
Originally Posted by
burrito
I'm a designer that's being using 3D modeling and printing professionally for over a decade. For what you're talking about, and considering you're just starting out, I'd recommend the following - all of which basically boils down to "start small and build slowly based on your needs":
PC - Very few 3D surface/solid modeling programs out there run well on Mac. This isn't because Macs aren't capable. The software just isn't written for them. It's either non-existent or ported from a PC version. Even Rhino, which has a really good Mac version, runs much better and is much more capable on PC. I use a Mac for everything else, but when I have the option I always use a PC for 3D. Your rig doesn't need to be overly powerful unless you get into parametric modeling or rendering. Even a mid-range gaming PC will do just fine starting out.
Software - Fusion360 is the most robust freeware I've seen, though I don't have a ton of experience with it personally. It has supposedly decent surface, solid, parametric, and polygon subdivision modeling (read up on the differences - there's too much info to go into here) all in the same program. Cloud-based stuff can be annoying, but it's where I'd start if I had no experience and/or didn't have any budget for software.
Personally I exclusively design in Rhino and Solidworks. Rhino is mostly surface modeling, has a relatively intuitive workflow, adds some parametric capabilities through plugins, and is cheap relative to the rest of the field (especially if you can qualify for their student pricing.) All of the designers I work with use Rhino. If you have the budget to pay for software, start with Rhino. Solidworks is robust (all of our engineers use it for final production 3D), but it's prohibitively expensive. If my work didn't pay for it I wouldn't use it.
Peripherals - Just get a decent 3-button mouse. Yeah you can go nuts with trackballs and the like, but 99.9% of what anyone needs to do is perfectly easily learned and accomplished with a standard mouse. The other stuff just helps the work go faster once you know what you're doing.
3D Printer - Read up on the different types (FDM, SLS, etc.) and materials (PLA, resin, etc.), start cheap, and level up when the cheap printer becomes a hindrance. I've also had good experiences with 3rd-party print shops like 3D Hubs (hubs.com) if you don't want to invest in a printer right away.
Regardless of which ways you go, good luck and have fun. 3D modeling and printing is definitely some type-2 fun once you get the hang of it.
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