cad drawing for 3d printer

Free 2nd/3D CAD Software
M4 PERSONAL

CAD freeware for domicile, business and academy use. Download at present for free and create your CAD drawings.

Enter your e-mail address here to receive the software download link and gratis helpful tips by east-mail

M4 PERSONAL is the powerful free second/3D CAD bundle

M4 PERSONAL has been used worldwide for many years to quickly create 2D drawings for home projects, and by hobbyists to produce 3D models ready for 3D press. Due to its versatile CAD functionality, and its ability to edit DWG and DXF files, the software has also become established in many small companies. When used by companies, finished drawings are published for commercial use for a small fee e.thousand. converted to PDF or DXF format. This pay-per-outcome arroyo means that there is no price to buy the software, only for drawings that are used commercially.

The M4 product family and services

CAD software for personal and educational use

M4 PERSONAL

M4 PERSONAL is used worldwide to turn project ideas into reality. Use the software free of charge for your personal projects or in educational institutions. Get started at present and plow your ideas into reality!

Utilize M4 PERSONAL drawings commercially

eSERVICES

Take advantage of our eSERVICES credit packages to catechumen your M4 PERSONAL drawings to DWG, DXF or PDF format. All converted drawings tin exist used commercially and without restrictions!

CAD software
for companies

M4 DRAFTING

Endeavor our CAD solution for companies. Information technology allows you to implement CAD projects of any size without restrictions. Comprehensive hotline support and software updates are of form included.

Advantages of the free CAD software

Many interfaces

Open and edit drawings in mutual formats (eastward.g. DWG or DXF) and convert them via our eSERVICES. 3D formats are also available.

Standardisation

Back up for Metric and Imperial units and all common dimensioning standards. Drawing styles and templates are also customisable.

Scalable

With M4 PERSONAL y'all can start your projects right away. If your requirements increase, you can e'er switch to the M4 DRAFTING package for companies.

Video-Tutorials

In order to aid you go started with MEDUSA4 Personal, we regularly upload new tutorial videos to our Youtube Channel, covering topics ranging from elementary 2nd drawing creation to 3D modelling.

Assistance Eye

Behind our help center is an intelligent Knowledge Database (KDB). You can directly ask questions and our KDB will offer helpful suggestions and solutions.

Documentation

The software too includes comprehensive documentation to guide yous from the very first concept through to the finished design.

Our products are used worldwide with over 250,000 licenses

"Alongside college productivity, our investment in MEDUSA4 offers united states of america greater automation capabilities, and the ability to standardise our CAD landscape across our group of companies. Integration bug should also become a affair of the past."

Mr Bruno Ehrle, Head of Technology at OERTLI Werkzeuge AG

M4 PERSONAL modules & functionality

• 2D Drafting
• 3D Modelling
• Parametrics
• Sheet Metal Design
• Dimensions, texts and tables
• SMART Drafting Tool
• SMART Edit
• Text Translation Tool
• Diagram Symbols
• Parts Numbers and Parts Lists
• CloudConnect
• DWG/DXF Interface

• DXF Consign
• PDF Export
• 3D Export
• Plot-Service
• Tutorials
• Documentation
• Help-Center

DXF/DWG Interface

The DXF/DWG interface provided with M4 Personal allows you to import and edit existing second drawings. If y'all need to create DXF files from your M4 PERSONAL sheets for commercial use, y'all tin convert the sheets at the CSG eSERVICES portal for a small fee. Universities or other educational institutions entitled to use the software for free tin can request free conversion credits for their eSERVICES account.

Customisable menus

M4 PERSONAL'due south menus are highly customisable. The ribbon menus and dashboard tin can be extensively adapted to adjust the user'southward requirements.

