Book Image

3D Printing Designs: The Sun Puzzle

By : Joe Larson
Book Image

3D Printing Designs: The Sun Puzzle

By: Joe Larson

Overview of this book

Jigsaw puzzles derive their name from when they were cut from wood sheets using a hand-woodworking tool called a jig saw back in the 1760s. Have you ever wondered how a model idea for a jigsaw puzzle is articulated, and how it was made with these traditional tools? Through this book, you will master the techniques of designing simple to complex puzzles models for 3D printing. We will quickly introduce you to some simple and effective principles of designing 3D printed objects using Blender. Through the course of the book, you'll explore various robust sculpting methods supported by Blender that allow you to edit objects with actions such as bends or curves, similar to drawing or building up a clay structure of different shapes and sizes. Finally, when the model is sculpted, you'll learn some methods to cut the model and carve out multiple pieces of perfectly-fitting edges of different geometries to complete the puzzle. ------------------------------------------- Note from CM - [Page count: 60] [Price: $9.99 eBook | $19.99 print]
Table of Contents (11 chapters)

Smoothing the edges


At this point, the rough shape of the face is starting to develop, but now we need to smooth some things out. For this, we have the smoothening tool. Follow these steps:

  1. Click on the Brush tool icon to pull up the sculpt tools.

  2. Now, click on the F Smooth tool icon.

  3. Draw back and forth along the curve above the lip to smooth out the upper lip.

  4. Draw back and forth along the curve under the lip to smooth out the chin.

As with most things in Blender, it pays to know the keyboard shortcuts for this process. With sculpting, the easiest one is this interactive way to change the radius:

  1. Hover the mouse pointer over the model and press F on the keyboard.

  2. Move the mouse until the circle and brush shown are a little bigger than the space between the eye and the middle of the cheek.

  3. Click to finish the action.

  4. Draw back and forth along the top of the cheeks to smooth them.