Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
There are many places online such as Makerbot's own Thingiverse that hosts a
daily growing library of printable objects. Printing out other people's designs is all
well and good for a while, but the most exciting part about 3D printing is that it
can produce your designs and models. Eventually, learning how to model for 3D
printing is a must.
Can you learn 3D modeling? If you've ever won a round of Pictionary you've got
all the artistic skill it takes to get started. If you've ever gotten past level 1 on Tetris
then you've got spatial reasoning. If you've ever played with modeling clay then you
know all about designing in three dimensions.
Design basics
There are some design rules and basic ideas that will be true regardless of the
modeling software used.
The working of 3D printing
3D printing has come a long way in terms of technology and cost allowing home
3D printers to be a reality. In this process there have been choices that will limit
what can be printed. Seeing a 3D printer in action is the best way to learn about the
process. Fortunately there are many 3D printing time lapse videos online of printers
in action that can be found with a simple search.
3D printers build an object layer-by-layer from the bottom to the top. Plastic filament
is heated and extruded, and each layer is built upon the last one. Usually the outside
of the object is drawn and sometimes additional shells are added for strength. Then
the inside is usually filled with a lattice to save plastic and provide some support
for higher layers, however the inside is mostly air. This continues until the object is
complete as shown in the following screenshot:
