This recent post on the Shapeways blog is a pretty good summary of the differences between the different types of software and has links to several of the popular ones.
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I use MOI3d form my cad work and minor organic shapes and 3d Coat for sculpting. MOI has a an obj importer and ability to apply a nurbs smooth object (similar do a sub d surface) to most quad only obj files.
MOI3d is a direct modeler with a minor history influence ie change the splines of lofts, sweeps, lathes objects.
FormZ Pro has more features and better low level editing than MOI but the sticker price is higher.
Export of models from MOI is fantastic, you have super control over poly generation with live feedback in the 3d viewports. Stability in MOI is unbelievable, I have never crashed it and been a user since version 2.
Two options that havenât been mentioned yet that I use for everything:
- OpenSCAD
- CAESES (which has a very full featured free version)
I did try OpenSCAD here and dumped it, was very unstable on my system. CAESES has a free version but looks pretty feature list when compared to the full version that doesnât even post an MSRPâŠ
FormZ, Rhino and MOI all have trial versions. I personally have used them and still fall back on MOI for itâs barebones simplicity and uncluttered interface.
If you are looking for programmatic/parametric modeling, OpenSCAD is definitely worth a look (itâs nothing like FormZ, Rhino, or MOI). Itâd be a shame for someone to miss out on this option because one personâs computer is unstable.
As for CAESES, itâs main use is for engineering design and analysis, so the main differences between it and the paid version are design optimization and production tools. Presumably the Rhino trial version doesnât come with these either. Also, CAESES Free never expires, so you never have to pay anything if you donât need, e.g., âAdjoint Optimizationâ. Then again, the Free version does let you perform CFD analysis, which is pretty nice if you need it.
In the same price class as FormZ Pro there is Xenon 9 that is fully parametric.
I personally donât use open software for work because of reliability and longevity of the product. For many people that isnât an issue.
I never knew a job where you would purposefully seek lower reliability and longevity. Or are you trying to advance the point that âopen softwareâ (I am inferring you mean open-source) is less reliable or has a shorted lifespan? This affirmation would seem so absurd that I have to ask whether I interpreted it correctly. No open-source software ever dependend on a single company for continued existence and development and Eric Raymond has documented the maxim âgiven enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallowâ to translate the robustness of open-source.
I consider Open Source programs to be more of a sandbox than a final product. Their constant evolution often in my past experience breaks some functions, add-ons and plug-ins made by others often become dysfunctional and/or out of date. Just my past experiences. I preferred to use retail versions of applications. More often than not there is a reason why a program is free. Just MO.
OMG, MOI seem to work for my SVG import.I have to change it to dxf using inkscape. But itâs really fast, it is easy to use. I am have some problem with it, cause it work differently than 123D. But speed wise, i am happy with it.
I will make a decision at the end of 30 days. But i think i will buy it. I need to do some tutorial and see if i can make it work for me. So far i think, i have a good chance that i will spend the money for it. Thank you for the recommendation. I did not realise MOI even exists.
Can you explain 3D Coat for sculpting. Isnât blender the same? Or the super expensive pro Zbrush? Is 3D Coat very easy to use? I never done it before. I would want to start to learn Sculpting software after i finish the tutorial of MOI.
Glad you like it! I am puzzled by how few people use/know this software, I think it is in part for its name. It sounds to me like a very amateur, non-engineer, kids-like-name 
I believe it is a hidden gem in the modeling 3D software, with a fair, affordable price tag.
You could use Wings 3d that is free for sculpting as well (wings is a sub division surface modeler). Basically in either case you will want quad only geometry that has minimal number of patches. In Wings it is a direct export as obj quad only. In 3d Coat you will need to retopo the model in quads and export the retopo model out as an obj.
Once exported you can bring the model into MOI using an external script called import obj. (there is a ton of external scripts for all kinds of stuff written by users)
Next choose Sub div beta plugin. This will create a nurb smoothed object from the poly shape.
You donât need to always have the shape closed in MOI since you can trim and extract new surfaces to close it up later.
This is a good tip, I will certainly give it a try!
I use a lot of programs, majority of my models for print are done purely in MOI but there are occasions where cad modelers can be cumbersome to do freeform work. So long as a program can generate clean welded quad geometry you should be able to import and do nurb smooths on those shapes. FormZ has itâs own internal converter, MOI uses a 3rd party plug-in. Many cad modelers have this feature.
Subdivision modeling when the base control shape is exported out (lowest level) are usually suitable for converting and have similar results.
Wings, Silo, Hexagon, Blender and 3dCoat (with retopo) all can do this.
Iâm also on the MOI3d train, itâs a very nice program for CAD, version 4 will be 64-bit finally! If I need anything more advance I use Autodesk Fusion 360. Also check out Modo itâs a good app(not CAD related).
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Yes, waiting for V4 for around a year now! but Iâm sure itâll be worth
I use Zbrush, Cinema 4d and Fusion360
FWIW, I withdraw my recommendation of CAESES. They suddenly decided to cancel their Free version and start charging $2000/year for the same functionality. So unless you have very deep pockets, skip it. There are now far better alternatives.
Matt, Iâm interested in Ao in particular (Iâm a regular user of OpenSCAD).
My desktop has more horsepower but itâs a Windows box; I tried to build Ao in an Ubuntu 16.04 LTM VM (VirtualBox) but the built result wouldnât run (failed to get OpenGL context apparently; I have a gtx 970 video card). I have a Mac Pro laptop so I could probably build for it as an alternative (havenât actually tried yet).
One question before I jump in: do you think it would be possible to model an airfoil using Ao? This is something I had used CAESES Free for, but itâs being dropped in favor of an extremely expensive pay version (2000/yr) so I need an alternative.
Thanks!
Sadly, OpenGL support in VMs is shaky. Even (commercial) Parallels only supports 2.1, and Ao is forward-looking with a minimum version of 3.3.
I actually spent a few days playing with airfoils last month. I tried a mathematically clean strategy of solving the equations in a CAS, and importing the closed-form solution into Ao, but ended up with solutions that passed through the imaginary plane (which Ao doesnât handle). Closed-formed solving may be possible with better factoring in the CAS, but thatâs trickyâŠ
On the other hand, it would be totally feasible to abandon mathematical perfection and just parameterize the airfoil into a large number of segments, then take the union / intersection of them â thatâs the route I would take to get something up and running now.
Let me know how it goes!