this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2023
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I am thinking about buying a 3d printer but I have no idea what I would do with it. I did some blender training and made a donut but it did not really inspire me.

I browsed thingverse and some other sharing sites. Nothing really caught my eye.

I think something that would are mechanical kits for making gears or small machines etc. Printing a mechanically true LS1 V8 for example kind of interests me.

Any thoughts to share?

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[–] rambos 3 points 1 year ago

I think its cheaper and easier to pay for 3D printing service to see what can you expect from the quality. But if you want to print mechanical parts that are not available online you have to learn 3D modeling.

Both worlds 3D printing and 3D modeling are huge hobbies and I love them, but its not for everyone. You need patience for both and lot of learning/tuning to achieve what you want. Failed print is quite normal for begginers and it is painfull!

Maybe consider CAD modeling sofware for mechanical parts (like solidworks) and make your first model, then you can pay for printing service (kinda cheap nowdays) and decide if that is for you.

The main reason I have 3D printer is because Im geek and I love thinkering. Parts I print would be much cheaper if I payed for printing service, but I dont regret. Having printer at my home and knowledge to model what I want makes me feel super powerful lol