The first 3D software I used to design my first accessory for the VW Caravelle T6, (OutHanger) was Rhinoceros 3D. (Special mention to @Hugomontal who introduced me to design and Rhinoceros in his Youtube channel).
The initial versions of the LightKarrier were designed in this software, although I moved to Fusion 360 later on. This software is complex, but it's a really good tool when it comes to quickly draft designs to visualize them in 3D to see if they'll work, whereas in Fusion 360, it takes a bit more time to draft the 2D view.
It is mostly used in the Architecture industry, but also for Industrial design, jewelry and a big etc...
When it comes to the parts I personally design, I feel really comfortable by designing in Fusion360.
I moved to Fusion 360 for 2 main reasons:
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Sheet metal: Really powerful tool included in Fusion that gives you the ability to create all kind of designs starting from a sheet of metal. You can apply bends in an angle with one simple click. It's also possible to define sheet metal properties (K-factor, Thickness, Bend Conditions...) based on the different materials, so Fusion will calculate the bends based on the provided properties.
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Design history: This is hands down my favorite feature in Fusion 360. It allows you to go back in your design at any time, and make any (almost) change you need. When designing in Fusion, you need to design based in the history concept, knowing that any step you do, will affect the following ones.
So, what's the Software recommended to design Campervan parts or accessories?
Well, that will depend on what you want to design, in fist place. As mentioned before, Rhinoceros 3D is recommended for Architecture mainly, but also Industrial design.
Rhinoceros 3D can be complemented with an awesome tool, in form of a Plug-in, called Grasshopper, a parametric (complex) design tool. I recommend watching any USSA Design video to see its potential.
Fusion 360's strongest point is mechanical design, tools like the Sheet metal, the ability to create threads with a touch of a click, its joint and motion system, makes it a really powerful tool, although its interface may seems the contrary.
It also includes a 2D Drawing option to easily export your design for fabrication, adding bend tables, dimensions, and a 3D printing utility to export STL directly to your STL/OBJ/3MF objects to your favorite Slicer software.
If it's your first time using 3D software, I'll definitely recommend to start with Fusion 360.
PROS and CONS of each software
Rhinoceros 3D
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Fusion 360
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Don't take this article too serious, I'm not a 3D expert or an Industrial designer, I'm just sharing my experience over 2 years of playing with this Softwares :).
If you have any addition, pros and cons of any of the mentioned Softwares, or just wan to share your opinion, please, drop us a comment down below!
Conclusions:
There's no specific software to design campervan accessories, you just need to find the one that you feel more comfortable when using it. Each one has its own advantages. If you have any recommendation, please, let us know in the comments which one do you use and why :)
In case you want see products that we have designed using the software shared in this page, feel free to check our products page, here you can find some examples:
BFREE