Stories from my 3D Journey with Blender, Solidworks and 3d printer
I created a CGTrader account years ago. My first submissions were all free. I wanted a way to give back to a community that had help me learn Blender. And then one day I saw a post on the user forum. Someone was complaining because the models were under priced. They were seeing a drop off in sales and believed it was because more content was being offered for free or for a very low price. Continue reading “CG Models”
I have seen so many non-US designers condescendingly scoff at Americans for using Imperials units. I’ll admit, the metric system has an advantage. It is much easier to work equations on a calculator when you stay in metric units.
But I wonder how many of these people actually build anything.
I posted a 3″ Swing Check Valve on GrabCad today. Within a couple of hours, it got 6 likes and 3 downloads. And if you didn’t know…all downloads on GrabCad are free.
This valve is manufactured by KITZ. It has class 300 raised face flanges and the body is made from cast stainless steel. The face to face dimension is 12.5″.
The KITZ number is 300UOAM3 316SS GRAFOIL C.E.
Link: https://www.kitzus-kca.com/industrial-check-valves.php
The model does not have any internals. You can use it for system design.
Link: https://grabcad.com/library/3-flanged-check-vavle-1
I am in the process of locating parts for building thermocouple (TC) probes. The probes we used are held tight against the part with a spring loaded bayonet fitting. The fitting is comprised of two parts: the adapter and the cap.
The adapters are available at Amazon ($9.13), McMaster ($2.98) and AutomationDirect.com ($1.50).
A 2D Autocad drawing is available for download at AutomationDirect. I imported this drawing into SolidWorks 2017 and made a 3D model out of it. I also made different configuration to cover all the lengths that are available for purchase at AutomationDirect. Continue reading “Bayonet Adapters”
Here are my go to settings for Blender when I am modelling for a 3D Print
To design in inches and export an STL file at the proper scale:
Continue reading “Taming Blender 2.79 Units for 3D Printing”
Photogrammetry is a cool technology, but it’s difficult to get a usable model. Most of the models I make have large holes or areas where the mesh is way off. Where the model is not way off…there is usually a tight mesh that isn’t required. Next…there are the shadows. Photogrammetry adds the lighting from your photo shoot to the model and this isn’t desirable (unless you are duplicating the lighting…which basically never happens). Continue reading “Photo Reconstruction without Photogrammetry”
(animated gif source: https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanical_gifs/comments/87imzw/1st_print_on_prusa_i3_mk3/)
The PrusaPrinter Forum has a post on creating a time lapse video of your 3D print. It utilizes an Adafruit Feather board (32u4 Bluefruit LE). The board emulates a Bluetooth keyboard and works like a selfie-stick. That’s what the article says. The only thing I would use a selfie stick for is to whack people who take selfies.
So this project is a combination of electronics, 3D printing and photography. It uses products from Adafruit and Prusa3D. I have had good experiences with both of these companies.
Thingiverse.com has thousands of free models you can download and print. It was a huge help to have this resource when I first started printing. I felt is was only right to add a few contributions. Continue reading “My Thingis”
I got a drone for Christmas. I would make a Blender model of it, but it is hard to replicate when it’s 50 feet in the air, stuck in a tree. On the flip side…I’m not the only one who has lost their drone. I found one similar to this on the sidewalk one day. I have no idea where it came from and no way to fly it…but I can model and animate it.
Simmer3D 