Page 284 - Making things move_ DIY mechanisms for inventors, hobbyists, and artists

Chapter 9 Making Things and Getting Things Made 261

TABLE 9-1 Programs for 2D and 3D Modeling (continued)

COMPATIBILITY
COST WINDOWS MAC LINUX NOTES
Rhino 3D OSX Free x The Mac version is free
during development, but
plug-ins designed for the
Windows version will not
work on the Mac version.
It’s generally intuitive to
learn, easy to model basic
shapes, and very capable
for single part design.
Rhino 3D $995 x $195 for students and
teachers. Free evaluation
version that will save 25
times.
Vectorworks $1,795 x x
(Machine Design)
3ds Max $3,495 x Free 30-day trial.
Maya $3,495 x Free 30-day trial.
BRL-CAD Free x x x Open source.
HeeksCAD Free x Open source.
*Alibre Design $99 x When you download it,
Personal you get a 30-day free trial
of the Pro version. When
that expires, you can pay
$99 to continue with the
Personal version, which is
SOLID SolidWorks $3,995 x still very capable.
A great, professional solid
modeling program.
Autodesk Inventor $5,295 x A free student version is
good for 12 months, but it
will watermark all files as
“not for commercial use.”
Pro/ENGINEER $4,995 x Considered a
top-of-the-line, solid
modeling program.
OpenSCAD Free x x x Open source.
MATH TopMod Free x x x Open source.