While someone like myself can use more open ended tools to do cool things, for everyone else Heroforge is the sort of software that I forsee helping drive 3D printing demand up. Ever play an RPG where you spend 20 hours customizing your characters, crafting their appearance, before you put on a helmet and lose it all? Heroforge is kind …
Finally committing to Simplify3D
I’ve been hearing good things about Simplify3D (most of them on the 3D Printing Today Podcast which I should really record another segment for). But the price tag kinda kept me away until I decided to update to the latest version of MakerWare hoping all the little problems I’ve been dealing with would go away only to have MakerWare refuse to …
Fixing a soap stamp order with MakeXYZ
I make a lot of soap stamps. So before I left on vacation a few weeks back I was wrapping up an order for Soaps McGotes and while I usually send the customer a proof for their approval I accidentally skipped that step in my rush, and of course this is the time that I really shouldn’t have skipped that …
A Visit to Zeni Kinetic
I took an opportunity to visit Salt Lake’s own 3D Printing store, Zeni Kinetic and nerded out with the John, Aaron, and Jeremy there, some of which I’ve met at local makerspaces before. They’ve got a nice open floor space that is still in development in a lot of ways. Lots of filament and example prints and… hey, what’s that in …
Dragon7350 and the Lithophane
I wanted today to be a video post, but having just got back yesterday that wasn’t going to happen. So I hope you’ll be okay with this inspiring little bit. Deviant Art user Dragon7350, Justin Ethington, saw my video on making a lithophane and decided to give it a shot. Even better, not owning a 3D printer he sourced the …
Inserting magnets into prints
Here’s the theory. You print something, then as it’s printing you pause the print at specific points and drop a buckyball magnet into the print. Then you continue the print and let the bucky ball get sealed off. Here’s how it works in real life. Not very well. First of all you have to fight the super strong magnets that …
Lithophane keychain/charm
My second post in the 3D printed gifts posts was inspired by someone on shapeways offering keychain lithophanes. I realized I could totally do that and it would be a perfect gift. I opted for a round design because it was simple but I realized it could be adapted to any number of shapes with just a little more time. …
Testing Modio for Android
Modio is a cool app that is basically a library of home 3D print ready parts for robots that you pick from to assemble in software, then download to your computer for slicing and printing. It exports to STLs so it can work for any 3D printer. I played with it a little when it first came out on a …
Modeling for 3D Printing – Wood Wars Base Soldier Time Lapse
A little something different this week. Set up a time lapse as I modeled the generic pawn soldier pawn for the upcoming Wood Wars remake I mentioned in my Distributed Manufacturing response video then overlayed it with some royalty free music in YouTube. I’m going to be out of town for 2 weeks to be with family. I’ve been pretty regular …
Packt’s $5 bonanza
It’s time for another sale from Packt book. Get any eBook from them for $5 including my book, 3D Printing Blueprints, the beginners guide to modeling for home 3D printing. If my videos have convinced you that you need a copy of this book now is the time to get it.