Software

3D modelling software and useful utilities to assist you with creating a 3D printable model.

Alternative Support with Meshmixer

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MakerBot Desktop has great support generation built in with many settings to fine-tune it. That said it also only is able to create vertical walls of support material and not any smart support structures that minimize material use. Meshmixer is a great compliment to MakerBot Desktop as it allows you to create branching supports. They start at the build plate and branch out as they print up, this significantly reduces material used. To generate Meshmixer support open your STL file in meshmixer, click analysis and then click overhangs. Meshmixer will highlight areas that it feels need support. You can fine tune the settings such as the angle threshold to require support. Once you are happy with the areas being supported hit generate support and it will create your support. This is all you need to do for a single extrusion print. If you choose to do dual extrusion support you … Read more

Teaching 3D Printing with Project Ignite

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Project Ignite was designed to make it easy for teachers to implement 3D Design and Printing into their classroom. It does so by putting a variety of step-by-step projects into one place. It also makes it easy to manage a virtual classroom. With it you can manage each student and track their progress. The accounts used by project ignite blend seamlessly into TinkerCAD which makes it very easy to get students started on a project. Many of these projects are designed and used by other educators. If you have a great project you want to share, project ignite is a good place to do so as it can get your project into the hands of a large number of educators.

MakerBot in the Classroom

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MakerBot has recently released a e-book called MakerBot in the Classroom. This is a great tool for educators as it provides several great examples of ways 3D printing can be used in the classroom. These examples focus on four main programs, TinkerCAD, OpenSCAD, Sculptris and 123D design. These are all great free and easy to learn programs so the ideas that this book provides are realistically able to be followed in a classroom. If you already own a MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer you can register for a free download of the whole curriculum guide. If you don’t have a printer and want to see what this guide is all about be sure to fill out the form at the bottom of this page for a free project download. Another thing to be sure to keep your eye on for ideas are the Thingiverse Challenges which are short contests with a focus … Read more

3D Parts Catalogs

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When you are designing a project there are many common parts you may need a 3D model for. These could be things like screws, bearings, gears or many other commonly used parts. Designing these all yourself can wind up taking a fair bit of time and sometimes is not necessary. There are many websites out there like McMaster-Carr that supply a wide variety of parts and include 3D models of the item. These make it easy to either create the proper space in your 3D model for the part and then buy the actual part, or to use the 3D model as a file to print from. You will often see a variety of file types such as a STEP file which is easily opened in 123D design. The file is often editable and can even serve as a framework for a slightly customized version. A great example of such a … Read more

MakerBot Desktop 3.7

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Many of you have likely already downloaded MakerBot Desktop 3.7 as it was released in June. This is just an update for those that haven’t either because they are sticking with an older version they feel is sufficient or that haven’t noticed this latest version of MakerBot Desktop. Desktop 3.7 is a significant upgrade in terms of the ease of accessing the bulk of the settings that many users want to fine-tune when they are printing day-to-day. By simply switching to the custom tab in Settings, you can now control things like how far your raft extends from the print, travel speeds during a variety of printing stages, angle required to generate support and even choose to print infill at a lower resolution than the outer shells. This customization is a great way to get your prints printing how you want while no longer requiring you to edit text files … Read more