Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Cubify Invent - New 3D Software for $49!

3D Systems has just announced a new 3D drawing application at just $49.  It's called Cubify invent.

Cubify Invent Product Introduction Image

I haven't had an opportunity to work with it in any real depth.  But, from the little time that I have spent with it, Invent looks like a relatively easy and very capable 3D drawing package.

While it steers clear of technical jargon,  like "BOOLEAN", it has a full compliment of boolean functions.  And, for me, that is one of the most critical capabilities for a truly useful 3D printing application.

You can download a 15 day trial from the product's page.

My initial feeling is that Invent is going to be a bit more time consuming when creating the same objects than Moment of Inspiration.  However, there is a substantial cost differential and Invent is designed to be "Print Ready" and that could be a big equalizer.

I am NOT going to post a review immediately.  I'm far too familiar and comfortable with my current 3D application to be able to be fair to Invent until I have had some time to get comfortable with it as well.  I don't want to confuse differences in style with differences in capability.

But, I will post an introduction to the product from the point of view of how to get started.

Fortunately, Cubify has included a number of Getting Started Videos.  And that is where I will be beginning my own quest to understand and use it effectively.

One of the things that I can point out is that the process of creating a 3D object begins with a 2D sketch.  That immediately gives it a familiar feel.  In fact, to create the simplest 3D objects, all one has to do is to extrude that sketch.  So, it certainly shows promise as an entry level consumer 3D tool.  But, that would not be enough if that were all there is.   Fortunately, it is not.  It appears to be reasonably comprehensive and the videos are an excellent introduction.

More later...

2 comments:

  1. I downloaded the trial version. It is OK but the 123D of autodesk is much more powerful and FREE

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  2. Interestingly, I was in a small 3D printing meeting yesterday where one of the 123D principles from Autodesk was one of the speakers. And, I got a chance to talk with him in some detail about the 123D set of products.

    Because learning a 3D package is so labor intensive, if one is to get the most out of it. It's difficult to be fair to packages that are not in one's current workflow. But, I do plan to give the 123D suite more time than I have in the past.

    What might be more useful to have those that use a particular package write articles and tutorials to post on this blog. And, I would be more than happy to do that.

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