Hello all,
Though I would share this little tidbit that I discovered.
Rhino (a popular CAD software) is available as a free BETA for the
Mac (OS 10.5 and higher). For those who use Macs this is a great
thing. The more downloads and users it gets the more likely it is to
become a priority for McNeel to complete the project.
The link to the download is here http://www.irhino3d.com/
I still feel that Matrix is an easier to use and faster option for
those with PCs and the money to spend but for those who are low on
cash and have Macs this is a cool option for a very powerful piece
of software. Being a Beta you can be sure that it has glitches but
evidently it can do quite a bit (according to a pro user I have
talked to).
If you do not know Rhino or Matrix you WILL need to do a lot of
studying to get up and running with this. Classes or online
tutorials are a must.
I found some online tutorials that appear to be free here
http://www.rhino3dhelp.com/ and there may be other sites too. A
number of paid tutorial sites also have things. The tutorials are
probably for the PC version but it should be pretty easy to figure
out the differences.
Hope someone finds this helpful.
Happy smithing!
John Dyer