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)

Perfecting the positioning with Snap

As with the text on the coordinate bracelet, we do not want to cause confusion with overlapping geometry. We want our windows to line up exactly and lay flush to the house itself. In Chapter 7, Customizing with Text, we typed in the exact location coordinate to line the text up. You can still do that with the windows. The only catch is you'll first want to change the Object Origin to a specific vertex as we did in Chapter 5, Building a Base with Standard Meshes and a Mirror. Specifically, you want to move the Object Origin from the center of the window to a point you want to lie directly on the house. Once that is done, you match up the applicable coordinates. In the following example, I make sure the X coordinate of the window matches the X coordinate of a point on the left side of the house:

Windows can be lined up by changing the Object...