Which free 3D modeling software to use for 3D printing?

[Dadio]

I've finally taken the plunge into 3D printing , I've ordered a cheap printer the Creality Ender 3 Pro and for the last five days I've been playing with various free 3D modeling software programmes , so far I've tried
1 Fusion 360 (confusion 360)
2 Sketch up ( maybe too limited / simple )
3 Tinkercad ( so far my favourite )
I'm also planning on having a play with Blender .
I really wish I could make more progress with Fusion 360 as it will do everything I want but I find it quite frustrating and not intuitive , still I'll keep trying as I've got the free version for hobby use , Sketchup is to limited in what it will do I feel , probably great for graphic design but not for what I want. So far I really like Tinkercad , again its not as full featured as Fusion but with a little imagination I can make it do a reasonable job for now and it is quite intuitive to use , just wish it had insets and radiuses .
I'm going to start playing with Blender in the next few days but looking at YouTube tutorials they seem to be more aimed at computer animation , I can't find a tutorial yet that is focussed on a 3D print model but I'll keep looking .
So the question is what FREE programmes do you use or recommending to an old technophobe who is starting out with 3D modeling and a view to 3D printing ?

[GoMachV]

I use Fusion 360 and I absolutely love it. When I cant figure out something i can usually find a tutorial. I also watched the series of Titans of CNC videos (free) which helped me tremendously

[Dadio]

I'll have a look at the Titans of CNC tutorials thanks , I want to use Fusion 360 but is quite a learning curve

[XLR8]

At the office we use Inventor (high end version of Fusion 360) for product design and for prototyping parts using our 3D printer - of course it works great but it's very expensive. At home, I use Sketchup Make (free version) for everything (home remodeling, woodworking, RC, etc.) -- it's great for making planar surface models (furniture, architectural, etc.) but it's not the best tool for the more complex organic shapes that RC requires. I have considered using Blender for RC but WOW, it's got a very steep learning curve. By chance have you looked at Free CAD? I've never used it myself but I've seen many RC related videos that feature home-printed parts designed with Free Cad.

I just wanted to show that it's possible to model RC parts using Sketchup (suitable for 3D print) but it's very tedious (very limited solid modeling capabilities and it's not parametric) and so I would not recommend it for a beginner. As I understand it, FreeCad is a sketch-based, fully parametric solid modeling program.

[Dadio]

He he I'm a little ways off modelling up a whole car , I think I'm going to persevere with fusion 360 and while I learn that I'll make a few things with Tinkercad so I can play with my new toy more quickly .
I've not tried Free Cad yet so I might have a look at that as well , too many choices

[ROH73]

I also use Autodesk Inventor at work, and have a copy at home (it's available based on our license structure). However, I have used Fusion 360. I find it works very well and is the most powerful free software available. Of course, that's probably because I've been using Inventor for 12 years . Sketch-up is okay. In my opinion; it's definitely more suited for architectural "stuff". I would recommend trying to persevere with Fusion; in the long run I think you'll get the most out of it.

[XLR8]

Fusion 360, while not perfect or without its limits, is a great solid modeling platform. Plus, there are so many online learning resources available for it and many of these are free. And, if you find yourself in a jam, I'd bet Jeff, Dan and others here would be happy to help.
Once you've learned how to use Fusion, you'll find that most solid modelers work pretty much the same way; begin a part by sketching a shape onto a reference plane, constrain the sketch so that it's a closed loop, then extrude or revolve the sketch into 3D space. This operation becomes the first feature and subsequent features are built upon the first.

[Dadio]

Fusion it is by the sound of things and I already have the free hobby version installed so I just need to look at more tutorials and practice , thanks guys .

[Dadio]

Very impressive ! I'm currently printing the test print dog that's loaded on the SD card that comes with the printer , over an hour in and its looking good .

[Dadio]

I'm planning on hitting thingiverse as there are a few parts to enhance the printer there , clips to tidy wiring , filament guides and print cooling ducts etc , I have a long way to go looking at what you guys are doing !

[Dadio]

Well it seems to be working well right now so " if it ain't broke ! " sounds like good advice thanks . the flat surface to put it on and a sound damping layer also obviously good , ABS can wait for now but when I go there an enclosure as well , thanks .

[Dadio]

I'm currently printing up the first thing that I've modelled myself , a fairly simple pair of front steering knuckles for a Yokomo Dogfighter YZ-834b so wish me luck , I have made a little mistake , I should have printed them in draft quality to test them but instead I did 100% infill and .1 layer thickness so the print is taking 3.5 hours instead of a quick print to test and then doing a better quality print but you live and learn I guess .