Recommendation: Use NSDT scene editor to quickly build 3D application scenes
What is good 3D printing software?
Although we have included a range of very different 3D printing software designed to meet very different needs, there are some key aspects that can determine the success or failure of a 3D printer software.
- Extensive Tools: We selected 3D printing software with a versatile toolset.
- Team-friendly : Ideally, the best tools allow you to collaborate with friends, teams, and colleagues, especially when it comes to designing software.
- Versatility : In addition to the range of tools available, being able to handle a range of file types beyond STL makes life much easier. For example, GCode, OBJ, DXF files and many other commonly used file types.
- Saves you money and time : A good example is the simulation functionality in the most advanced 3D printer design software, which can simulate and analyze your model to identify areas that may fracture or snap under strain, as well as any areas that may warp. Warp or print parts that fall off severely unless supports are used.
Which is the best 3D printing software?
This is hard to answer because there are so many different types of 3D printing software. These range from slicers to 3D printer design software to software to manage many 3D printers at once. Therefore, our rankings cover:
- Part 1 : 3D Printer Design Software: Includes CAD software for 3D printing and 3D modeling software for 3D printing.
- Part 2 : Website to Download 3D Printer Files: Technically not software, but still useful for those who don't want to design their own models.
- Part 3 : 3D Printer Slicer Software: Used to slice models for printing.
- Part 4 : 3D printing software tools for fixing errors in models and optimizing printing
- Part 5 : 3D printing host software for remote monitoring and printing
Overall, we recommend nearly 20 different 3D printing software options to maximize your 3D printing experience. We also include links to download each software, as well as a short description of the main benefits of each tool we recommend.
The best 3D printer design software
For any budding 3D designers, below we recommend some 3D CAD design modeling tools for 3D printing. We've categorized them from beginner-friendly to most advanced and included several free 3D printer design software.
1 – TinkerCAD — The Best Free CAD Software for 3D Printing
- Price: Free — Available here
- Browser-based – no downloads required
- Skill level: Beginner
advantage
Easy to use.
Browser-based so no downloads required.
Great for kids and beginners.
shortcoming
Not suitable for complex designs.
TinkerCAD is a free 3D printer software tool for creating printable models. It is suitable for adults and beginners. Young users can easily understand TinkerCAD's beautiful and simple interface and design tools.
This simplicity makes it easy to access; to get started, all you need to do is drag and drop pre-designed objects like cubes and pyramids, and resize, rotate and resize them to create cohesive models for printing.
Some people may want a more professional 3D software tool with more advanced creation and editing, but as a free 3D printer design software for beginners, TinkerCAD is a great introduction. By joining many smaller shapes together, more complex designs can be created, so it's an underrated tool.
Younger children are also gaining experience using this 3D printing software tool in schools, and an increasing number of classes are using TinkerCAD to teach basic design and engineering principles in STEM education.
Once the design is complete, you can easily export your models as STL files for 3D printing and view them in any previewer, as well as post them to Facebook using its 3D viewing feature. Maybe after climbing TinkerCAD's shallow learning curve you'll want something more advanced, but as a tool for learning 3D printing software modeling tools, TInkerCAD is a great introduction.
2 – FreeCAD — Great free 3D printer design software
- Price: Free — Download here
- Type: Downloadable program
- Skill level: Intermediate
advantage
Easy to use.
Open source.
Multiple options for exporting files.
shortcoming
Not suitable for beginners.
FreeCAD is a free, open source tool for creating 3D printing files that offers more depth and complexity than TinkerCAD and is suitable for those with 3D design experience.
FreeCAD is heavily adopted in architecture, rapid prototyping for product design, and especially in mechanical engineering, where FreeCAD has everything you need to create great prototypes, vehicle models, and other interesting projects.
You can use FreeCAD to have greater control over shapes and types of geometry, such as in the advanced creation of curves and boundaries. Additionally, you can use their Sketcher Workbench tool to draw a 3D base for your final 2D model, then use that blueprint to build your 3D design.
3 – Blender – The most advanced modeling software for 3D printers (and it’s free!
- Price: Free — Available here
- Type: Downloadable program
- Skill level: Advanced
advantage
Huge active community.
Integrated game engine.
Comes with video editing capabilities.
shortcoming
Steep learning curve.
