What are the best resources to get started with 3D modeling and printing now that the hobby is quite mature?
I've had an interest in 3D printing since first hearing about it many years ago, but at the time printers were expensive and learning materials and resources were scarce. Nowadays, it seems like 3D printing is as common as regular old 2D printing but I feel left in the dust.
What's really making me want to get started now is I've collected a lot of junk over the years that I've told myself I could repair, but a lot of the repairs would be much easier with a 3D printer and custom modeled parts. Dearest to me would be an old watch that my grandfather gave to me before he died. The part of the watch that connects the strap to the case (lugs, I think it's called?) has broken off and gotten lost, and it's a proprietary part with no replacement parts available. I'd love to just 3D-print a solution but have no idea how to get started.
I consider myself a creative person, I have plenty of experience with Photoshop and illustrator, but I have never once dabbled in 3D modeling software like Blender or AutoCAD. The closest I ever got was peering over the shoulder of an artist who was working on a video game character model in Zbrush, or maybe working on custom Half-Life maps in Valve Hammer. So I'm looking for the most basic, easy-to-follow set of instructions to get me from zero knowledge to successfully printing bespoke DIY repair parts at my local makerspace.
Would also love to have this be a discussion on 3D printing in general. How did you get started? How have the tools and techniques evolved over the years? What do you think are the next big things coming in the hobby? What are things you wish you knew when you started but only learned after mistakes were made? Share your thoughts and anecdotes, I'd be happy to read them.
My advice would be to get a little familiar with CAD before splashing out on a printer. I grew up with CAD so I didnt experience the learning curve so much, but having taught a number of people there can be a bit of an information overload when starting. If you’re familiar with Adobe you probably know the feeling already, however some people decide they’ve had enough there so best to get that out of the way early. Certainly took me a few goes before I was comfortable in Blender.
Illustrator can export DXFs so you could get started by creating a 2D pattern and importing that to another application to 3Dify it and see how that works.
The process of taking a 3D model and preparing it for printing is trivial. You export a suitable model (typically as an .STL) and import it into a slicer which divides it into layers for the printer. Many printers will have a recommended slicer.
There are a lot of settings in a slicer, but if your printer has presets you’re pretty safe to start with those and make adjustments as you learn. I say “suitable” as there are limitations such as how much of an overhang one layer can have over another and unlike general 3D modelling the models need to be manifold (no holes in the mesh).
Personally, I don’t use Blender for 3D printing as i mostly print models with a practical purpose and it’s less set up for that than some other applications. In my experience, Blender’s ability to work with real world measurements is secondary to its modelling functionality. I use Vectorworks for printing for two reasons: 1) work pays for it 2) it’s designed for meatspace applications (like architecture) making it very easy to measure something with calipers, enter the dimensions and print something to size.
Then we get to printers where you’ve probably noticed there are a lot of options. I started on a Reprap Ormerod becuase it was cheap and very open to tinkering. Depending on your familiarly with CNC and similar this can be extremely rewarding as it’s possible to modify the machine to have extra extruders or different firmware. However I found I spent way, way more time calibrating, testing etc. with that machine than actually printing what I wanted. These days I use the Bambu X1 which is almost the complete opposite. It’s expensive and difficult to modify. The trade off there is that I haven’t manually calibrated anything. I started by printing some test patterns to look at dialling in settings and found myself almost directionless when it just didn’t need it. I’d say start by reading reviews of printers that suit your budget and try to guage how they’ll suit your current technical ability / interest. No matter what you go with you’ll probably start wondering about an upgrade before long.
There’s a real thrill to designing something in CAD and having it materialise in front of you, so I’d say go for it as soon as you’re comfortable in CAD.
I should mention 99% of my experience with printers has been FDM (plastic filament) so someone familiar with resin or laser sintering may give a different answer.
If you have any questions please hit me with them, otherwise I hope find a path to unleashing your creative ability!
I broadly agree with what you're saying, but I think for those of us without the budget for a Bambu (nice printer though!) there is something of a learning curve associated with printing as well as CAD work. While learning some CAD skills I think it's probably valuable to download a couple of STLs from thingiverse and start learning what the various slicer settings do and spend some time calibrating and adjusting your printer. Some printing experience is helpful when it comes to knowing what you can and can't design in your choice of CAD. Also if you go straight to printing your own designs, how will you have Benchys of various grades lying around everywhere?
