3D printing: Modeling Software

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Modeling Software:

SketchUp:
is a 3D drafting/modeling program, now owned by Trimble, that is owned by ... (AutoDesk, I think...)
They have a free version that I have used a lot, and a full-featured Pro version for $$.
It's very good, UI very similar to AutoCAD. It works well, but only in Windows
(link to:) Sketchup site
SketchUp model design notes:

FreeCAD: my FreeCAD homepage
is a free 3D drafting/modeling program, capability-wise perhaps equivalent to SketchUp, though I haven't used it enough to confirm that. It is however radically different that SU, in that it is fully "parametric."
Further, it is open-source. That means, however, that it's constantly in a state of change, and documentation and bug-fixes are sometimes lacking.
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FreeCAD:
Since converting my desktop to Linux, I've switched to FreeCAD

General FreeCAD notes:
- Being still in development, FreeCAD is buggy and glitchy. It locks up the whole computer requiring power-down and reboot to recover.
- Particularly troublesome are rounding edges, which seem to consume so much memory/resources that they easily lock up.
- Having a too-detailed model, with lot of constraints, is also prone to cause lockups.
- Bottom line, SAVE YOUR WORK OFTEN!
Generate .stl from FreeCAD:
- When your model drawing is finished, save it as (JWID) [drawingName]-meshed
- Select Mesh Design workbench
- Select Body in model tree
- In Meshes tab, Create mesh from shape
  Select Meshing Option (I use default Standard), click OK
  Body (Meshed) will be created at the bottom of the model tree
- Right-click Body (Meshed), and select Export File
  Name it and locate it as you desire, click OK
  This creates the stl file that your slicer needs to generate a gCode file for your printer.

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MeshLab:
is a free, open-source program with lots of features I don't have a clue about ...
(link to:) MeshLab Tutorial
However what it does do for me is converts .dae files (that are exported from SketchUp) into .stl files that the slicer programs need to create gcode.
It will also do the reverse, convert an stl file into a dae file. This allows me to take an stl file created in SketchUp, import into MeshLab, convert to dae, which I can then import into FreeCAD.
OTOH it's not quite that simple:
see here for instructions: (link to:) FreeCAD
also: link to pycollada on github: (link to:) Github - pycollada
MeshMixer:
is a free software for Windows and Mac computers. It is an AutoDesk product.
(link to:) MeshMixer.com
Along with whatever else it does, it allows cutting a model along a plane ((link to:) Prusa tutorial), making it easier to print without or with reduced supports.
Here's how I did it:
Blender:
- Have it, have not tried it enough to make any progress on the steep learning curve, but it does sculpting.
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Blender: software (free, open-source) for sculpting/modeling:
Make sure that your model is "printable."

However:This is not all that important if using Prusa slicer, which detects and fixes such errors...
Here are some tips:

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