Home Techonology 3D Printing With Blender: A Complete Guide

3D Printing With Blender: A Complete Guide

by Uneeb Khan

What is Blender?

Blender is a free and open-source 3D graphics creating software. 3D modeling, sculpting, UV unwrapping, animation, raster graphics editing, texturing, rigging and scripting, smoke simulation, fluid simulation, video editing, and compositing are some of the features of Blender. It may be used to make anything from animated films to 3D video games.

Blender can also be expanded with Python programming and add-ons for people who require more capability. It is also cross-platform, so you can install it on Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux.

This article will mainly look at how to utilize Blender for 3D printing. The same models used in video games and animated films can be exported to print in real-life objects. So, read on!

Key Points to consider 3D Printing with Blender

1. Set up your model units accurately

For the model you’re making for the real world, you must use real-world units and a scale corresponding to the size of the thing you intend to print. Blender’s current version employs the metric system, with meters as the default length unit. So this is the first setting you should check in the model because you can wind up with a larger model than you planned. You can achieve this by navigating to the Units panel in the Scene Settings. 

Set the Length to millimeters or inches, as desired, to create a model that will fit your 3D printer. Millimeters are the most frequent unit of measurement used by 3D printers. If you intend to use Blender for 3D printing, you should save your preferences as default by navigating to File -> Defaults -> Save Startup File. This way, you won’t have to do it each time.

2. Take out the camera and the light

A camera and light may be added to a new scene by Blender. You don’t need these for 3D printing; leave them out of your background. Find Camera and Light in the Scene Collection menu, commonly known as the Outliner, right-click on them, and select Delete. This menu is located in the top right corner of the default Blender layout.

You can simply hide the camera if you want to make a test render to get an idea of what your resulting product will look like during the modeling process.

3. Make a boundary guide

Knowing the size of the 3D printer you’re using, you’ll understand the model’s limitations. You can use the default cube that Blender sets in the default scene as a suggestion for the size limits of your model. Then construct your model within it. So, in Object View, select the cube and press the N key. This will open the Properties panel. Set the X, Y, and Z values to the limits of the 3D printer you’ll be using.

Now that you’ve done that, you’ll need to take another step before you can begin developing your 3D model inside it. In the default Blender layout, select the Object Properties option from the bottom right panel. Navigate to the Viewport Display section and select the Display As option. By default, this will be Solid. 

4. The cube will now be a see-through wireframe

You can take one more step to ensure you don’t accidentally choose your guide over your model when you want to export it. Find your guide cube in the Scene Collection panel, which should still be titled Cube and is located in the upper right corner of the scene. Name something memorable that will remind you that it is your guide, such as GUIDE.

How are 3D Models Prepared for 3D Printing with Blender?

Step 1: Installing Blender

Download the most recent version (2.9+), as this is the one we’ll be working with. On the other hand, even if you don’t have the most recent version of Blender, you can still use this technique.

Step 2: Enable the Add on

Once Blender has been downloaded and installed, you should turn on the 3D printing toolbox add-on. This will provide us with everything we require to prepare a model for 3D printing successfully.

Step 3: Prepare the Model

Bringing Your Design to Life with 3D Printing in Blender: Image Source: pluralslight.com

To prepare a 3D model for printing, you’ll probably need to load it into Blender. Although not all are made for 3D printing, several excellent websites offer Blender files. Check out our list of the top websites to find STL Viewers if you want something designed to become a 3D print.

However, you can also wish to create something from scratch. If so, several articles found on using Blender can be quite helpful.

A Remark Regarding Printable Models

A 3D model can be made printable in two different ways, and the amount of effort needed will vary based on the model. In particular, a model must be “manifold.” This requires that it be a single, complete entity with no gaps or missing vertices.

So, certain models could require some repairs, but don’t worry! We’ll walk you through the simple procedure in the sections that follow.

Step 4: Verify the Model

It is uncommon to export a complex object and have it perfectly manifold.

Take the following steps to verify this:

Choose the object you want to inspect.

Once the toolbar has appeared, select the “3D printing toolbox” area by pressing N on your keyboard.

To check everything, select the “Check All” option (circled in red above).

Focus on “Non-Manifold Edge” when examining the result, which may have numerous values.

Your model is prepared to be exported as a .stl file and imported into the slicing program if it displays 0. Continue reading if your model shows anything greater than 0.

Step 5: Option 1: Fix a Non-Manifold Model

Using Blender’s built-in cleanup tool is the simplest and easiest technique to fix a non-manifold model. Under the previous “Check All” button, there is a “Clean up” area. Simply click “Make manifold” after opening it and ensuring the model is selected.

Note that earlier versions of Blender still contain this functionality. The only problem is that it could ruin your 3D model, so if this occurs, keep reading to find out about a better alternative.

Step 6: Option 2: Fix a Non-Manifold Model

This time, rather than utilizing Blender, we’ll use a program called 3D Builder, which is compatible with Windows 8 and later versions of Windows.

Click “Open > Open object” and go to the location of your 3D model to launch 3D Builder and import your model.

Once it has opened, select “Import model.”

The program should then alert you to the model’s flaw and instruct you to click the pop-up box to correct it.

If all went according to plan, do so, and the model should now be manifold without significantly affecting its shape.

Step 7: Import to a slicer

Finally, enter Blender’s side menu and save the object as an a.stl file so it can be imported into your slicing program. Whether you are using the best resin 3D printer or an filament printer, you will need a file format that is understood by your printer.

It should be noted that even while utilizing 3D Builder, it’s still possible that some of the model’s shapes will be altered to fill in all the gaps and create a manifold model. Our experience has shown that it is significantly cleaner than Blender’s built-in clean-up feature. The model’s design and construction quality will determine how much it changes shape. To make a model printable, changes are both essential and perfectly normal.

You can start a 3D print once your model is in a slicer. For recommendations, see our filament guide or optimum print settings.

Best Alternative to Blender for 3D printing – “SelfCAD”

3D Modeling and Printing in SelfCAD: Image Source: 3dprinter.com

SelfCAD is an excellent alternative to Blender because it is powerful and straightforward. Both pieces of software support all popular 3D file formats. The designs produced by SelfCAD and Blender are 3D printable, but SelfCAD has a slight advantage because its compositions are prepared for printing. Additionally, a magic fix helps regulate your designs and ensure they are printable. However, SelfCAD is more potent because it comes with an integrated 3D slicer that allows users to convert STL files and 3D models into G-Code without needing to use a different program.

SelfCAD offers interactive tutorials that simplify learning 3D modeling. Under one roof, many modeling approaches are combined in SelfCAD. With well-defined 3D sketching, exact shapes may be produced for technical models. The design can incorporate thickness, roundovers, and chamfers. Another intriguing method of creating 3D models is by altering the built-in library or the accompanying MyMiniFactory database.

Conclusion

Opportunities for development and innovation are always present. In the highly competitive world of today, upgrading is essential. Although Blender is among the best and most valuable programs, there are other ways to compensate for its drawbacks.

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