Are there any free CAD programs I could use to render a yoyo?
You could get the trial of rhino 3d which limits you to 25 saves, but unlimited use. There’s a add-on called Brazil for rhino that is great for rendering.
There is a way to get the full program of auto cad for free, including any other 3d creating software by autodesk
Probably illegal…
Free cad is good or emachineshop I think is another one.
If you are only interested in rendering images, as opposed to detailed design for the purpose of manufacturing, I can suggest the free program called Blender (blender.org). It is capable of modeling, rendering, animation, etc, similar to Autodesk’s 3ds Max program. BUT, the program has a very steep and difficult learning curve for anyone not familiar with 3D modeling and composition.
db
No, you have to be a student. I had it last year, but ditched it due to a couple of nuances.
Solidworks is an amazing program. But it costs as much as a used car. Emachineshop is one of the easiest 3d cad program that I’ve used. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles and isn’t quite as accurate weights wise as solidworks, but it gets the job done. I’ve tried using blender, but realized it wasn’t going to be any better than solidworks so I just decided it wasn’t worth my time to figure out how it worked. Emachineshop is your best bet as far as basic designing goes and is really all you need for yoyo designing.
I looked into Solid Works and they have me a quote and then decided to stick to the free stuff. It may be the best CAD program but unless your doing big business it’s not worth $4-8 grand if your just looking to have something small come out of it.
Actually, it isn’t illegal, the company lets students an teachers download full versions if their programs for free
Check to see if your school has a CAD class. If they do I think the teacher will let you use the computer after school for a bit