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!
An Ultimaker account gives you access to Ultimaker Cloud, plus the Ultimaker community of 3D printing experts, where you can learn, share, and give your feedback on this release. Download Ultimaker Cura 4.0 today and take your 3D printing workflow to the next generation. Cura is a macOS application that provides support for 3D printing with the Ultimaker 3D printer and for other RepRap based printers. You will be able to scale, position and adjust a 3D model, setup an Ultimaker machine, slice the model to 3D GCode and send it to the 3D printer. Ultimaker Cura prepares your model for 3D printing. Optimized, expert-tested profiles for 3D printers and materials mean you can start printing reliably in no time. And with industry-standard software integration, you can streamline your workflow for maximum efficiency.
Ultimaker Cura is free, easy-to-use 3D printing software trusted by millions of users. Fine-tune your 3D model with 400+ settings for the best slicing and printing results. Cura is an open source slicing application for 3D printers. It was created by David Braam who was later employed by Ultimaker, a 3D printer manufacturing company, to maintain the software.Cura is available under LGPLv3 license. Cura was initially released under the open source Affero General Public License version 3, but on 28 September 2017 the license was changed to LGPLv3.
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
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. Canon eos rebel sl2 mac app. 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.
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.
Developer(s) | David Braam, Ultimaker |
---|---|
Stable release | 4.6.1[1] (April 29, 2020; 2 months ago[1]) [±] |
Written in | C++, Python, QML |
Operating system | Windows, macOS, Linux |
Available in | 15 languages |
English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Finnish, Brazilian Portuguese, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese | |
Type | 3D printer slicing application |
License | |
Website | ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura |
Cura is an open source slicing application for 3D printers.[2] It was created by David Braam who was later employed by Ultimaker, a 3D printer manufacturing company, to maintain the software. Cura is available under LGPLv3 license.[3] Cura was initially released under the open sourceAffero General Public License version 3, but on 28 September 2017 the license was changed to LGPLv3.[4] This change allowed for more integration with third-party CAD applications.[5] Development is hosted on GitHub.[3] Ultimaker Cura is used by over one million users worldwide and handles 1.4 million print jobs per week. It is the preferred 3D printing software for Ultimaker 3D printers, but it can be used with other printers as well.[6][5][7]
Technical specifications[edit]
View of STL file in Ultimaker Cura
Ultimaker Cura works by slicing the user’s model file into layers and generating a printer-specific g-code. Once finished, the g-code can be sent to the printer for the manufacture of the physical object.[8]
The open source software, compatible with most desktop 3D printers, can work with files in the most common 3D formats such as STL, OBJ, X3D, 3MF as well as image file formats such as BMP, GIF, JPG, and PNG.[8]
Major software versions[edit]
7-Jun-2016 Ultimaker announced the new Cura major release 2.1.2, superseding the previous 15.04.6 version (note the non-sequentiality in the major version numbers).[9]
Sept 2016 Version 2.3 was a major release. It includes new printing profiles, slicing features, as well as increasing speed. It also supported the dual extrusion possible with the Ultimaker 3 model[10]
17-Oct-2017 The current major version, Version 3.0 updated the user interface and allowed for CAD integration. This was the first version with plugin support.[11]
Nov 2017 - Cura Connect was released to enable users to control, monitor, and configure a group of network-enabled 3D printers from a single interface.[12]
October 2018 - Beginning with version 3.5, all files are saved in the 3MF format for improved compatibility with other 3D software. Hotkeys were introduced as well as a searchable profile guide. [13]
Nov 2018 - Version 3.6 introduced material profile support for materials made by major manufacturers such as BASF, DuPont, Clariant, and other members of the Materials Alliance Program[14] consortium. [15]
Note: starting with Cura version 3.1, USB connected printers are supported. If you have a USB only printer or wish to use USB connectivity, Cura 3.1 or later must be used.[16]
March 2019 - Version 4.0 released. Significant changes to the user interface were made. In support of plugin capabilities, a star-based rating system was incorporated to allow users to rate plugins. Cloud-backup functionality was added as well as support for more third-party printers.[17]
Plugins[edit]
Screen of Cura on an Apple computer
Release 3.0 introduced plugin capability. Users can develop their own plugins or use plugins commercially available. Plugins simplify workflow for users by allowing them to quickly perform tasks like opening a file from a menu or exporting a file from an application.[18] Starting with Release 4.0, users can rate plugins using a star system. [17]
Art software for mac. Current plugins include: SolidWorks, Siemens NX, HP 3D Scanning, MakePrintable, AutoDesk Inventor.[19][20][21][22]
Media coverage[edit]
Cura 3d Printing Software Download For Mac
On August 31, 2014 Cura was included in a review of 3D slicing software by Think3DPrint3D[23]
In the summer of 2015, Ultimaker released Cura 2.0.[24][25][26]
Cura 3d Printing Software Download For Mac
On January 1, 2018, All3DP named Cura one of the best 3D slicer software tools.[8]
In 2019, Cura was named one of the top free 3D printing tools by the industry blog, G2[27]
Cura was named Software Tool of the Year at the international 2019 3D Printing Industry Awards ceremony[28] in London.
