3D modeling and CAD design are about to be the next big thing. As students, it is not too late to learn how to create these 3D models. For starters, 3D modeling might sound overwhelming, but there are some tools available to help in your design journey as a student.

Times have changed and soon, design will be more popular than it is now. Students who invest their time in design now would be sought after tomorrow. 3D graphics are not hard, and with the right tools, students will find 3D easy. As interested 3D students, there are so many free design tools online which students can use to start their journey.

Even as professional 3D students, these design tools are so equipped with features that will help you greatly improve the quality of your 3D live models.

Here are a few top 3D tools for graphic design students:

For Beginners

TinkerCad

The Autodesk TinkerCad is a free and simple web app for newbies. It provides prospective CAD designers and engineers with the needed skills for innovation.

With TinkerCad, all you have to do is think. It brings product models to life, and soon your 3D models are right in front of you.

Shapes are the constituents of TinkerCad, so to get started on this app, you should first move blocks onto your workplace. You can either use your own personal blocks or choose from the pre-existing blocks on the app.

To personalize these blocks, you can add new dimensions with an inbuilt ruler, or try rotating the workplace for different views or angles. You can also combine blocks on TinkerCad to customize new shapes, which are the basis of a detailed Tinkercad design.

Vectary

This is probably the easiest, online 3d design tool. It was built by designers to use for a wide range of activities. This software was constructed to satisfy the constantly evolving printing market. From simple models to complex shapes, Vectary is the suitable modeling software to get the work done.

This app lets you add shapes, materials, or textures to existing images to create new designs.

To help beginners better understand the workings of this app, there is an index they can always find on the website, with step-by-step information on how to make amazing designs.

Mesh Mixer

This is another one of Autodesk’s amazing systems. Although this professional 3D program was made specifically for correcting or changing old models, you can also use this to create simple or complex tasks, depending on the means available. It is free to use and has several optimization tools for editing and sculpting new designs.

Despite how challenging these might sound, Meshmixer is great for newbies because it simplifies basic design functionalities, although you will still need adequate training to make the most of this app because it has a lot to offer. If you have been on the lookout for an a that will let you cut, sculpt, stamp, and analyze models for printing, then Meshmixer is the one for you.

SketchUp Free

This is one of the most popular CAD design mechanisms for starters in the market today. You can also use this program for architectural designs, film, game design, and so many more. With this program, as long as you can envision it, then you can do it.

In this app, your workplace can be personalized with different designs and dimensions to suit your models. This CAD program can be accessed on the web, and you don’t need to download an app to use it. It has cloud storage of about 10 GB, letting you connect and share your ideas without limitations. Even better, developers have made the app more accessible with a SketchUp viewer app. It has a friendly user interface, so you don’t have to worry about navigating uncomfortable websites. The app is free, and all you need to access the wealth of design benefits is an internet connection.

Wings 3D

Wings 3D offers newbies advanced tools in easy ways that don’t overwhelm them. With Wing 3D, you are slowly ushered into the world of 3D printing. There are so many different methods to build a 3D model yourself, and these methods are presented by Wings 3D in an approachable procedure, allowing for a better grasp of the knowledge.

You can access this program for free on the web. When you click on start, it directs you to a black canvas, called the workplace. With this blank workspace, you are free to add or subtract anything from that list. With Wings 3D, you can switch seamlessly between the vertex, edge, and surface modes.

Leopoly

If you are looking for the easiest way to enjoy a free 3D world, then you’re in the right place.

With this app, you can shape, mold, and edit your 3D printed designs without a hitch.

Leopoly has the widest creative playground, with devices simple enough for newbies to flourish. It is also a great designing app for students, and teachers can introduce it in the classroom to encourage students who have a knack for designing. It has more than 15,000 objects that students can use to get their models ready in no time. Professionals are not left out with this app, as it has been designed to meet the needs of everyone.

Advanced 3D Printing Programs

Monolith

This is a volume modeling program that lets users create models by employing 3D images made of voxels. The voxel is like a volumized pixel. It represents the value of a single grid in 3D space. This app has three workflows known: design, rasterization, and design simulation.

It is almost like a 3D printing system, but with an upgrade of a few more options.

Monolith presents designers with many options for choosing how and the type of models they have in mind for printing. In architecture, it offers options like mesh exporting and topology optimization. This app needs to be truly appreciated for its versatility.

Blender

This free 3D CAD program includes many tools for sculpting, printing, animation, simulation, motion tracking, rendering, video games, and editing. Blender also has a fluid simulator as one of its modeling tools. This feature can be used to simulate liquids, and this will make the models more professional. Asides from fluid, this CAD software can be used to simulate smoke, dust, and so on.

Blender has an internal render machine with indirect sunlight and a path tracer when it comes to rendering. For texture, Blender allows texture painting, projective painting, vertex painting, weight painting, and dynamic painting.

All this makes for a better 3d printed model at the end of the production.

Modeling Software

Autodesk Maya

This is a 3D computer graphics design application used in making video games, animations, and 3D models for printing. Autodesk Maya makes everything so easy because it has cached playback, making work easier and responsive. “Autodesk Maya is the complete 3D package. If you want a good-paying job in 3D and content creation, then you should take this CAD program very seriously,” says Bertha Graham, a writer at papersowl.com. With CAD Autodesk Maya, you can create live models to give your game or movies powerful 3D effects.

This app is getting even more popular in the graphic design market, and anyone who learns this can work as a game developer or a design cameraman. This system is in heavy demand because of the awesome 3D effect that helps create heavy models.

LightWave 3D

This app is another popular computer graphic design program. It is used in music videos, movies, 3D models, advertising, or just 3D printing. It is a fast rendering machine with features like radiosity, render nodes, and caustics. It is used as two apps, which are Modeler and layout.

The Modeler already implies that this contains all the modeling features used to create 3D models for printing. This layout is used to arrange and change the dimensions of the 3D models. New features have been added to the app, and this makes it a solid graphic design tool.

Z Brush

Z Brush is a tool that combines texturing and painting to provide the perfect 3d models for printing. This app is also used to create high-resolution picture models in 3D or as printed parts.

The Z Brush comes installed with thirty 3D brushes, each having its intensity and control level. Depending on how you want the outcome to look, you can decide on your choice.

Conclusion

If you have a thing for graphic design, now is the time to check your options and get serious. There are so many free materials available to work with, and you are already an expert before you know it. With the world fully evolving into an age of digitization, the demand for excellent graphic designers is high. As a student, you should take advantage of this demand and make yourself valuable to this market.