My (first?) 3d printer arrives tomorrow. I’ve been researching for months. One category I’ve been looking into is 3d modeling software. They all have drawbacks (too expensive, too hard to learn, save files in the cloud, etc) but the one that seems to fit the best is this apparently new one called Plasticity. I’d be willing to spend the $150 and then decide after a year if I want to re-up or just keep the current version. Or maybe I’d upgrade every few years or something.
Anyway, there are a bunch of great reviews and tutorials but they’re all over a year old, from when looks like the software was first released.
I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with it and could advise if it’s worth the $150.
If you’re just looking to get started with 3d modeling, it’s hard to beat Blender. At the cost of free, it’s by far the most affordable way to dip your toes in some modeling tools.
For many workflows it’s world class. If you plan to do more organic forms or don’t need technical precision, then it’s very competitive or preferable to paid software.
You might find it lacking if you plan to do parametric or technical CAD-style modeling. Even then, I think Blender can be a low cost way to learn what you want in your software before investing in more specialized software. You’ll learn enough of the modeling basics to more fluently navigate what other software provides.
I have been told by people I know who use Blender extensively (I certainly don’t use it extensively – or at all, really) that there are plugins that will bludgeon it into producing models with dimensionally accurate features. I can’t speak for this myself but it appears to be an option.