I had a couple of FDM printers and currently have a resin one, which is horribly messy (I swear the resin is made from pure liquid cancer) but does require slightly less adjustment than the previous devices.
Used printers aren't a terrible option to start out with. There's always lots on my local facebook/gumtree/etc. They probably want a good stripping down and cleaning and so on, but that's not a terrible thing.
There’s definitely a skill to printing and faults are where the best learning happens. Pitfalls as well, while learning I wanted to print Star Citizen models off Thingiverse but they were just shit models. That’s why I first tried blender actually. Cheaper to start with CAD though if that’s relevant to your goals.
On how to get started: I think @Maelstrom's suggestion to work on the CAD side first is a good one. To dip your toe into things, you can send models off for printing or find a library or makerspace with a printer before you jump in on buying your own.
Aside: I wrote the rest of the post below and realized it has a gatekeeping vibe to it. I think the things I've written are true, and I don't want to inflate your expectations. But I'd love to see an active 3D printing community on Tildes, so let me preface the below with an offer to help -- if you want to DM me, I'd be happy to take some time to answer questions and maybe look at pictures of some of your repair projects to help you find a good first project to dive into. I skimmed your post history, and it looks like you do some pretty advanced photography stuff, so that would be ripe for designing and printing brackets and adapters.
The watch lug replacement may be a one not suited to 3D printing -- watch lugs are pretty small and (I am assuming) have quite fine tolerances and thin walls, so if it is possible to print a replacement, it's probably not going to be on a hobby level printer. That doesn't mean you can't do it. You could prototype with FDM or SLA then send off for laser-sintered metal parts. BUT if you are just starting out, you might consider a project that requires larger parts -- this is going to be a more natural for the hobby-level technologies, easier to design in CAD, so maybe a better way to get your feet wet.
I'd say that while 3D printers are a lot more common (and cheaper) than they were five years ago, I don't think they are to the point where they are as automatic as paper printers. My printer still requires regular maintenance and tuning. I've replaced and upgraded many parts over the years. I think that's actually a good thing. Maybe if I had a Prusa 2D printer (instead of HP commodity junk that is not serviceable or supported -- "it's broken, throw it away and get a new one") I would be servicing it too. But don't think the 3D printer is just going to sit on a desk and you're never going to need a wrench or screwdriver.
Also, the process of actually printing is not automatic. I still have prints that fail -- less often than when I started out, but that is because I have a better sense of what will and won't work and because my printer settings are pretty dialed in. Slicing software has been improving, but I think it's still a lot of trial and error.
One thing I am curious about is if this newer breed of printers with more sensing capability (Bambu labs is the frontrunner in this category) substantially compensates for the need to fine tune the printer settings. People seem to really like them, but given how much tuning and customization I have had to do on my Prusa mk3, I am cautious about being locked in to a proprietary framework. Given where you are, this post shouldn't be a "which printer to buy" but there are definitely tradeoffs in that decision that I'd be happy to discuss (and hear others views on) later.
Fully agree with your post, there’s no taking this up without getting your hands a bit dirty.
On the Bambu side it’s undoubtedly the most foolproof printer I’ve used. As much as I appreciate that it has downsides as well, the extrusion calibration can lure you into false sense of security and it’s almost like it was designed to waste filament. The locked down nature of it is also a disappointment, but the trade off is great consistency.
I'm really attracted by the bambu multimaterial setup, but I also know that I have gotten six years out of the Prusa printer because of their commitments to upgrades. It started life as MK3, then upgraded the MK3S design, then the MK3S+. I added a Revo hot end last year because I was always messing the nozzle changes.
I'm pretty excited about the changes in the MK4, but I am waiting on feedback about the MMU3 and the XL to think about either getting an XL with five tool heads or a MK4+MMU. If neither one of those seems like an option, I may look harder at the Bambu.
I wonder if anyone has looked at hacking the bambu mmu for use with other printers...
