Design software for 3d printing

[Maxjon]

Hi newbie to 3d printing...I have an Ender Pro5 using the Prusa slicer. I'm a bit bored of making templates, I want to design my own bits, but my laptop won't run Fusion 360...Any advice on a user friendly design program?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Eric1001]

Give Alibre a look-see. There are different versions there Atom is great in making 3D parts.

 

[awake]

I have used FreeCAD for many years. It generates some strong reactions, for and against. Some of the "against" reactions are justified, or were ... some of them are not. As an example of the latter, sometimes I read comments about what FreeCAD can't do, things which I do every time I use it. "How long ago did you try it?" "Oh, four or five years ago ..." It has continued to improve rapidly, and has reached a point where I think it may compare quite favorably with other popular alternatives. Of course, if you have never used 3d CAD at all, it will be a learning curve no matter what program you try.

 

[ddmckee54]

If your laptop won't run F360, try 123D Design. It's old, developed by Autodesk in 2009 but it's still available for download, and it is the predecessor to Fusion 360. Here's a link to a site with excellent instructions on how to download and install the software. 123D design

 

[Alex Zoghlin]

If you've never used cad software, I would start with tinkercad. It's browser-based, fairly intuitive, and free. Has some big limitations, but will get you started on your journey. The upgrade path from there is up to you. Calibre, freecad, fusion360, solidworks - all have their fanbase, as well as pro's and cons. If you are a software engineer, the next one I would recommend is openscad - lets you design by coding. This is especially good if you want to build a "template" like a nose cone of a rocket, then just change some variables to make lots of different shapes.