SMART Drafting Tool

The software includes a Smart Drafting Tool for rapidly and hands creating geometry. It allows construction lines to be automatically inferred between points created, and displays them dynamically equally the cursor moves inside the drawing area. Users tin automatically snap to existing segment points, determine grid step length and angles for subsequent points, decide incremental angles relative to the last line and easily extend existing geometry. Context sensitive data fields dynamically brandish segment length, angle or radii data as users draw their geometry.

SMART Edit

M4 PERSONAL includes a SMART Edit tool for dynamically editing designs, besides known every bit "parametrics on demand." The tool allows y'all to edit whatever cartoon directly by selecting and dragging lines, or entering precise values for sizes and positions of geometric elements to effect alter dynamically. Alternatively, drag or edit existing dimensions to create the correct geometric changes. SMART Edit deduces your intent from the geometry equally a whole, taking into consideration dependent relationships between elements, and giving users a visual arrow as to how a modify volition impact their geometry.

2D Drafting

Unlike other costless or cheap CAD systems, M4 PERSONAL is a fully functional MCAD suite with all-encompassing, intelligent 2d tools and drafting functionality, including dynamic line and geometry creation tools, construction lines, grids, text tools, hyperlinks, a construction tree for logically group geometry, layer management, flexible dimensioning, and the ability to change sheet units from metric to imperial.

3D Modelling

M4 PERSONAL contains the gratis basic 3D add-on, which allows users to quickly create 3D models based on 2nd drawings – also known as "canvass-based modelling". This simple method was adult for designers who want to take their existing noesis into a 3D globe, making it accessible even to people without 3D modelling cognition. The software also provides an integrated 3D model viewer.

Parametrics

The PARAMETRICS (variational geometry) module included with M4 PERSONAL provides the functionality required to parameterise 2D drawings to quickly create blueprint variants, and to automate many manual design, simulation and testing processes.

Raster Image Integration

M4 PERSONAL also contains the MEDRaster module for integrating, editing and saving colour or monochrome images (including scanned in manus drawings) inside new or existing designs. The software supports raster images in the following formats: JPG, PNG, BMP and TIF.

Sheet Metallic Design

The Sail Metal Blueprint (SMD) module included with the gratuitous CAD package draws on M4's 2d drafting and 3D modelling capabilities. Starting in 2D or 3D, users can modify a flat pattern using the powerful tools provided, and then refold the model to ensure that the last solution is exactly what is required. Sheet metallic features, such equally flanges, tabs, corner tears and punching, can all be added in second, either explicitly, or as defaults. A powerful bend allowance tool allows you to right your geometry or specify your own algorithm for curve allowance.

Parts Numbers and Parts Lists

The complimentary MEDUSA4 Personal second/3D CAD programme allows users to add attributes to elements on a canvas, including parts numbers, item number balloons and user defined attributes. These can then be included in automatically generated parts lists, which can be positioned on the drawing or exported.

FAQ: Your oft asked questions and our answers

1. M4 PERSONAL Installation Guide

We deliver M4 PERSONAL always with an installation guide. You tin can download it as a PDF document in the download area:
https://world wide web.cad-schroer.com/fileadmin/Download/datasheet/MEDUSA4-PERSONAL-v7-0-Installation-Guide.pdf

2. Supported languages

M4 PERSONAL can be installed in English, German, French or Italian.

The documentation and online help are available from CAD Schroer in High german and English language.

iii. Installation directory on Windows 10

Choose for the M4 PERSONAL installation folder a path name which does not contains blank spaces or special characters, this is why the default installation path cannot be (C:\Program Files).

four. Installation won't start, aborted subsequently extraction or is taking a long fourth dimension

The installation can be aborted past several reasons.

1. The installation of M4 PERSONAL is executed by a user without administrator rights

If this is the case, there may be problems during installation. In this case, cancel the installation and ask the administrator to run the installation again.

two. The temporary directory does non exist or is named incorrectly

Make sure that the directory C:\temp exists and is writable.

