So you have a doodad that broke and you want to 3D print a replacement. But how can you be sure that the new part will be a good replacement? Here’s the method I used to make a replacement part for my kid’s drawer that uses only free software and the hardware you probably already have.
- Put the part on a piece of centimeter graph paper and take a picture.
- Import the picture into inkscape, line up the scale, and trace the 2D outline of the object. Save the outline as an SVG.
- Import the SVG outline into blender and extrude. Convert the curve to a mesh, Go to edit mode and extrude the outline into a 3D shape.
- Do any 3 dimensional editing you need to make a good part.
- Export the 3D part as an STL.
- Print and replace.
I kept putting off posting this because I wanted to make an illustrated version, and I may still, but I think it’s better this information is out there than it being illustrated. I can always revisit this and update it.
