<p>Like AutoCAD or something? To see if I like engineering?</p>
<p>Those drawing programs take time to learn how to use them cause they are huge and do so much. But if you like technical drawing then its like that but easier. But you need to know all the classwork stuff to be able to draw things good. Someone gave me a link to a free cad program but I cant find it now. He draws buildings with it. But I wanted AutoCAD and its like $1500 or more even and theres no way I could get that. But if you went to a college they would probably let you try it there. And my friends mom does some cad and its so boring cause its huge and they just basically zoom into one small part and make some lines then zoom out and that kind of all they do.</p>
<p>Are there any softwares that allow you to make 3D objects and assign physical characteristics to them, and then allow you to ‘play’ around with them?</p>
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<p>There are simulators for specific engineering domains e.g. circuits, robotics, manufacturing technology. They are quite complicated to learn and to operate, but obviously much better than physical building (given that the simulators model what’s needed).</p>
<p>CAD programs sometimes have inbuilt simulators for testing physical properties, but they’re not “sandboxes” necessary, they’re design tools.</p>
<p>You should probably learn a CAD tool and design some simple virtual object and then see if you can simulate some properties on it. That’s what a lot of engineering design is, but of course the most substantial background knowledge comes from books and physics.</p>
<p>Here’s a tip: if you hate math you’ll hate engineering.</p>
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<p>Yes, look up Looking Glass Alice. It is aimed towards girls, but you basically add objects like people to a scene, and then “program” then to manipulate with their environments. It’s like a light version of introductory programming.</p>
<p>Another suggestion:</p>
<p>Learn to program and then attempt to learn this: [Coppelia</a> Robotics v-rep: Create. Compose. Simulate. Any Robot](<a href=“http://www.coppeliarobotics.com/]Coppelia”>http://www.coppeliarobotics.com/)
Ought to be suitable for simulating many sorts of moving machines or constructs. But it will take time work figure out.</p>
<p>You import CAD models and program their parameters and control.</p>
<p>Once you figure how CAD (e.g. FreeCAD) works you can import those models to many other software where you can perform simulation on the parts. Note that simple parts design is an important part of engineering (i.e. engineering from an individual’s perspective is not “designing an entire space shuttle” or something. Even small circuit design may often be done collectively or simply by combining existing parts or designs, because there’s no point in designing everything from scratch.). Modern engineering design focuses much on adding new functionality (making things do what they’re supposed to do or serve a purpose that they’re supposed to serve), rather than redoing/refiguring well-known designs that have long worked. Or improving things in accordance to new trends e.g. ecological.</p>
<p>More of a toy, but this might be inspirational as well: <a href=“http://www.algodoo.com/[/url]”>http://www.algodoo.com/</a>, eventhough it’s also “only” 2D.</p>
<p>There was this game I played once, called Incredibots 2. It allowed you to make cars, tanks, machines etc. using basic pivots, springs and shapes. Is there a 3D version similar to that? Doesn’t matter if it costs money.</p>
<p>Can you name some of those simulators for circuits or robots?</p>
<p>Robots:
[Coppelia</a> Robotics v-rep: Create. Compose. Simulate. Any Robot](<a href=“http://www.coppeliarobotics.com/]Coppelia”>http://www.coppeliarobotics.com/)
[Documentation</a> - ROS Wiki](<a href=“http://wiki.ros.org/]Documentation”>http://wiki.ros.org/)
<a href=“http://www.blender.org/[/url]”>http://www.blender.org/</a> (Not an engineering design tool per se, but works for 3D modelling and physics simulations)</p>
<p>Circuits:
[Circuit</a> Simulator Applet<a href=“Beginner%20friendly”>/url</a>
<a href=“https://www.circuitlab.com/[/url]”>https://www.circuitlab.com/](<a href=“http://www.falstad.com/circuit/]Circuit”>Circuit Simulator Applet)</a>
(note there are also “more professional” simulators like SPICE)</p>
<p>lol so if i start learning these apps in depth, than I’ll have a better knowledge on circuits and logic gates than i need to by the time I start these topics in my physics class</p>
<p>“lol so if i start learning these apps in depth, than I’ll have a better knowledge on circuits and logic gates than i need to by the time I start these topics in my physics class”</p>
<p>Many if not most engineering and science students actively study their field outside of classes, because there’s all sorts of interesting stuff in research and in books.</p>
<p>Just remember that the point is not in learning programs, but the physics and technology principles that the programs only model. The programs are design tools or are used to calculate answers (e.g. in the case of Matlab). Engineering fundamentally always returns to the real world application and applicability and building the real thing, rather than stays in simulations.</p>
<p>We’re fortunate that at this point of time, we can simulate so many things, without building them.</p>
<p>who knows what we’ll be able to simulate by another 20 years</p>