If the extraction process stops later on reaching 100 percent and the DOS fault bulletin "The system cannot find the specified path" appears, check whether the temporary area has a DOS-compliant name. Please bank check under "Showtime > Settings > Control Panel > System" in the tab "Advanced" on the item "Surround Variables" whether the variables "TMP" or "TEMP" practise not comprise special characters.

3. Blocking by the Windows firewall or the virus scanner

Unfortunately, some virus scanners crusade problems when downloading, installing or running M4 PERSONAL, because the latest virus scanners practise not know some M4 PERSONAL files. Every bit these are unknown, their condition is considered potentially dangerous and the virus scanner interrupts the download / installation / execution.

We clinch y'all that M4 PERSONAL does not contain any viruses or trojans!

Please permit us know which M4 PERSONAL files are classified as dangerous and which virus scanner you are using. Nosotros can then contact the software vendor then that this incorrect classification can be corrected at the side by side update of your virus scanner.

You tin configure the Windows firewall under Control Panel > Windows firewall > Exceptions (for DRAFT.EXE and MX.EXE) or configure the firewall in such a way that information technology does not prevent the execution in principle, merely requests its execution.

four. Broser path configured incorrectly

If y'all specify Firefox every bit browser and the path at that place is "C:\Programs\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"
is enclosed (quoted) with " so errors can occur. Please always use paths without " … " must be specified.

five. Windows security alarm during installation

When executing the M4 PERSONAL installation file, Windows may display the security warning "Do you want to run or salve this file?"

This dialog appears automatically considering the M4 PERSONAL installation file does not contain a Microsoft signature. Click on "Run" to start the installation procedure.

half-dozen. Supported operating systems and hardware

Information about the currently supported operating systems and hardware tin be found nether:
https://www.cad-schroer.com/fileadmin/Download/datasheet/M4-PERSONAL-System-Supported-Configurations_en.pdf

1. Determining Your Reckoner's Physical Address (MAC address)

Your computer'southward Concrete Address, also known as "MAC accost" or "Ethernet accost" can be determined past using the command prompt.

Determine Windows Physical Address Automatically:
Alternatively, utilize the program CSG-HostID.exe to automatically make up one's mind your physical address.

Open the Control Prompt:
Windows 10: On the desktop press the Windows key and the 10 (Windows+Ten) key together. Cull Command Prompt from the Power User Card.

Determine Windows Physical Address:
At the prompt blazon "getmac /v" or "ipconfig /all".

Video Tutorial

For Your Information: Y'all must provide a valid physical address in order for the software to install and run on your motorcar. We merely use this accost to issue a software license file (keyfile), which allows the downloaded software to piece of work and is locked to your specific automobile.

2. Multiple Physical Addresses (MAC Addresses)

If you have several network cards you will likewise have several physical (MAC) addresses. If you use the "getmac/5" or "ipconfig -all" control, you reckoner volition these addresses. In order to decide which is the right address for MEDUSA4 Personal licensing, please use the concrete address of your local area conn.

For a transmission request of the license file, the physical address of the network adapter which is integrated into the computer (no USB adapter) and ever agile should be selected.

3. Departure between the freeware M44 Personal of the commercial software M4 DRAFTING

M4 Personal offers virtually of the functionality of the professional M4 version. The following tools are available:

• second Drafting (Bones)
• 2D Symbols, creation and und editing
• 2D Parametric Symbols, creation and und editing
• Smart Drafting
• 3D Drafting (Bones)
• Sheet Metal Blueprint
• Import of AutoCAD® DXF/DWG files (Consign in CSG eSERVICES)
• Raster files, loading and modifying

M4 Personal is delivered with the documentation of the total version. Due to the limited range of functions, some tools are not bachelor.

M4 Personal has its ain license file format. License servers are not supported. When you commencement M4 Personal for the showtime time, y'all have to utilize for a license, y'all volition then receive a free license file.
The internal format of M4 Personal drawing files (*.she) and model files (*.mod) is dissimilar from the format of the professional version.

