I am wondering what programs are used for the 3D printer? Would tinkercad work? Or should I do thingiverse? Or another one?
What about a program for screen printing? Can I use any program and it just needs to be a specific type of file? (I do a lot in photoshop, illustrator, silhouette studio, etc. so if any of those work, I just need to know what type of file to make it to screen print)
Also, I don’t know much about the Shopbot, CNC PlasmaCutter (or other machines in the metal shop), or the laser cutter…are there programs online that you design your project in? Or do you have to design them at the workshop? If you can design it at home online, what program(s) are needed? Or can you use any program as well as it’s in a specific format file?
The 3D modeling software that is used most around MakeICT is Fusion 360 from Autodesk. It can be downloaded for free for educational or hobby use. It is useful for 3D modeling for the 3D printers, for the Shop Bot, and for the Tormach.
That said, I personally, have been using an open source software called FreeCAD. It works a lot like Fusion 360, but is certainly not as refined and doesn’t have all of the features. But it so far does what I need AND it runs on my computing platform of choice
As far as 2D engraving and cutting on the laser, plasma and shopbot, most members use inkscape for vector line art and gimp for raster (pixel) editing - like photographs and stuff.
Photoshop and illustrator are better options than gimp and inkscape. You’ll need to assign colored strokes to your line art in illustrator for each different function on the laser. As an example red might signify to the laser that you want this object to cut through. Blue might be set to engrave the entire object with lesser power. Colors don’t matter though. You’ll define what each color does in the the laser software itself.
