Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Now that you have seen those three objects rotating within the Blender 3D workspace,
it is time to delete them. The cube is generally used when starting a design from scratch,
which will not be covered here. The other two items are a light source and a camera; both
are used for creating still renders or 3D animation. First select the cube by right-clicking
on it. When an object is selected, it will be highlighted orange. Once you are sure the cube
is selected, press the X key and then press Enter to delete the cube. Go through the same
steps to delete the camera and the lamp. Now that you have a clean workspace, it is time
to import some models.
Importing a 3D Model
Earlier, I found a great printable case for a Beaglebone Black. The case is nice, but it would
be even better if I added a new feature. A vent in the top of the case would be useful.
While we're at it, we can make the vent a fancy graphic. I've already downloaded the .STL
file for the case; now I just need to find a graphic. I happen to know there are a num-
ber of Open Hardware logo 3D designs and have found one with an appropriate license:
Once both files are downloaded, we will first import the Open Hardware logo. In the
top-left menu of the Blender window, click
File
to expand the file menu. In the file menu,
locate and click
Import
and then the revealed
Stl (.stl)
option. You will then have the op-
tion to locate and select the Open Hardware logo .STL file. Once you have found and se-
lected the file, click the
Import STL
button at the top right of the window. The 3D model
now appears in the 3D workspace. It will likely be quite large in the workspace; zooming
out will make it easier to see the entire model.
Moving and Scaling a Model
Now that you have a model in the workspace, you can use a number of basic tools to move
and change it. Many of the basic tools in Blender have keyboard shortcuts that are faster to
use than the menus of the graphic interface. When a key is noted here, the reference is to
the keyboard key.
With the logo model selected (remember the orange outline), press the G key on your
keyboard. The G key activates the grab tool, which will allow you to freely move the
model around the workspace by moving the mouse cursor. When the grab tool is active,
you can also move the model more precisely by moving in just one or two axes. Press the
X key to move the model on just the
x
axis. You can also press the Y or Z keys to move in
those single axes. To move in two axes, press the key for the first desired axis; then, while
holding down the Shift key, press the second desired axis. Once you have found a good