The commercial use of plots, PDF files, etc. created with M4 Personal is not allowed, for this reason a watermark is added to each plot.

To use drawings created with M4 Personalcommercially, CAD Schroer provides various conversion services in the CSG eSERVICES:

• Plotting drawings in large formats (A0, A1, A2)
• Converting drawings to PDF or DXF format
• Converting drawings to SHE format of the MEDUSA4 professional version
• Converting models to STL format

Registration in the CSG eSERVICES is costless of charge, the plot and conversion services volition be charged.

four. Replace license manually

Open up a Windows Explorer window and modify to the directory \medsys\med\license. You will find your license hither with the file name csglmd.lic . If you want to update your new license, rename the new license to csglmd.lic and copy it into the named directory. Overwrite the existing license or rename information technology before copying.

5. Annual update of license and software

Each M4 PERSONAL license is valid for ane year. Afterward that, the license can simply be renewed for another twelvemonth in the software.

We limit the license usage for several reasons. We publish a new version of M4 PERSONAL nigh every year. The license update allows users to upgrade to the new version. We also sometimes change the functions to run into the requirements of our users and arrange them using the new licenses.

6. Does the M4 PERSONAL license cost me anything?

The M4 PERSONAL software as well equally the M4 PERSONAL license are completely free of charge and can be downloaded via the CAD Schroer website https://world wide web.cad-schroer.com/products/m4-personal/ or via the eSERVICES portal https://eservice.cad-schroer.com/com/. Licenses are valid for 12 months and tin can exist extended free of charge.

Only the use of designs for commercial purposes incurs a conversion accuse. Read more about our Pay per Issue principle in this article:
https://www.cad-schroer.com/news/articles/the-pay-per-result-principle/

vii. Applying for a license

M4 PERSONAL can just be used on PCs with a correctly installed network bill of fare.

If yous enter the command ipconfig /all or < installation directory >\medsys\med\license\lmutil lmhostid and your machine returns the results 00-00-00-00-00-00 or FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF, then this means that your computer does not take a network card installed, or that the card was not properly installed.

A Host ID in the format of 00-53-45-00-00-00 is besides invalid, as it is not the physical address of your network carte, and M4 PERSONAL will not run in this environment.

8. Update to a new M4 PERSONAL Version

If yous want to use the newest version of M4 PERSONAL you need to download the electric current version and update the license. The one-time licensekey wont work with the newest version of M4 PERSONAL.

9. What's a Physical Address (MAC Accost)?

A MAC accost (Media Access Command Adress, as well known as Ethernet ID or Physical Address for Microsoft) is your network adaptor'due south unique hardware accost, which identifies your machine on a network.

It just refers to your network adaptor and does not contain any personal information. We need this accost to create your M4 PERSONAL license file, which will just run on your machine, preventing illegal copying and misuse of the software.

To discover out your MAC address, open a command line and type: "getmac/v" or "ipconfig -all"

ten. No license received

1. You do not have an agile Net connection or your firewall is blocking the contact to the license server. Then M4 PERSONAL cannot automatically obtain a license from the CAD Schroer servers.

In this example, use the online form to request a license: https://www.cad-schroer.com/tech-support/medusa4-personal-license/
Fill up out the form and download the license to your PC. Select the license file in the licensing dialog.

ii. Y'all do not take an active network menu and the licensing mechanism cannot place a valid physical address (MAC address). In this case, activate your network card and restart M4 PERSONAL.

11. Renew Existing License

Your M4 PERSONAL license is valid for 12 months. When information technology'south expired, simply renew information technology in the software or visit https://www.cad-schroer.com/tech-support/medusa4-personal-license/ to renew your license for another 12 months.

i. Remove watermark from printed page

Each M4 PERSONAL printout includes a watermark that informs the users that for commercial use, drawings must be converted in the CSG eSERVICES.