Like FreeCAD, Blender is a free and open source 3D printer modeling software tool with a large community dedicated to sharing their creations as well as coding new features to enhance Blender's use and products.
Blender is a tool with tremendous depth; its capabilities go beyond 3D modeling to include film and video game asset design and animation, video editing, and more. If you can get over the steep learning curve, Blender is one of the most advanced and valuable software tools you can learn.
As a 3D printer software tool, Blender offers advanced sculpting, brushing and modeling tools, the ability to intricately change the surface finish of your design using a variety of different brushes, and UV unwrapping for advanced mesh editing options.
Blender is one of the most sophisticated 3D printing software tools for advanced designers who want to create extremely accurate models that suit their needs, especially when it comes to character design and 3D printing miniatures. If the exact same feature list cost $500, most people wouldn't turn a blind eye.
4 – Fusion 360 — The best 3D printer modeling software (if you can afford it)
- Price: Free for students, or $495/year - available on Autodesk here
- Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
advantage
Great software for experts and educated beginners alike.
Cloud-based file sharing.
The modeling tools are very good and powerful.
shortcoming
There is no web-based version, which is a drawback of cloud-based software.
One of the many sophisticated 3D modeling software for 3D printing offered by Autodesk, Fusion 360 is an expert program that can still be used by educated beginners. Fusion 360 is widely used to design products for rapid prototyping, electronic design, mechanical engineering, and more before manufacturing runs.
A very useful aspect of Fusion 360 is the ability to collaboratively edit STL files in the cloud, so if you have collaborators they can view and edit your design before any 3D printing. If you are both happy with the design, Fusion 360 can evaluate your model to find any potential weaknesses that you can change and strengthen, saving you time and money from having to discover any weaknesses only after printing. Once completed, you can seamlessly export your completed 3D printer model as an STL file and load it into a 3D slicer software program for printing.
While this comes at a cost, Autodesk has made Fusion 360 free for students with an education license and a free trial for all users. Therefore, for any student looking to improve their 3D design skills, Fusion 360 may be the ideal 3D printer modeling software for you.
5 – Rhino 6
- Price: $995 / $195 for students - available here
- Skill level: Advanced
advantage
It's a more affordable option for professionals and students.
Built for complex modeling and editing.
A wide variety of tutorials are available.
shortcoming
A better version of Rhino is now available.
Rhino 6 is another premium software tool option that is a more affordable tool for professionals and students, with a student discount of just $200. Rhino is designed for complex modeling and editing of the smallest elements of parts, using sophisticated curve, polygon meshing and surface editing tools to create flawless 3D designs.
Rhino is particularly useful when designing odd-shaped objects, using its free-form modeling capabilities to easily create the strangest shapes. It is versatile and can create room-sized structures, as well as the smallest and most complex jewelry designs or characters with tiny and precise elements.
Some people will also prefer Rhino's one-time perpetual license payment method. This goes against the trend of monthly or annual software subscriptions, making Rhino 6 a great 3D printer software option for those who want to pay once rather than again. The learning curve isn't too steep, and Rhino itself includes various tutorials for most of the complex tools available. Overall, it is another good 3D printing software option for designing printable 3D models.
3D Printer Software Part 2: Websites to Download STL Files for 3D Printing
This section introduces some of the most famous STL file download sites.
- We also provide complete articles for every STL file site, marketplace, and repository, including niche STL file repositories for NASA spacecraft, medical models, and more. Be sure to check out our full article on STL file sites.
6 – Thingiverse
- All files are free to download – available here
advantage
The file is completely free to download and remix.
Easy to use search engine.
shortcoming
Multiple data breaches have occurred, making it not completely secure.
Thingiverse is the web's largest website for 3D printer models and STL files. It is owned by Makerbot and was founded in 2008 to provide user-designed 3D files for Makerbot's original open source 3D printers .
Since then, the site has grown to feature hundreds of thousands of 3D printer models; with so many wacky and fun designs to choose from, you'll never be disappointed. All files are completely free to download and remix - be sure to post your edits! – The range of designs includes prints to enhance your productivity, to secure your clothing, jewelry or stationery, as well as hosting many film, TV and video character designs.
There are even designs that might change your life, like a 3D printed prosthetic hand design.
