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!
- Simple, fast and reliable snipping tool used to take a print screen on Mac. Free & premium version of snipping tool is available for Mac. Snipping tool is used to take a screenshot of a whole desktop or any active windows screen with few snipping tool shortcuts or clicks.
- Three Ways to Print Screen on Mac with Keyboard Shortcut and Screenshot Tool. Print screen (often abbreviated Print Scrn, Prnt Scrn, Prt Scn, Prt Scr, Prt Sc or Pr Sc) is a key present on most PC keyboards.
- Try printing selected text and/or images. This option is available in Microsoft Word for Mac and Windows. Instead of printing an entire Microsoft Word document, select the content or images you wish to print.
- Printing Images with Application Colour Management Printing Images Using Print-Tool - Mac Only What this software is used for. Print-Tool is a Mac-only application, which was originally produced to allow accurate printing of black and white images using the Quad Tone RIP system.
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.
Access the tool through the Finder. The Finder is your Mac’s navigational system. It allows you to locate folders, files, and programs. To open a new Finder window, click anywhere on your desktop, select “File” from the top banner, and then click “New Finder Window”. Once the printer is removed, click the plus sign, click Add Printer or Scanner, click the name of your printer, and then continue to the next step. If your printer is not listed, click the plus sign, click Add Printer or Scanner, click the name of your printer, and then continue to the next step.
Select Print Tool For Macro
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. 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.
With a document open on your Mac, choose File > Print, or press Command-P.
The Print dialog opens, with a small preview of how your document will look when printed. Click the arrows below the preview to scroll through the pages.
Tip: To view a full-size preview in the Preview app, click the PDF pop-up menu, then choose Open PDF in Preview.
If the settings in the Print dialog are fine as is, click Print, and you’re done. Otherwise, continue to step 3.
Choose any of the following common print settings (you may need to click Show Details to see some of the settings):
Printer: Choose the printer you want to use. If the printer you want isn’t available, you can add one. See Add a printer on Mac. If you see an icon next to the printer you want to use, there may be an issue you need to resolve—see Check a printer’s status from Mac.
Presets: A preset is a group of print settings. In most cases you can use the default settings, but you can also choose a group of settings you’ve saved from a previous print job. See Save your Mac print settings to use later.
Copies: Specify the number of copies you want. To print all pages of a document before the next copy prints, click Show Details, click the print options pop-up menu, choose Paper Handling, then select “Collate pages.”
B & W (or Black and White): Select to print in black and white, if your printer has this capability.
Two-Sided: Select this to print on both sides of the paper (also called duplexing), if your printer has this capability.
Pages: Choose to print all pages, a single page, or a range of pages.
Orientation: Click the buttons to switch between portrait or landscape orientation.
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For more detailed information about printing options, see Choose advanced print settings.
You might see different options in the Print dialog depending on your printer and the app you’re using. If these instructions differ from what you’re seeing, check the documentation for the app you’re using by clicking Help in the menu bar.
Tip: If you print a document and see unexpected margin sizes or clipped text, there may be a conflict between the margins set for your page size in the app and the nonprintable area of the page set for your selected printer. Try setting the nonprintable area for the page size to zero. For information about how to set the nonprintable area associated with a page size, see Create a custom paper size for printing.