Should i learn Blender for 3d printing ? \ stacker news ~AskSN

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Should i learn Blender for 3d printing ?

287 sats \ 16 comments \ @stack_harder 17h AskSN

So a while back i thought it might be fun to get a 3d printer and have a play with it, but when i saw that there was a whole element of making 3d files, it put me off.

recently, i was thinking, maybe it would be good to learn a new skill and then perhaps i could also sell 3d files, if i can get good enough.

but really, is it worth the time investment? or is 3d printing something i can enjoy without needing to be a 3d designer?

is it even a fun hobby?

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190 sats \ 2 replies \ @nullcount 14h

Anytime I'm about to buy some piece of plastic, I do a quick search to see if I can just print an alternative instead.

No need to learn modeling. You just need to learn how to slice other people's models.

https://printables.com https://thingiverse.com

perhaps i could also sell 3d files...

Information wants to be free. Selling bits is really, really hard.

I've printed hundreds of parts for my own use around the home, office, shop, and computer lab.

Organizers, display stands, cute plant pots, cases for SeedSigners, novelty toys for kiddos, really the only limit is your imagination.

Don't cheap out on the printer unless you like to tinker! Bambu Lab makes the best printers at the moment, excellent performance, hassle free.

I paid $1500 for my printer 2.5 years ago and now it pays for itself every 3 months just by selling printed parts online. Even tho my printer has outperformed BTC, it is not risk-free and there is some work to create the ecomm listings and pack and ship every item, dealing with customers, etc.

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @stack_harder OP 14h

that's cool, tbh it looks like i can't afford a printer, as i would have to go cheap and i am not a tinkerer by nature lol

where do you sell the printed parts? etsy? or like a niche marketplace?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullcount 13h

I was a first-mover on all the top 3 marketplaces for every product I listed. Many copycats now, but the market is big enough for us all to eat.

Every printer has an hourly rate. Think of it as "the value added per hour of unassisted runtime".

If you have a valuable use for the machine, it doesn't matter how much you paid. Its not that hard with good credit to get a $2000 loan.

45 sats \ 5 replies \ @freetx 16h

The answer is: It Depends.

The issue is "what are you making?" - if you are making parts then its better to use a traditional parameter based CAD solution (I use FreeCAD, but there are lots of easier commercial solutions)

If instead, you are doing non-part type of pieces, more like "art pieces" (one off figures, curvy organic looking structures), then Blender would be a better fit.

(NOTE: I know that Blender now has some type of parameter add-on, however if your goal is to make parts I still think its better to immerse yourself in the traditional CAD world as that knowledge is more transferable to other aspects of the craft....(ie. CNC, laser-cutting, etc.)

10 sats \ 4 replies \ @stack_harder OP 16h

i dont think i will be making parts, i don't even know what i would make tbh, but i feel like art pieces would be something i might like making.

but the real question is, how hard is learning blender or CAD?

35 sats \ 3 replies \ @freetx 16h

My 14 y/o son learned Blender but struggled with CAD

I learned CAD but struggled with Blender.... ha

So I think it just depends on how your brain works....there are so many tutorial videos on youtube, I would just watch some and see which one clicks.

One issue with Blender is 90% of the video tutorials are not going to be related to 3D printing. In Blender you are just creating a model and then exporting that model as a STL file....so its a bit like creating an excel sheet and then exporting to PDF...

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @Bell_curve 12h

did you use autodesk autoCAD?

33 sats \ 0 replies \ @freetx 12h

No, but I've seen videos of it. But its far too expensive for my own personal use....

But TinkerCAD (also from Autodesk) is really nice, only issue is you have to upload your designs to their cloud which they then own....but its a nice solution for those doing non-commercial things.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @stack_harder OP 15h

interesting, ill probably try and find a course or something with structure to it.

22 sats \ 2 replies \ @OriginalSize 15h

Have you tried Tinkercad? I think it's a good starting point for sketching in 3d. They have all kinda of geometric primitives and it's fairly easy to scale, add and subtract shapes to build up both parts and art pieces. You can import and export STL files to modify others work and to export to your slicer. It can't really make arbitrary rounded shapes but I haven't found that to be necessary given import/export with other tools like Nomad or a good old filing of the resulting print.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @stack_harder OP 15h

it sounds cool, i havnt heard of it as im new to this stuff. just at the vague idea stage. is there a good course on where i can learn about 3d printing and the various nuances?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @OriginalSize 13h

I'm sure there are some if random videos from YT don't do it for you. What I did was just browse makerworld and thingiverse favoriting things I'd like to try printing then keep the printer as busy as possible for a couple weeks getting through my favs. The way it works for me is I get immersed in 3d printing and lots of ideas come which sometimes leads to modeling and creating revisions until I'm happy with it. Just print what seems fun and ride the wave!

32 sats \ 2 replies \ @Aardvark 17h

I know people that have a lot of fun, and even sell things that they 3d print. If it were me, I'd see if I could come up with some goals of things that I wanted to accomplish with a 3d printer. If I couldn't come up with anything exciting, I wouldn't do it. On the other hand, if I had some goals that I was excited about, it would make the learning much more enjoyable.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @stack_harder OP 17h

i could probably do some research and find hot-selling 3d items on etsy that could be a good motivation. for quite a while now I've been wanting to get back into selling something directly but not wanting (or having the funds) to go all in on inventory and importing etc

14 sats \ 0 replies \ @Aardvark 17h

Hey there you go! Sounds like good motivation to me.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @0391aa459c 11h freebie

tinkercad.com is my goto for all my modeling needs.