7 – Cults
- All files are free to download – available here
advantage
A wide variety of downloadable files are available.
The use of gifs is encouraged to better demonstrate the appearance of the 3D model.
shortcoming
Customer support is not very good.
French website Cults was founded in 2014 and has grown to host over 120,000 3D printable files and receive an incredible 170,000 page views per month.
There are a variety of downloadable files available, ranging from full-size 3D printed kayaks, innovative wall storage, vases, lightweight accessories, and even a scalable 3D printed Diplodocus skull!
One advantage of Cults is that they encourage the use of gifs and animated images to better demonstrate how a 3D model will look once printed, allowing curious users to gain a deeper understanding of the model's functionality before committing to downloading and printing it, saving valuable filament. .
Compressed by jpeg-recompression
8 – Pinshape
- Free and paid 3D models - available here
advantage
Suitable for families.
Great for teaching kids how 3D design works.
A wide variety of excellent documents and projects are available.
shortcoming
Only two file types are accepted.
Pinshape is a family-friendly STL file hosting website that mainly offers free 3D models, but also features premium models that you need to pay to download.
The friendly user experience makes Pinshape a great choice for families looking for fun 3D printing projects, especially those who also want to teach their children how 3D design works and the basic principles of engineering.
- If you want to teach your kids about 3D printing, read our ranking of the best 3D printers for kids.
Books will love some of the user-uploaded attempts to replicate Batman's grenade launcher, the Avengers' 3D-printed battle scenes, and even a Buddha-like state with Yoda's head - because why not? There's a variety of great files and projects here, and you can also choose to pay a small fee (usually a few dollars) for premium 3D files.
9 – MyMiniFactory
- Free and paid 3D models - available here
advantage
Wide range of models.
Designers can make money by selling their premium 3D designs.
shortcoming
Poor user interface design.
MyMiniFactory mixes free and paid 3D models to load into your 3D printing software, offering a wide variety of models, including a wide range of tabletop models - I particularly like the Pokemon chess set, where Ekans is the rook and Mewtwo is the king .
Designers can also make money selling their premium 3D designs and have their own store for fans and customers to visit, but most models remain free for casual makers.
3D Printing Software Part 3: 3D Slicer
10 – Care
- Price: Free— Available here
advantage
Powerful free and open source slicing.
Huge active community.
One of the best free 3D slicers.
Highly intuitive features and settings.
shortcoming
Not optimized for low-end PCs.
Made by 3D printing legends Ultimaker, Cura is the most widely used 3D slicer. It's free to download and use and open source, so if you have the technical skills, you can freely modify and improve the 3D printer software.
Although made by Ultimaker, Cura is compatible with almost any 3D printer you can think of, and offers custom presets for hundreds of the most commonly used printers. Advanced users can adjust settings such as supports and infill as needed, while beginners can use the 3D printing software's recommended settings for quick and easy printing.
Designed to be easy to use and integrate into your 3D printing workflow, Cura links seamlessly with 3D CAD software tools such as Autodesk Inventor and SolidWorks. Once you have completed the 3D model you want to print, simply select the print settings and parameters in Cura's prepare phase and then preview the model in Cura's preview phase, which can alert you to any potential errors that may cause the print to fail and save you time without wasting time. and correct them in the case of filaments. Then, once you're ready to print, the monitoring stage allows you to remotely observe progress, including displaying estimated time remaining and estimated amount of filament required.
Overall, it's the most widely used free 3D printing software for a reason, with millions of budding makers using Cura to realize their 3D dreams.
11 – Slic3r
- Price: Free— Available here
advantage
Non-Profit Initiative.
Open source.
High level of customizability and advanced features.
shortcoming
Not as powerful as engines like Kula.
Slic3r is another widely used free 3D printing software that is more suitable for the open source RepRap 3D printer than Cura. This is a completely non-profit initiative and is fully open source for other designers to tweak and improve the software - PrusaSlicer is a modified version of Slic3r.
This free 3D printer software package features a high level of customizability and advanced features, including a variety of infill settings, extensive preview settings to ensure you are happy with your model before printing, and an efficient dual-extruder 3D printer setup , support for printing different materials.
Slic3r is known for its versatility and can be easily integrated into OctoPrint, the 3D printing host program we will discuss later in this article. It even works with resin 3D printers as well as FDM printers, so if you have a Slic3r you don't need a resin 3D slicer.
