Drafting in 3 Dimensions
Software & tutorials section:
This is a parking spot for things related to 3D drafting. This is
in part to the ANET A8 3D printer project that we launched back at the start of 2017. You can see the progress pages and related links HERE.
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3D Drafting for 3D printing*
For anything designed, that's worth building, we are usually accustomed to some sort of blueprint, plans, or schematics of some kind. In the case for something that is going to be constructed in 3D volumetric space by a 3D printer, a CNC method is used. CNC is short for Computer Numerical Control. This is fancy wording for having a computer run through a set of instructions to perform some sort of mechanical work. For the longest time this was done in planar space using just X and Y coordinates. But with 3D printing we add the Z axis.
Drafting in 2-D planar space, like on a drafting table is fairly straight forward and just about anyone that has done some sort of basic carpentry, welding, or similar construction has used this form in one way or another.
But drafting in 3D can be a bit more involved when done on just paper, and since we have to create an instruction list for the computer to render the final object, it is best to use software to design in 3D space.
Fortunately there are many software packages that are capable of this. Some free or open source. And some not. ZBrush by Pixologic can get you started for just about 800$ - whoa! Or there's Lightwave 3D by NewTek just at a weensy more at 1000$ !!! But these are just a little too much for our purposes.
So we will be using an open source software tool called Blender. And what is amazing about it, is that it is at the top of the list of software tools to be used, with SketchUp and Solidworks trailing just behind! Considering how expenive and robust the latter two are we can expect some amazing things from Blender. (info source: HERE)
Download Blender from their HOMEPAGE - and make sure to check out the system requirements... Blender has heavy demands on the CPU, Memory [RAM], and especially the graphics capabilities of your computer. However, most high end i3 machines should have no issues running the basic design features you will need for creating models for 3D printing.
Once you get it installed and running you will immediately notice how strange the environment may be. This is especially so if you have no previous experience with drafting software or 3d rendering systems. So the best way to get started is with a tutorial of course! I strongly recommend a series on YouTube by Jacob Lewis. This guy kinda pioneered the first set of tutorials that ever came out for Blender, and since he started a following he has kept up the good work.
The first tutorial will show you how to navigate - Click HERE to watch.
It's about 14 minutes long. So get a cup of coffee and just kick back a while.
After you have got a grasp on the basics there, move on the remainder of the tutorials as you have the time to do so. Remember to experiment and go off on a tangent when you like. You can always reset the Blender environment back to the start position and start over...
But wait there's more - for the sake of demonstration it makes sense that once you have drafted your object you will need to save it to a file in Blender using a format that a 3D printer will understand. But even before you can do that, there are some final steps you have to take. Take a look at another video that shows this process very well.
Not only does it get you in the mindset of what the overall process is, it is also a fast forward in thought process to what it is really going to be like when you are dealing with 3D models. Click HERE to check out the video.
That's all for now. Check here for more informs on 3D modeling and drafting as the project continues...
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