Book Image

3D Printing Blueprints

By : Joe Larson
Book Image

3D Printing Blueprints

By: Joe Larson

Overview of this book

A new industrial age is here. Machines designed to build useful and interesting objects have moved from the factory to the home. Whether you have a 3D printer or not, learning how to design your first 3D models is the best way to become part of the 3D printing movement. 3D Printing Blueprints will teach you, step by step, the tools and techniques of using Blender, a free 3D modelling program, to build 3D models for printing with simple and fun hands-on projects.3D Printing Blueprints uses engaging and fun projects that teach Blender modeling for 3D printing through hands-on lessons. First you'll learn basic modeling and make a small simple object. Then each new project brings with it new tools and techniques as well as teaching the rules of 3D printing design. Eventually you'll be building objects designed to repair or replace everyday objects. Finally you'll be able to even tackle other people's models and fix them to be 3D printable. Through the course of doing the blueprints you will custom build one-of-a-kind objects that you can call your own. Starting from a custom vase formed from a picture, lessons will progress to a multi-part modular robot toy. Then simple machines will be designed with custom gears and functions. Eventually you'll learn how to download models from the Internet and make custom objects. Finally you'll be able to build models with near real life specifications and make a print that can be used for small object repair. 3D Printing Blueprints will teach you everything you need to know about building custom 3D models to print successfully on modern home 3D printers.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
3D Printing Blueprints
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Making an armature


An armature is used generally in 3D animation to move the model in natural ways. The idea and name comes from Claymation where a metal frame, sometimes with hinges sometimes just made from bendable material, would be built into the clay model like a skeleton to hold it upright and maintain poses, while the animation is accomplished frame-by-frame. In computer modeling the armature is used in a similar way to define the pose of a complex model by manipulating just a few skeleton lines.

Normally when modeling characters the process of building an armature is a complicated one involving many steps that would be outside the scope of this work. However, by using the skin modifier the process is simplified significantly.

This marks the beginning of another major section so this is a reminder about saving (Ctrl + S) and incremental saves.

  1. Exit Edit Mode (Tab).

  2. Open the modifiers panel and Apply the Mirror modifier.

  3. On the Skin modifier click on the Create Armature button.

Now the original...