12 – PrusaSlicer
- Price: Free— Available here
advantage
User friendly interface.
Can handle a variety of printers and filaments.
Great for beginners and more advanced users.
shortcoming
There is no option to intelligently hide seams in the model.
The Prusa 3D Printer is a leading 3D printer suite known for its extreme reliability, outstanding accuracy, and workhorse resiliency. You can now even turn your Prusa machine into a color 3D printer with a multi-material upgrade sold by Prusa.
Prusa has adapted Slic3r for Prusa printers, with a newer, more user-friendly interface that can handle a variety of different printers, and over 3 different filaments with custom settings. You can also use the PrusaSlicer to print on a resin 1D printer such as the Prusa SL<>.
Beginners will love the accurate automatic support you can generate, and advanced users are able to control more complex support generation based on their needs. Overall, it's an excellent 3D printing software and slicing tool for Prusa printers.
13 – Simplify3D
- Price: $149 - Available here
advantage
Offers some of the most advanced slicing and previewing features.
Precise settings allow customization of bracket thickness, layout and materials.
shortcoming
Might be expensive for some.
Although not a free 3D printing software tool, Simplify3D offers some of the most advanced slicing and previewing features. It is claimed to be compatible with more printers than any other 3D printer software and is used for STEM education, rapid prototyping, and many other hobbyist and industrial applications.
For the purchase price of $150, you can use Simplify3D on two separate computers. Your money can buy you some of the most advanced support setups, the precise setup allows for customization of support thickness, layout and materials, as you may be using a dual extruder 3D printer and want to print them in soluble filament PVA . Optimized support setup can lead to better overall parts, as the part maintains its shape during the printing process, and has a better surface finish afterwards if the supports can be removed more easily without damaging the part.
You can create rafts and brims with precision, which is especially useful with stiffer filaments like nylon and ABS, and the preview feature can pick up things you might have missed that could cause your print to fail. Overall, if you're spending hundreds of dollars on a 3D printer, it's worth considering shelling out an additional $150 for effective 3D printing software to ensure you print the highest quality parts with optimized settings.
14 – Repetier-Host
- Price: Free— Available here
advantage
Imported STL files can be reshaped, resized and edited.
Open source.
Feature depth is good.
shortcoming
Might be too advanced for beginners.
One of the many 3D printer software options offered by Repetier, Repetier-Host is a 3D slicer that allows you to reshape, resize and edit imported STL files before printing them.
Another open source 3D printing software tool, Repetier-Host, is known for its efficient multi-extruder support as well as its versatility and compatibility with such a wide range of 3D printers.
It's not that user-friendly, perhaps more for advanced users than beginners, but offers a number of key benefits, including remote access (if you use their Repetier-Server software) to monitor on-the-go on a smartphone or tablet of printing.
It has a great feature depth and can handle any type of slicing required for your 3D printing needs. Overall, Repetier-Host is a good 3D printing software for those who have 3D printing experience and like how the full Repetier toolset integrates well.
Part 4: 3D Printing Software for Repairing STL Files and Editing
15 – Meshmixer — 3D printing program for repairing files
- Price: Free— Available here
advantage
Ability to edit existing models using various tools.
Topology optimization makes parts lighter, thereby reducing weight and cost.
shortcoming
Difficult to use when developing parts from scratch.
Owned by Autodesk, Meshmixer is an excellent 3D printing program that not only cleans up user-designed models for printing, but can also repair any 3D scans you've recently made on a 3D scanner .
Meshmixer has a ton of features, including editing precise elements of the mesh in your model, reshaping surfaces, aligning surfaces, filling any holes in your model, detecting and fixing errors, and smoothing existing meshes, all for free.
Key benefits include reorienting models, such as laying character models on their sides to minimize overhang when printing, thus reducing the number of supports required. Additionally, Meshmixer lets you trim the bottom or top of your design if you don't need to, useful if you don't have enough filament to print the whole thing.
For industrial prints or large prints, Meshmixer works great. You can split large models into individual slices and save each individual slice as a separate STL file to print one at a time. This is especially useful if you have a small 3D printer.
16 – MeshLab
- Price: Free— Available here
advantage
Very useful for color 3D printing.
