Autodesk 123D Design 2.2.14 (Discontinued)

Autodesk 123D Design 2.2.14 was a free 3D modelling program for Windows from Autodesk Inc. It let beginners, makers and students build simple solid models and prepare them for 3D printing. Autodesk discontinued 123D Design on March 31, 2017, and the program has not been updated since. An archived installer can still be downloaded for study or for opening old projects, but it is no longer a supported product.

Overview

123D Design belonged to Autodesk's 123D family, a set of free apps that tried to bring 3D design to hobbyists at the time when home 3D printers were becoming affordable. Instead of the dense toolbars of professional CAD software, it offered a clean workspace with basic shapes, sketches that could be extruded into solids, and simple operations for combining, subtracting and rounding parts. Many school technology classes and makerspaces used it as a first step into 3D modelling: design a keychain, a phone stand or a replacement knob, export it as a file for the printer and hold the result in your hand a few hours later.

What still works and what does not

The desktop program may still install and open on some Windows PCs, and it can be useful for opening old project files or exporting them to a common format for other software. Anything that relied on Autodesk's online services, such as signing in or cloud storage, should be expected not to work. There are no security or compatibility updates, so problems on newer Windows versions will not be fixed. If you try the archived version, keep copies of your files and export them to a standard format as soon as you can.

Key facts

Autodesk's former information page for the 123D apps is at autodesk.com.

Running the archived version safely

Old software is best kept away from your main work. If the installer asks to sign in or connect to services that no longer exist, skip that step or work offline. Running it in a virtual machine or Windows Sandbox keeps any leftovers off your main system, and you can simply discard the environment once your files are exported.

Moving on

• Export your old designs to a widely supported 3D format while the program still runs.
• For new projects, choose a 3D modelling tool that is actively maintained.
• Check the tool your school or makerspace uses, so you can share files easily.
• Keep backups of exported files outside the old program's folders.

Pros and cons

• Pro: simple, beginner-friendly modelling approach.
• Pro: free archived installer for old projects.
• Con: discontinued, no updates or support.
• Con: online features are gone.

Alternatives

Our listings do not include a direct 3D modelling replacement. For 2D design work, GIMP, Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw are available, and Microsoft Designer helps with quick graphics.