Elevator Lift

What is the price range? Is it a program I would be able to teach myself? I'm very technologically inclined and have taught myself adobe photoshop, adobe premier, final cut pro, things of the sort.

Thanks for that! - This will definitely get me started.

My goal is to be able to make cool little gifts, knick-knacks, tools, etc... that I will be able to sell on letgo, or facebook marketplace for affordable yet profitable prices until I can ultimately pay for such a high end subscription through the products im making.

You can use Fusion 360 for free as an individual. Tinkercad is another free option. OnShape is also becoming more popular. Blender (also free) is good if you want to make more organic models, but it is a pretty complex program. Best of success with your endeavors!

Think about the kind of models you want to build.

I feel 3D printing is largely wasted on building blocky models which could be produced by hand, by a moderately skilled worker/craftsman.

Most of the "free CAD" solutions are going to excel at making blocky models.

If you love blocky models, then this is an excellent path to follow. Blocky models are made/used everyday, we need them... But, printing them on a 3D printer is often a waste.

In contrast to blocky, and curvy mechanical CAD models, there is an entire segment of "artistic" models. These models can be 3D printed, and are ideal for 3D printing since they often contain details which would be difficult to produce in any other way (outside of sculpting by hand).

Two images are below. One is a typical mechanical CAD part, it takes less than an hour to model and check.

The other is a sculpted model. I don't know how long it takes to make (I just started learning the software).

When printed, which model will sell for the higher price? Which model can be produced by nearly any high school student with a computer and Free CAD? If there is an army of CAD users out there, does it make sense to become part of the army, or focus on other skills they can't do?

There is a benefit to learning to produce both models in two different programs, but I'd encourage someone starting out to look at "sculpting" options if it looks interesting. I believe you'll find a wider market for your printed parts, and the geometry actually makes sense to print.

I will chime in and give a vote for Fusion 360. I have been using it for 3 years and it is great. Not as capable as SolidWorks but it is defiantly powerful software. I think they raised the annual subscription to $310 just FYI.

YouTube videos are great for learning. Best of luck.

In sculpting mode do you start with a "block" and chisel/sculpt away to reveal the model, such as creating a statue out of a marble block? Or do you model from scratch?

Both.

I'm pretty new to it, but you can either start with a basic ball/block to pull/push/sculpt. Or you can import a mesh model from another program. Or you can start with a "starter model" like a bust, or mannequin. There are some other start methods as well, but the options depend a bit on the program.

You can easily add or remove material in the programs by togeling the mode of the brush/tool being used.

I've been trying to learn Zbrush. They also have a free version called Sculptris if you want to give it a try. Check out some YouTube videos of the different programs in action.

There is also Mudbox, Blender, Modo, Cinema 4D...etc. All have pros/cons, but they are all pretty amazing.