Models can be hollowed out to save costs.
Very complex STL editing system.
shortcoming
Might be too advanced for beginners.
MeshLab is an open source 3D printing tool used to clean 3D scans and enhance models before 3D printing. It is a very sophisticated STL editing system.
MeshLabs supports improving the color of prints based on their contrast, saturation and sharpness – useful for color 3D printing – as well as aligning raw 3D scans to improve them.
Additionally, with 3D printing in mind, MeshLabs can also hollow out the model, close any small holes in the part, and flatten the bottom of the model to improve layers during the printing process for those who want to save on material costs and don't mind a lower strength part. Adhesion to the print bed.
Overall, it's a sophisticated STL and 3D file repair and editing system that's well worth using for advanced users eager to add customization.
17 – Autodesk Netfabb
- Price: Standard $30/month or $240/year, Premium $550/month or $4,415/year - available on Autodesk here
advantage
Ideal for advanced and industrial 3D printing.
Includes topology optimization capabilities.
shortcoming
Not suitable for hobby projects.
Autodesk products are suitable for extremely advanced industrial 3D printing and rapid prototyping applications where this level of customization is not required for hobbyists, but could be key to high value-added industrial applications in areas such as automotive, medical and aerospace.
NetFabb allows you to design and edit models, especially with additive manufacturing in mind, and optimize them for printing multiple parts simultaneously by most efficiently packing them into the printer's build volume. This is especially important to save costs on SLS 3D printers and maximize the efficiency of multi-jet fusion.
The 3D printing software includes advanced topology optimization capabilities, creating internal lattice structures for lightweight yet strong parts, and a variety of other advanced features. Overall, it is the most advanced 3D printing software for additive manufacturing and is designed entirely for industrial applications, not hobbyist projects.
NetFabb can generate extremely precise supports, like the one shown above, to ensure the part appears perfectly.
Read more : The best STL editors
Part 5: 3D printing host and remote monitoring software
18 – OctoPrint – Best 3D Printer Management Software
- Price: Free— Available here
advantage
Easily remotely monitor printing on any device.
There are hundreds of custom plugins available.
shortcoming
Not a dedicated 3D slicer.
While OctoPrint also features 3D slicing tools, it functions as a complete managed 3D printing software system. Completely open source and kept free through the generous donations of its backers, OctoPrint makes it easy to remotely monitor printing on any device you can think of, from tablets to smartphones and more, and is often run from a Raspberry Pi.
OctoPrint lets you view the printing process, extruder temperature, estimated time remaining, and the GCODE visualization tool shows in real time how much of the print is complete, without even being in the same country as the 3D printer.
If you notice any obvious errors occurring, you can stop the print remotely, saving money on wasted filament. You can connect a webcam to get the actual footage of your print, and even move the printhead in any axis you want.
You can also slice STL files for printing, but calling OctoPrint a 3D slicer is underestimating it. With hundreds of custom plug-ins available for download that will enhance your experience in OctoPrint, more technically proficient manufacturers are able to benefit from OctoPrint's data, remote viewing and enhanced control over printing.
19 – 3DPrinterOS — Great 3D printer software for schools and large businesses
advantage
It is also an operating system.
Files can be sent to hundreds of 3D printers at once.
Ideal for designers who want to sell files online without the risk of being copied.
shortcoming
Steep learning curve.
3DPrinterOS is more than just a 3D slicer, it is an operating system that allows you to run multiple slicers and other types of 3D printing related software in the cloud.
If you run a large prototyping service you can use it to send files to hundreds of 3D printers at once, or for certain tasks to all 3D printers in a school or university, making it a great 3D printer for schools and businesses Management software selection.
Additionally, it's even ideal for 3D designers who want to sell their files online but don't want to risk exposing their files to being copied. 3DPrinterOS's API protects the source file as it is never exposed during the sale or print ordering process - so any starting 3D designer will find this very useful.
The ability to manage multiple 3D printers simultaneously, along with readily available data reporting and control over files sent to each printer, makes it a huge asset to 3D printing software for schools.
For businesses, companies like Kodak and Cisco use 3DPrinterOS to organize their prototyping because it is an extensible 3D printer management program.
Original link: The 19 Best 3D Printing Software in 2023 (mvrlink.com)