Book Image

Blender 3D Printing by Example

By : Vicky Somma
5 (1)
Book Image

Blender 3D Printing by Example

5 (1)
By: Vicky Somma

Overview of this book

Blender is an open-source modeling and animation program popular in the 3D printing community. 3D printing brings along different considerations than animation and virtual reality. This book walks you through four projects to learn using Blender for 3D Printing, giving you information that you need to know to create high-quality 3D printed objects. The book starts with two jewelry projects-- a pendant of a silhouette and a bracelet with custom text. We then explore architectural modeling as you learn to makes a figurine from photos of a home. The final project, a human hand, illustrates how Blender can be used for organic models and how colors can be added to the design. You will learn modeling for 3D printing with the help of these projects. Whether you plan to print at-home or use a service bureau, you’ll start by understanding design requirements. The book begins with simple projects to get you started with 3D modeling basics and the tools available in Blender. As the book progresses, you’ll get exposed to more robust mesh modeling techniques, modifiers, and Blender shortcuts. By the time you reach your final project, you’ll be ready for organic modeling and learning how to add colors. In the final section, you’ll learn how to check for and correct common modeling issues to ensure the 3D printer can make your idea a reality!
Table of Contents (16 chapters)

Modeling the base of the house

Before I start modeling my house, I'm going to take a moment and reflect on my plan. You are not limited to just the images you imported into Blender. You can refer to images outside Blender as well as your own memory and recollection. Looking at another image, I notice that the room to the right of the house is actually inset a bit from the main structure:

The side room is inset from the main structure

There are many ways to attack this shape. I'm going to start with the cube we used for scaling the empty earlier. I'm going scale it down to the length, height, and depth of the main structure. Then I'll raise that up to make the roof. Finally, I'll do an offshoot for that extra room.

There are two techniques I can use to size the cube to match the main structure of the house. First, I can use scale like we did earlier...