD gives you quick and easy photo rendering when you need it. ![]() ![]() In terms of feature differences, FreeCAD has FEM which is actually pretty decent. And the entity tree, while being theoretically quite powerful, isn't as nice to use as FreeCAD's feature tree IMO. The downside of that flexibility is that some of the model management features are less automatic, for example you end up doing your own layer management. I can quickly rough something out and then add fidelity and details as needed. Via/Shark feels much more flexible and low stress to me (caveat being that I'm not a pro, I'm just using it to conceptualise/plan out household projects for now). Some of the nuances are annoyingly subtle, the classic example being bodies created in part vs part design. FreeCAD forces you to do things in a particular order or you quickly encounter its sharp edges.
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