I'm a big fan of Prusa but I am not a fan of some of their latest moves. The XL has some really nice features but some of them are totally extraneous and unnecessary (mainly the multi-zone heating seems more like a gimmick than an actually useful feature, which is unfortunate because it increases the complexity and cost of the printer). It's great that most of the improvements they've made on the XL have made their way to the MK4, but it's disappointing that all the changes mean that it's an extremely expensive upgrade compared to MK2 -> MK3 or MK3 -> MK3s. The SL1S is still the benchmark for home SLA printers in my book, too.
But to put things into perspective, Prusa is still miles better than everything else on the market in nearly every single conceivable way. Bambu is looking nice right now, but it's pretty clear that after they reach critical mass they're going to shut things down and start the enshittification process. They already have RFID readers in the AMS system, they refuse to release details on their AMS systems so you can use them with other printers, they have proprietary firmware, and they were breaking the terms of GPL for a while by not releasing their source code. And then there was this whole drama with them messing with Prusa's servers.
Everyday I am grateful that I built a Voron.
I would be EXTREMELY interested in a 3D Printer community on tildes. I'm in a few discord channels, but oftentimes find myself feeling like I would like to go into more in-depth discussions about characteristics of filaments, tradeoffs of potential upgrades, or klipper configuration settings/macros
Maybe I will try putting out a weekly-ish, "what are you printing/what are you designing/what are your questions post and see where that gets us?
Thoughts on scope and timing welcome!
I’m talking about 3D printing all the time but I do stuff with it irregularly, so I don’t know if I would be very active on a weekly thread.
That would be cool! If nothing else it would prompt discussion 😁
Something like “What 3D printing topics are currently on your mind or buildplate?”
As far as timing, I’m tempted to say weekly but to avoid spamming (until we know how many fellow printers are on tildes) perhaps an every other week or even monthly thread would be good for starters?
For me, I’ll typically check tildes once or twice daily so I might not always reply on the same day but I’d love to carry certain conversations along with others over a few days
I love my 3D Printer! I've had mine for about 3 years now and I use it almost daily! I like to use mine to make my own action figures and accessories! Even Transformers!
TinkerCAD is honestly the best 3D Modeling software I can suggest. It's browser-based, very easy to learn with built-in tutorials, and it's 100% FREE! You can import your own models to edit them, and export as .obj and .stl.
I went to school for computer animation and learned almost all of my 3D skills in Maya, but for my needs I've mostly switched entirely to TinkerCAD. I was able to make every one of this skeleton's bones 100% in Tinkercad.
Of course I've also used it for various household projects, including repairing furniture and vent covers (a set of calipers is highly recommended). Forgive me if I don't have pictures of those on hand! 😅
3D Printing is one of the coolest damn things we've achieved as a species. I wouldn't be surprised if they become common in every household within the next few decades! Glad to hear more people getting into it!
I have to agree with tinkerCAD as a beginner. Its easy enough to get a design off of thingiverse and print it, but designing my own - I had no idea how to even start. I looked at a lot of suggestions and searched around on the web. I settled on tinkerCAD because its free and web based, and also has free tutorials to get you started. Once you are comfortable you can apply that to other programs if tinkerCAD doesnt work for what you are trying to make.
My goal is to design miniatures and so far I think tinkerCAD will suit me for now anyways.
Note I havent progressed too far due to time constraints but I am able to make simple designs and tools comfortably now. All from tinkerCAD tutorials. Youtube is your friend as well
My kid has been making (some of) his own toys since he was about six. Tinkercad has been a godsend.
Now he prints parts for all his projects, especially model rocket nosecones and fin assemblies. He's blindingly fast in Tinkercad; I hope it's a skill that will serve him in life.
If you're a programming type, I like OpenSCAD. It lets you do 3D designs using code.
Thingiverse being one of the biggest repositories of public designs. I linked to some OpenSCAD designs, to show what is possible (and provides a great start for modding them).
I personally have just started dabbling with printing myself, using my local library's printer. Fully Customizable Foot is both incredibly useful and a great example of the power of OpenSCAD.
I wouldn't say its as common as regular printing yet, I'll believe that when they have machine in pharmacies next to the photo printing.