References[edit]
Cura 3d Printer Software Mac
- ^ ab'Release 4.6.1 · Ultimaker/Cura'. GitHub.com. Ultimaker. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^'Cura home page'. Ultimaker. Ultimaker. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ ab'Cura Github development page'. GitHub. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^'Changing AGPLv3 to LGPLv3'. GitHub. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ ab'Ultimaker Cura and Cura Connect launch at TCT 2017'. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ^'Which 3rd party printers are supported?'. Ultimaker. Ultimaker. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^MANUFACTUR3D (2019-07-01). 'Ultimaker Moves to New Headquarters as Company Expands on Global Scale'. MANUFACTUR3D. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^ abc'17 Best 3D Slicer Software Tools for 3D Printers (Most are Free) | All3DP'. All3DP. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^'Cura 2.1.2 has been released'.
- ^'Cura 2.3 Update: New Features, Major Improvements on the 3D Slicer | All3DP'. All3DP. 2016-09-02. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^'Ultimaker launches Cura 3.0 slicing software'. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^Davies, Sam (2017-11-07). 'Ultimaker announces availability of Cura Connect'. TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^Watkin, Hanna (2018-10-09). 'Cura 3.5 Update: New Slicing Features and Improved UX | All3DP'. All3DP. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
- ^'Ultimaker Announces Alliance Partnership Program for Engineering Materials at RAPID | 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing'. 3dprint.com. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^Griffiths, Laura (2018-11-15). 'Ultimaker introduces optimised 3D printing material profiles for BASF, Clariant, DuPont and more'. TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^'Ultimaker'. Ultimaker.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
- ^ ab'Ultimaker Cura 4.0 Released with Improved User Interface and Updated Custom Mode Panel'. All3DP. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
- ^'Cura 3.0 Brings Shiny UI, Fractal Infill Patterns, and 3rd Party Plugins | All3DP'. All3DP. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^4DR, DEVELOP3D, X3D Media Ltd. 465C Hornsey Road, 1st floor, Unit 7, London N19. 'DEVELOP3D blog - Ultimaker Cura software adds 3rd-party CAD integration and 3D print farm management'. DEVELOP3D. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^'MakePrintable Integrates with Cura — MakePrintable.com'. MakePrintable.com. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^Davies, Sam (2018-03-15). 'Ultimaker integrates HP 3D scanning technology with Cura 3D printing software'. TCT Magazine. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^'5 Must-Have Cura Plugins to Pimp Your Printing'. All3DP. 2019-01-12. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^'Slicing software printed support review - evaluating Slic3r, Cura and Meshmixer'. blog.think3dprint3d.com. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^'Cura Gets a Facelift: Ultimaker Releases Overhaul on Cura Software | 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing'. 3dprint.com. 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^'Ultimaker releases the latest version of their free Cura software'. 3ders.org. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^'Big Updates for 3D Printing Slicers | Make:'. Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers. 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^Gigante, Michael. '8 Best Free 3D Printing Software to Try in 2019'. learn.g2.com. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
- ^'2019 3D Printing Industry Awards winners announced'. 3D Printing Industry. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
External links[edit]
Cura 3d Printing Free Download
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