Best 3D Modeling Software for Mac: 3D Printing with Mac OS
Not all 3D modeling software is available for every operating system. That’s why we compiled a list of the most popular 3D design programs for Mac users. Read on to discover the top 20!
Use this site to help select the best CAD program for your Mac. We review, compare and rate CAD software for Mac OS-X to give you informed recommendations for the most effective Computer Aided Design software to meet your needs. Contact the appleCAD Team and a CAD.
The list of the most used 3D design software for Mac (see below) is based upon our list of the 25 most popular 3D modeling programs. However, we excluded software that is not available or not suitable for the Mac OS. This leaves us with the ultimate 3D modeling list for Macintosh users.
The Ranking: 3D Modeling Software for Mac Users
- Cad design software, free download - Design Home, Design Home, Free CAD Download, and many more programs. Enter to Search. To create 3D illustration, make computer animation and other.
- It contains many components to adjust dimensions or extract design details from 3D models to create high quality production ready drawings. Accessible, flexible & integrated FreeCAD is a multiplatfom (Windows, Mac and Linux), highly customizable and extensible software.
The two most used 3D modeling software programs for Macintosh devices are freeware program Blender (score: 80) and freemium software SketchUp (75). Blender is known for its enormous design freedom and its endless number of tools and functions – however, it’s also known for its steep learning curve. SketchUp, on the other hand, is said to be rather beginner-friendly and great for architectural and geometric objects. However, it’s not suited for creating organic structures.
Next come three programs from the Autodesk family: its professional high-end programs AutoCAD (59) and Maya (59) as well as its beginner-friendly free-to-use online app Tinkercad (51) all score well with Mac users. ZBrush (49), a professional 3D sculpting software, comes in 6th. Its free light version, named Sculptris (19), made it to rank 15.
After ZBrush, Cinema 4D (43), 123D Design (42), OpenSCAD (38), and Rhinoceros (36) complete the list of the top 10.
Screenshot of SketchUp, a popular 3D modeling software with Mac users.
The Popularity Score for 3D Modeling Programs
We calculated the popularity of a 3D modeling software for Mac based on their ‘popularity score’ in the 3D printing community. The popularity score consists of mentions and fans on social media, page authority, forum mentions, video mentions, 3D printing database mentions, and Google results. This score is especially helpful if you’re looking for a modeling software for Mac that is widely used for 3D printing, so you can be assured of an online community to brainstorm with and help you out if you get stuck.
3D Design Programs that Won’t Run on Apple’s Mac
Most 3D design programs are available for Windows and Mac users alike. However, some 3D design software that is not available for Mac OS includes Solidworks (62), 3DS Max (55), and Inventor (55). While these are not many, they still represent quite popular 3D modeling software packages. In our original list which includes all platforms, these programs ranked 3rd, 6th, and 7th among the most popular.
Best Cad 3d Software
Some good news to end with: there are more and more options for Mac users. For example, Rhino 5 is available for Mac. Since many 3D design apps run online now (browser-based), programs like Tinkercad and 3DTin are also accessible from any device. With Cheetah3D there’s also a 3D design software which is exclusively available for Mac OS.
Are you new to the world of 3D modeling and 3D printing? Make sure to avoid these 5 common mistakes in order to create stunning designs. Do you already know how to create printable 3D files? Then simply upload them to our website, choose from more than 100 materials and finishes, and let us take care of printing your object.
Most of the engineers and designers will have to work with CAD at some point of time to design objects in a better and realistic way. There are many types of CAD software that they could use like 2D CAD Software and 3D drawing software. These free 3D software downloads are free to use and can be used for many purposes. The tools will be advanced enough to render any object in a realistic way.
Related:
Free CAD
Free 3d Cad Design Software
This freeware can be used to design many real-life objects in any size that you want. The parametric modeling will allow engineers to modify the designs that were drawn and change its parameters.
KOMPAS-3D Home
This premium software that was created by ASCON can be used as a comprehensive MCAD program that will have a powerful set of functions for creating 2D and 3D designs in perfect parameters.
Tinker CAD
This free software by Autodesk, Inc. can be used as a browser based 3D designing and modeling tools that will be suitable for 3D printing purposes. You can imagine anything and draw it quickly.
SketchUp
This premium software created by Trimble Inc has an intuitive and powerful interface that can be used to scale 3D models. The features can be used for page layout and innovative designs can be created.
NaroCAD
This freeware from NaroCAD is a 3D parametric modeling software used for designing solids. The functionalities used here are related to Model Associativity.
GrabCAD
This free software created by STRATASYS will help in simplifying the 3D printing workflow so that you will be able to print faster. It is an easy way to share and manage CAD files.
Sculptris
SOLVESPACE
Solidworks Professional
Vari CAD
Auto Desk 123D
KiCad
NanoCAD Pro 7
Other Free 3D CAD Software for Different Platforms
The different file transfer software that are available online can be used only on some operating system. Once it is designed to work on a particular operating system like Windows, Linux or Mac it will not function on other OS. These software are available online.
AR-CAD for Windows
Cad Softwares For Mac
This free software created by AR-CAD LLC is compatible on the Windows platform and has motion simulation capabilities with which engineers will be able to perform motion and dynamic simulation and 3D CAD development.
Open SCAD for Mac
This freeware is compatible with the Mac platform and can be used to create solid 3D models. It focuses on CAD aspects to create 3D models of machine parts with a 3D compiler.
om3DCAD 3D Modeler for Android
This free Android app was manufactured by Goran Lukic and can be used as a 3D CAD application and 3D CAD conversion tool. It will be able to support different formats like STEP, STL, OBJ and much more.
Auto CAD – Most Popular Software
This premium software from Autodesk Inc. is very popular and can be used for creating 2D and 3D designs in any form imaginable. It can be used on different platforms and has many advanced tools.
2d Cad Software For Mac
How to Install 3D CAD software?
The different 3D CAD software that are available online can be installed as a free version or as a premium version. For the premium versions, the login credentials should be bought from the manufacturer which should be used at the time of login. The file can be downloaded from the website and it should be unzipped. The system requirements should be checked using the readme text to make sure that the software will run on the system and then the software can be installed using the instructions that are prompted. The required language should be set before opening the software.
You will be able to share the drawings and designs that you make on this software and work across different platforms and devices. It will use simplified tools to make a complicated drawing which can be edited later. Dimensioning of the designs will be very easy and the design can be saved as a PDF.