The conversion of the drawing into PDF, DXF or DWG format tin can as well be done via the dialogue "File > eSERVICES conversion". This requires the purchase of a conversion contingent in the CSG eSERVICES.

The conversion can also be done directly in the CSG eSERVICES.

There is no watermark in the converted files, which means that they tin too be used commercially.

ii. Print in colour from M4 PERSONAL

Both plotter drivers available in M4 PERSONAL are set up to print in monochrome by default. You tin change one of these to allow y'all to practice colour press.

To do so, select "File > Options > Ambassador" and enter the password "admin". Then select "File > Options > Plotter configuration".

The dialog presented lists all available plotter drivers. Select the "qtplot" plotter commuter and click the "Edit Description" push.

In the file presented, change the text then that you comment out (add together a "–" to the line defining) the black and white press options, and remove the annotate marks from the colour press options, and then save the file:

Change:

———————————————————————————
— Benchmark for selecting the pen is defined for black and white printout
———————————————————————————
lgc 1 col 0 0 0
softpens on
———————————————————————————
— Criterion for selecting the pen for color printout use one of the side by side
section
———————————————————————————
— workstation groundwork white
—
— lgc off
— softpens on
———————————————————————————-
— for manual pen consignment / definition delight take a look at the
plotting guide
———————————————————————————-

To:

———————————————————————————
— Criterion for selecting the pen is defined for blackness and white printout
———————————————————————————
–lgc one col 0 0 0
–softpens on
———————————————————————————
— Criterion for selecting the pen for color printout use i of the next
section
———————————————————————————
— workstation groundwork white
—
lgc off
softpens on
———————————————————————————-
— for transmission pen assignment / definition please take a look at the
plotting guide
———————————————————————————-

3. Impress from M4 PERSONAL

To print your M4 PERSONAL pattern, select "File > Print".

Select a plotter driver in the "Bachelor printers" section of the Print dialog.

You can employ qtplot or the standard winplot driver. Both are prepare by default to impress in monochrome. To change this, run into the FAQ on colour printing.

Click OK. You will now exist presented with the familiar Print dialog which allows you to cull any printer on your network and begin printing.

1. Uninstalling M4 PERSONAL

To uninstall M4 PERSONAL under Windows®, click on the Start push button and select "All Programs > M4 PERSONAL > uninstall MEDUSA4 Personal" . This will launch the uninstall magician, which allows you to uninstall all components of the application. Alternatively, use the "Add together or Remove Programs" selection in the Command Panel to remove the software.

1. Activate the administrator style and change the administrator password

To switch to administrator mode, the password "admin" must beginning be entered and confirmed under "File > Options > Ambassador".
The admin password tin can then exist inverse under "File > Options > Administrator".

2. PDF/DXF conversion for school and college students

High school and university students tin can receive gratis voucher codes to convert their drawings into PDF or DXF format. The codes can exist requested from our website. https://www.cad-schroer.com/company/instruction/request-dxf-conversion-credits/

3. Convert 3D models to STL

In CSG eSERVICES ( https://eservice.cad-schroer.com/com/ ), Modern files tin exist converted to STL format for a small fee.
M4 PERSONAL does non offer its own STL consign. Models are saved in MOD format.

four. MEDConfig in M4 PERSONAL

M4 PERSONAL is a compact 2nd/3D package designed to run across the needs of home users and small-sized companies. Private configurations are not possible in M4 PERSONAL and therefore MEDconfic cannot be run in this software.

Individual customizations tin only exist realized in the commercial packages of M4.

5. Publishing M4 PERSONAL drawings online

M4 PERSONAL drawings may only exist publised online if in that location is no commercial context or monetary gain involved.

