this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2026
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I've finally reached a brick wall where I can't just find something on Printables/Thingiverse that I can modify for my use case. Until now, I've been able to find something close and use OrcaSlicer to make small adjustments or occasionally kit bash two models together.

Now, it seems, I need to design something from scratch.

I've had Blender recommended, but I just cannot make sense of it no matter how many Youtube videos make it look so easy.

I've also got FreeCAD installed but am still getting my bearings and nothing has come of it yet.

So, recommendations? The only limitations are that it has to run on Linux and not be a cloud service. I'm willing to pay for a license if need be but no SaaS or having to fight with Wine to get it going.

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[–] sbeak@sopuli.xyz 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Besides FreeCAD and Blender, there's also OpenSCAD (never used it myself, but it sounds pretty cool. Programming 3D models, I want to try it soon. Everyone says it has a high learning curve though)

Ideally you would want to get the hang of either Blender or FreeCAD, depending on what kind of models you're trying to make.

These are project cases for a Pi Zero clone, so FreeCAD would probably be the most logical choice. Though someone else commented a plugin for Blender that adds a CAD-like workflow to it.