More 3D Modeling Tools - 3D Printing: Build your Own 3D Printer and Print your own 3D Objects - page 161

to use that can get you a custom 3D model created quickly, if you have access to
an iPad or iPhone. It's called 123D Creature.
123D Creature
The 123D Creature app is available only on the iPad, and I love it because I can
sit down with my oldest son and we can create monsters together. It's not the most
powerful app for creating objects to print with 3D printers, but it definitely gives
my son some experience with rotating objects, enlarging and shrinking, and ap-
plying colors. While it might seem a bit gimmicky to adults, kids just can't get
enough. It's a nice tool for introducing the concept of 3D modeling to a classroom
full of kids or just one.
After you download the app from the App Store to your iPad, you begin by posing
your monster's skeleton and rotating the arms and legs (or is it tentacles?), chan-
ging the thickness and angle of the various body parts. When you're done, you
“bake” the skeleton, as shown in Figure 8.7 , locking the form so you can begin
applying colors and textures.