OpenSCAD is an absolutely incredible tool, as a programmer I just intuitively understand it and grasp the concept far better than any other 'visual' CAD program out there (and it's far easier to add version tracking). I've become particularly drawn to Solvespace, which is more of an experimental (but highly intuitive, and limited) parametric 3d cad program.
Update: BRLCAD is also fun (if you find Souls-like games fun), has programming similar to OpenSCAD, used by the US Military, and features the oldest actively developed open source code in the world if I remember right. 40+ years of development. I've only briefly touched on it.
Not sure why I wrote on these, but if OP (or anyone else) is interested or was letdown by AutoCAD/Inventor in the past, there are alternatives built for very different mindsets.
Oh wow! This thread is really exciting to read... In my EE undergrad, I took a CAD class, and absolutely hated it. It's up there with OChem in my "most hated courses of all time" ranking. It just didn't mesh with my brain for some reason? I remember feeling so frustrated with how fiddly AutoCAD felt. Getting a 60 in that class didn't end up being too consequential to my overall EE degree, but I did end up pivoting into software development, so maybe it was a sign. Code feels so much more natural.
I'll have to give it a try!
I've been using FreeCAD, do you know how this would compare to that? FreeCAD is mildly frustrating but I'd like to keep using Linux so I want a CAD program that runs there and not in a browser.
I also like OpenSCAD more than more mainstream CAD programs. I have tried a number of tutorials but there seems to be a logic to the workflow required with those kinds of programs that they don't really explain, so even though I know they can be dramatically faster I prefer working with OpenSCAD's more predictable behaviour.
Honestly the state of CAD software is kinda bad. Autodesk is absolutely the king, but Fusion360 is a chonky, complex program, and there aren't really great alternatives, in the open source or paid world.
In terms of printers, note that there are two types: resin and FDM. Resin printers are cheap (you can get really, really good resin printers for $200), and make much higher quality prints, and are thus the printer of choice for miniature and figurine printers. The con is quite big, though: dealing with nasty, fume-emitting, somewhat toxic liquids.
FDM has way more complications in mechanisms, and are more expensive as a result. I think manufacturers like Bambu are really driving the quality and price down to new levels, though. You won't get the same quality, but you can print with impunity, without worrying about toxic resin.
Personally, I think you should start with FDM, unless you know you want miniatures and a large space you can ventilate for resin. I have a both and print way more with FDM, because it's much less of a pain in the ass.
Have you tried Onshape? I’m curious how it compares.
I dislike most CAD programs in general, but I have a lot more ire for Fusion360. It's got a lot of tools that are very useful, and I'm glad that they make it free for hobbyists, but it's a painful piece of software. It only just barely works on MacOS and so much of it happens on the cloud that I shudder to think of what will break if the internet goes down. I'm not even entirely sure it needs to be a desktop application given how much OnShape gets done without needing any additional software outside of the browser. It just kind of gives that "malware vibe" that a lot of big expensive commercial software tends to do.
Another point in favor of fdm is material selection. There are one or two types of resin, meanwhile there are more types of fillament than you can shake a stick at.
For the most part, you absolutely can use any 3D modelling tool you want. CAD is better for some applications, especially if you are trying to make a functional part out of it that needs to meet strict real-world requirements, but if you are trying to make organic shapes or decorations then tools like Blender, Maya, Zbrush, etc. are all great tools. In some cases you'll want to combine different modelling tools so you can come up with functional parts with aesthetically pleasing details.
That being said, it's generally best practice to design for 3D printing. You can't print a layer in midair, so in order to get those details, You'll have to get your printer to make supports. The problem with supports is that they can be difficult to remove and the surfaces that touch them generally get a little messed up, which will result in imperfect surfaces which are not good mechanically or aesthetically.
Generally speaking, this means you'll want to avoid making overhangs beyond a significant angle. What that exact angle depends on what kind of material you intend to use, and in the case of FDM printers how good the part cooling equipment is. There will, of course, be times when you can't avoid those overhangs. Sometimes supports are the best tool, but there are other tricks you'll probably learn eventually. Some printing methods have different support needs; most resin prints generally require them, for instance, and if SLS becomes affordable you won't need any supports but you won't be able to create fully enclosed voids.
3D printers are not something you can just click print and have it go. In order to get anything to print, you have to convert it from a model into a set of instructions the printer can follow to create your object. The software that does this is called a slicer, and using it is another skill you will need to learn. It's fairly easy to import a model and get it printing, but the process of printing an object is mathematically complex and involves many different variables. PrusaSlicer, for instance, has about 25 pages of settings that you can go through. The good news is that for most jobs you won't have to change more than a handful of them, and pretty much every slicer hides the more advanced settings from you by default. It is, however, good to know a good amount of what those settings are and do because that's how you fine tune the printer to get the best results. Well supported printers will have good presets that will allow you to get started printing immediately but you can create your own presets to fill your personal needs. It's not too uncommon for people to have multiple presets that offer different balances of speed and quality. Certain modifications to the printer may also require you to make changes to your slicer so it can accomodate the changes.
Since you're talking about using your local hackerspace, you'll want to talk to someone there about the slicer they use. They may have a computer with a slicer set up with good presets already. It could also have presets others have made that simply will not work for what you're trying to do! Or they may just tell you to use your own computer and slice it yourself. In the latter case I strongly recommend PrusaSlicer since it has a lot of common printer presets built in already. Cura is also very popular and some find it easier since it hides away a lot of the advanced features, and it also does have a lot of common printer presets. There is a fork of PrusaSlicer called SuperSlicer that I would have recommended, but it's been ages since it's been updated, so it doesn't have some features that I consider critical (organic supports especially). All of these are open source and work on just about everything.
I know you asked for easy to follow instructions but that's kind of impossible. It's like asking for steps to paint like a renaissance painter. The techniques can be explained but the knowledge of when to use them is something you need to learn from experience.
I highly recommend taking a look at On Shape. It’s Web based and has a free plan tier.
Being an Adobe suite and Google Sketchup for many years now, I was surprised about how different the actual CAD design process is from those tools, and how a lot less of my knowledge of those programs, sketchup especially, translated into learning CAD than actually did. I found that the precise nature of CAD means it’s less about drawing and hands on ‘free-modeling’ and more about knowing exactly what dimensions you need and finding the right tool to type in a dimension to have CAD draw the shapes for you.
Even so, I was able to pick up the basics of On Shape by following along with this video tutorial series and had a first revision of my part modeled in a day or so. And was able to revise and print very quickly after that. As has been said, the slicing and printing part was actually the easiest for me. For my project I just downloaded Cura’s slicer and printed with the default settings and had a part 30 minutes later. It was incredibly watching my model materialize right before my eyes.
Definitely grab yourself a three button mouse though, I was trying to use a trackpad at first and it made the entire process much more difficult than it needed to be.
Yes, Onshape is what I use too and I quite like it.
You might want to check if there is some kind of library or hacker space nearby that has 3d printers?
That said, I basically just bought a Prusa mk3, spent a couple days putting it together, and started using it. (The kit was a bit cheaper and I wanted the experience of assembling it; they are also sold pre-assembled.) Prusa printers are not the cheapest but very reliable. Nowadays the mk4 is out and it has some advantages, and there is also the mini. You can start just printing models that other people designed.
To set expectations: this kind of printer (fused filament) is easy to get started but it has fairly coarse resolution. I wouldn’t expect it to be useful for replacing tiny watch parts. Much like woodworking tools, they do a job, but not every possible job. When designing for 3d printing, you need to keep the physical process in mind. Which side will be facing down, and how will it be supported while printing? How can you design the part so it does its job and can also be printed?
Regarding designing things, there are some tools that are more “artistic” and useful for making little sculptures, and CAD tools that are useful for making parts with a practical purpose and need to fit together with something else. I had some previous background with mechanical drawing and I make the more practical kind of stuff. That said, it’s still a hobby and nobody needs a 3D printer.
Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages too. PLA is easy to use and good for printing toy models, but it’s brittle and snaps easily, so not good for strength. PETG is not so pretty but stronger. Flex materials like TPU will bend instead of breaking, but they’re harder to print with.
There are resin printers as well with much better resolution, but they are more expensive and require working with nasty chemicals, so although the results look great I think it’s too much hassle for me. Someone comfortable working with darkroom chemicals might have a different opinion, though?
There are also print services that would let you do things you can’t easily do at home, but they are pricey and I haven’t used them.