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Videos and digital files accompany this hands-on guide. Fun projects, easy-to-follow instructions, and clear screenshots progress from installing the software to printing the design. Practical examples take you through the Design, Catch, Meshmixer, Tinkercad, Make, and CNC Utility apps, and the MakerBot Desktop. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at and on Facebook at /DavidGewirtz.Master the art of 3D printing with step-by-step tutorials and DIY projectsĪre you ready to join the new industrial revolution? 3D Printing with Autodesk 123D, Tinkercad, and MakerBot reveals how to turn your ideas into physical products that you can use or sell! You'll learn how to operate powerful, free software from Autodesk and bring your creations to life with the MakerBot-a leading consumer printer-or an online service bureau. We've got more projects coming.īy the way, I'm doing more updates on Twitter and Facebook than ever before. I think I've shown that, for at least a bunch of features, that's really true. Overall, the message I want you to get from this article and the accompanying video is right in the title: if you can do PowerPoint, you can do 3D design. You'll see that when you watch the video as well.
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With just a few clicks, I turned a cylinder into a simple cup. But one that's not in PowerPoint and is very cool is the ability to hollow out the inside of a shape by effectively turning it into a shell. There are a lot of other great features in a 3D design program and we've showcased some of them in other videos. While you're not likely to 3D print objects in two colors (unless you have a printer with dual extruders), using color in a 3D design can be very helpful to understand how pieces fit together or for any other organizational approach. It's easy to do in PowerPoint and it's just as easy to do in 123D Design. Watch the video for a demonstration about how I use subtract to effectively nibble away at portions of a 3D object to get the final shape I want.Īnother feature is one we all take for granted in PowerPoint, but often don't think about in 3D design: filling an object with a color. While it's powerful in PowerPoint, it's a go-to tool in 123D Design because you can use it to remove material from 3D objects. PowerPoint, in the same menu, has a subtract function, which allows you to subtract one shape from another. It was designed to help 'maker' who want to be able to create or design 3D object for themselves without using complicate or high end CAD system, or anyone who want to design 'digital prototyping' which can be printed out as physical 3D object. In 123D Design, there's a merge function that does the same thing. 123D is a 3D CAD or Solid Modeling Application for Windows. The Union command combines two separate shapes into one, which makes all of the shape style effects work across what becomes a new outline. PowerPoint has a very powerful menu in its Shape Format tab, which allows you to combine and break apart shapes. In PowerPoint, I demonstrated aligning the centers of the square and the circle, and then, in 123D Design, I pressed the 'A' key and aligned the cube and the cylinder. 3D Printing with Autodesk 123D Design A 5-part course with Makelab Start Free Preview Course Overview Whether you want to design a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry or a quick, inexpensive prototype, 3D printing is the ideal way to bring your ideas to life. Almost all graphics programs have an alignment tool.
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When you want to make objects line up, the alignment tool comes in very handy. In PowerPoint, I grouped a circle and square and moved them around, and in 123D Design, I grouped the cube and the cylinder. You can treat a set of objects like one object with the PowerPoint grouping tools - and the same sort of thing exists in 123D Design. In the demo, I created a square and a circle in PowerPoint and then a cube and a cylinder in 123D Design.Īnother similar function most of us are familiar with is grouping. In 123D Design, you can also insert shapes, both three-dimensional and flat. You select from an Insert Shapes menu and choose from available shapes. Recently Autodesk has been working diligently with 3D printing industry.
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You're welcome to use other 3D design programs and you'll find that the similarities I discuss are common across most of them.įor example, when designing slides in PowerPoint, you often have to create basic shapes like squares and circles. AutoDesks 123D Design software is one of these easy to use 3D modelling programs. For this DIY-IT discovery series on 3D printing, I've settled on 123D Design because it's both free, and was used in a whole bunch of YouTube videos that inspired me to explore this topic. There are a ton of them, including a bunch of excellent ones that are free. 123d design 3D models for 3d printers Copper beating and Serpent Skin design process - by Dizingof HYPERGRANATODRE ( 3DSPIRIT) Maths Art Design Fox. Now, before I go on, let's talk about 3D design programs.
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