3D Modeling Tools
1) Professional Tools
a) JewelCAD, JewelCAD Pro
JewelCAD is a professional CAD/CAM system for jewelry design and manufacturing developed in 1990 by Hong Kong Jewelry Computer Technology Co., Ltd.
Its specialization, high efficiency, and easy learning curve made it a preferred CAD/CAM choice for the jewelry industry for many years.
The newer JewelCAD Pro offers stronger and more efficient modeling capabilities while remaining compatible with JewelCAD files.
b) Rhino
Rhino is a world-class NURBS modeling tool developed by Robert McNeel & Associates in the United States.
c) Matrix
Matrix is widely used in jewelry education and design. Built on Rhino, it inherits Rhino's strong modeling features.
It also adds many jewelry-specific commands and is widely used in Europe and North America.
d) ZBrush
Built on a 3D pixel system, ZBrush is a popular digital sculpting tool that lets designers shape ideas intuitively.
e) SOLIDWORKS
SolidWorks is a widely used 3D modeling tool for product designers and mechanical engineers, with more than 1.5 million professional users worldwide.
f) Maya
Maya is a high-end 3D modeling tool from Autodesk.
g) 3ds Max
3ds Max is another 3D modeling tool from Autodesk.
h) 3Design
3Design is a jewelry CAD tool developed by the French company Vision Numeric.
2) Free Tools
a) Blender
Blender is an open-source 3D modeling and rendering package. It is cross-platform and supports FreeBSD, IRIX, GNU/Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, and SkyOS.
Its broad community resources help beginners get started quickly.
b) FreeCAD
FreeCAD is an open-source parametric modeling tool.
c) Autodesk 123D
Autodesk 123D is a free 3D modeling toolkit for beginners.
d) Tinkercad
Tinkercad is a free browser-based 3D modeling tool that was acquired by Autodesk and folded into the 123D series.
e) 3DTin
3DTin is another free browser-based 3D modeling tool.
3D Model Repair Tools
1) Netfabb Basic
Netfabb Basic is a free 3D model processing tool for 3D printing enthusiasts. Its most important feature is checking models for printability issues.
It also provides repair functions for common model defects.
2) Netfabb Cloud Service
Netfabb Cloud Service is a cloud repair service jointly provided by Netfabb and Microsoft Azure for fixing uploaded 3D models online.
This service requires you to sign in with a Microsoft account.
3D Printing News
More 3D printing news and resources will be collected here.
Printing Community
A community area for makers and 3D printing enthusiasts.
