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)

Giving the torus a flat bottom (for home)

Naturally, the torus object is rounded, which does give a nice look and feel to the pendant's hook. However, the rounded nature of the bottom may be tricky for the FFF/FDM printers. Looking at the slicing preview from the bottom up, I can see that perhaps there are some tricky overhangs for the printer.

In the following preview, I can see some places where lines of plastic would have nothing underneath it:

How our torus looks in Blender and how it looks in the slicing preview (looking from the bottom up).

Since no one sees the back of the pendant, we can flatten the bottom of that torus to help the printer out. To do that, we'll be getting more familiar with a technique called mesh modeling. We will change the shape of the torus by editing specific vertices.

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