Prototyping Toolkit
The software, generators, and guides we recommend for getting an idea into something you can print, cut, test, or show someone.
All of these have been tried at the Foundry, rated honestly, and most are free or close to it.
Most prototyping problems aren't skill problems. They're tool problems. A student spends a week fighting a professional CAD package when a box generator would have had the part on the laser in ten minutes. Another sketches a great idea and stalls because they don't know what to open next.
This page is our answer to "what should I use for this?" It's a running list of what Foundry staff actually reach for: the slicer that runs our printers, the generator that lays out a press-fit box, the apps that turn a photo into a model, the AI tools that build a part from a description, and the guides that keep a laser job from going sideways.
Every entry has been used on a real project here. Each card says what the tool does, what we think of it, what it costs, how much experience it expects, and which machine it's for. Filter by where you are in the process and what you plan to make it on, or search for a file type or tool you need or want to use.
Before you begin, here are a few habits that save time with any of these:
Measure before you model. Use calipers on the real object, the real board, the real plywood. Accuracy here helps!
Check the size in the slicer or the laser software before you run the job. Screens may lie about scale or your units may be off.
Treat your first file as a draft. Make it, hold it, find what's wrong, go back. That loop is the whole point.
New to the Foundry? Start with the tools marked Beginner or take one of our tool trainings to get you started. If you get stuck, look for a Scout in a yellow apron. If you've found something we should add, tell us at FoundryInfo@Babson.edu.
Happy making!