If yous desire to publish a cartoon for commercial use (e.thou. to illustrate a commercial website or a commercial service you provide, or to sell a drawing), y'all must first catechumen it for commercial use at CSG eSERVICES ( https://eservice.cad-schroer.com/com/ )

6. Using other QT LibrariesL

QT libraries are used to ascertain the user interface in M4 PERSONAL. The libraries that should be used by the software are located in the directory "/medsys/med/share/". If you receive an fault message relating to a QT DLL when starting the system, so you probably have other QT DLLs in the SYSTEM32 directory. You lot will need to redefine the PATH surround variable to pick upwards the /medsys/med/share/ folder before the SYSTEM32 directory.

7. Change background colour of the sheet

To change the background colour of your M4 PERSONAL sheet y'all need to switch to Administrator under "File > Options > Administrator" and entering the password "admin". Modify the background color in the carte nether "File > Options > Administrator".

viii. Export sheets to DWG, DXF or PDF

The DXF, DWG and PDF export tin be washed in the software via File > eSERVICES Conversion. You lot demand a conversion contingent in the eSERVICES. A tutorial about DXF and DWG export can be plant here https://world wide web.cad-schroer.com/lessons/9-pdf-dxf-dwg-export/

Y'all can as well convert the files in the CSG eSERVICES (https://eservice.cad-schroer.com/com/).

All files can besides be used commercially after conversion.

ix. Error bulletin during DWG/DXF import

The message "ERROR while importing file: No output written by converter plan for: file.dwg" will always appear if M4 PERSONAL has a problem with importing the DWG/DXF file.

In this case, delight open the file "Login.bat" nether "/master_project/" with the text editor and enter the post-obit control in a complimentary line:

setenv CADCONVERT_FIXERRORS=1

And then salve the "Login.bat" file, restart M4 PERSONAL and re-import the DWG/DXF file. At present M4 PERSONAL automatically fixes the errors in the DWG/DXF file and imports the drawing.

10. MM4 PERSONAL video tutorials and documentation

For a quick start with M4 PERSONAL, the following tutorials are available: https://world wide web.cad-schroer.com/courses/m4-personal/

Yous tin can notice the complete documentation in the software. To open it, click the (?) question mark icon in the upper correct corner of the software.

If you lot accept activated a function, simply click the F1 button and the documentation will be opened for you at the relevant point.

11. How do I launch M4 PERSONAL?

After installing your license key file, there are 3 means you can launch M4 PERSONAL (Supposition: M4 PERSONAL is installed C:\M4_PERSONAL\):

i) From the Windows Taskbar click
Commencement > All Programs > M4 PERSONAL > M4 PERSONAL

2) Create a new shortcut on your Desktop and point it to
C:\M4_PERSONAL\master_project\startmedusa.bat

3) Enter in Explorer:
C:\M4_PERSONAL\master_project\startmedusa.bat

12. Use symbols and standard parts

In M4 PERSONAL, you can create symbols from individual parts of your cartoon and then load them on other drawings as needed.

Relieve Symbol
To save a selected geometry as a symbol, click "Starting time > Save named symbol" (under Symbol + Catalog). So select a name and save directory for the symbol. At the end, the reference point must be selected in to salvage the symbol permanently. The symbol will then be saved.

Load Symbol
The symbol directory can so exist added to the symbol listing in the symbol manager under "First > Load named symbol" (nether Symbol + Catalog). In this dialog you will also become a preview of the existing symbols. The individual symbols can then also exist comfortably loaded.

1. The online documentation and/or help won't launch

Y'all can set the browser path manually, past doing the following:

In the "\master_project" folder there is a file chosen "login.bat". Utilise an editor of your choice to add the post-obit line to the certificate, pointing it to the installation location of your Internet
Explorer:

East.one thousand.

set BROWSER="C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Iexplore.exe"

2. Directory for PDF documentation

MEDUSA4 Personal comes with detailed documentation in the PDF format. It tin exist opened past clicking on the Assistance icon in the upper left corner of the software or by pressing F1 (if a function is active, the documentation is opened in the right position).

Yous tin also open the documentation directly from the directory:
\meddoc\doctor\english

glasgowintelf.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.cad-schroer.com/products/m4-personal/

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