🛒 Grab some measurement tools today 🛒 Purchasing through my affiliate links helps support my work, allowing me to continue creating content like this. Amazon Affiliate Links Dual Metric Imperial Stainless Ruler Set: amzn.to/3YCVFpX Stainless Steel Digital Calipers: amzn.to/3O1IE4j Digital Dial Indicator: amzn.to/3ChWCwr
for someone that just got a printer and started designing, blender is really hard to grasp but this video definitely made it much easier to understand so I can't wait to put it to the test as I do want to design a few more things around the house
I'm glad this video was helpful. Getting started in Blender can be very overwhelming. I plan to keep adding to this series as I spend a lot of my time working in Blender.
I am quite new to 3D printing and modeling, when i came across your video I almost didn't watch it. I am SO GLAD I did. I learned more watching your video than I did watching over 10 hours of other creators videos. I greatly appreciate your knowledge and can not wait to watch many more!
Thanks for the feedback! I'm really glad you found this video helpful. I was in the same position when I started using blender for 3D printing, I couldn't find any helpful information to go off of.
This video is GOLD, I am an experienced Blender user and yet I watch the whole video without skipping a frame! The content you are creating is great for the community!
This is amazing. You made this look easy - quick description and immediate action. None of the fluff that slows videos down. As someone who is just getting introduced to blender - I can't thank you enough for this!
I agree, its a myth that blender isn't suitable for 3D printing or CAD. I've been using it for years without trouble. But I don't really do anything special. I just create the 3D part like any other blender project, except we don't need to worry about textures, lighting and rendering. Then export it as stl. All 3D printers have a front end software to load the model. There you can read the stl file, and scale it, rotate it as required, add fencing and supports as needed, and then hit print. That's about it.
True. People tend to over complicate things when they don't need to be complicated. It's tricked a lot of people into believing they can't use Blender.
Wow! There is so much good info in a concise format. I'm new to Blender, so I'm watching this a few times to let it all sink in. Thanks for posting a great video.
I took up Blender about 3 months ago. For whatever reason it came easy to me. Imagine it's the great software and the great ppl like you out here hooking us all up with tips. I hand no idea about the 3D Print extension! Instead went the hard way lol. Thanks for the data!!!
This is the first video for learning Blender that has truly helped push me in the direction for learning to make 3d printed parts with the software. There are so many tools and functions in Blender that it's overwhelming. Thank you for showing us everything, while also not droning on forever. It would be cool if you could make a series of videos like this, shorter if need be. Solely to show us some basic tools/modifiers that you commonly use making your own prints.
@@zerodotcmdI have to agree with this comment. It is really helpful when you do videos like this. Straight to the point. It is just perfect for learning Blender.
This is so freaking awesome! I'm just getting into learning blender and got lost in another tutorial. This is straight to the point with no extra fluff. Thank you so much!
Excellent video! I’ve been looking for exactly what you presented in this video. I’m new to any kind of modeling software but settled on Blender as the most versatile once I catch on. I picked up more from your video than any of the tutorials I’ve tried. Great job.
Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you were able to pick up some helpful information from the video. Best of luck on your journey with Blender. It's always exciting learning to make your own designs and ideas.
Great stuff thank you, the only issue i had was when i exported the model it didnt have the boolean cut. Pressing A to select all and then going to export just kept the cylinders, i had to just select the parts after hiding the cylinders then check "selected only" on the export. Then it exported with the cut. Another way was simply to delete the cylinders objects. But I have a newer version it looks like, theres a new tab not shown here called "3D-Print" where "Item", "Tool" and "View" are. When you click there it has an export to STL option and applies the modifiers automatically without having to select anything. Its also has some other handy options to check your model to make it suitable for 3d printing, very handy tool, thanks again.
Awesome, I already know Blender quite well from making mod maps for games so its nice to know I can use those skills instead of trying to learn CAD or Autodesk or whatever other software. Just got an Bambu A1and amazed at what these machines can do, cant wait to design my own creations!
Nice! I've always thought the best part of 3D printing is being able to design your own parts and have them printed right away. It really opens up the world of whats possible for creators. Hope you have an awesome time with your new printer!
Fantastic, I have been pulling my hair out on how to do those initial settings. Thank you for respecting us. I hope to catch up skill wise soon. You are a blessing facts without fluff. You have a rare coin from me, trust.
thanks for the straight forward approach, thought i need to learn another software to remodel for printing but just by adjusting the measurements you showed me how flexible this workflow, need to get more intuitive with meters for measuring lol
You're welcome! Blender is highly capable once someone understands the workflow. 😊I come from the imperial world as well, but have learned to love metric!
I've been using Fusion, I'm not great at it but I can already see how Blender would be way better on some stuff. Fusion better with other stuff. Since I'm already pretty deep in Fusion I should continue down that road but this was great to see. Good video style, thanks for the knowledge man!
I agree different software has different strengths over others. Fusion is great as well, I've used it for years. I'm a huge fan of open source so this has been a major factor for me leaning heavily towards blender. Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for the feedback!
Thanks, glad you like the video. I wish I could move it back a bit. Sadly the desk has a steel frame very close to the edge of the desk. Luckily I rarely walk that direction.
Thanks, glad you like the video. Topology for 3D printing matters very little. Honestly someone could have some of the worst topology possible and as long and there's no manifold or other major issues the file will still print.
@@zerodotcmdfor real?! Holy. I guess that makes sense now that I think more about it, topology is meant for good shading and easier UV mapping for texturing- of which are only seen IN Blender, not the real world (as a 3d print). I should’ve thought of that sooner since I have 5 years of modeling experience, guess you never stop learning- thanks for the confirmation!
@@DisastrousKevin Yeah we definitely never stop learning, or at least we shouldn't 🙂 The only time I can see topology being important in 3D printing it perhaps with multi color prints since rough topology could make face selection very difficult for coloring.
Thanks! These kind of videos make my "Blender/3D printing resistane" weaker and weaker ;) I'd love to learn it enough to use on a daily basis (and finally drop F360) - so please don't stop making them. And I agree with one of the comments - maybe lower a bit the resolution or capture smaller window - just for ergonomics.
Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you found the video helpful. I will look into some options to make the workspace more easily viewable for people in the next video as this will most likely turn into a series. ☺️
As a professional CAD user, and new Blender user I understand advantages of CAD. But I find Blender freeing and a joy to use. It's easy to make parts look good. You can have a library of boolean assets if it is something you use often.
@@zerodotcmd any chance you could do a video on how to use "measure it" I would love to know how to get the measurement labels closer to the measurement, they end up miles off. Thanks
As long as an object is fully "faced," it doesn't matter if it's "hollow" or not. When a file is exported for 3D printing, it relies on the model's faces to define its geometry. For example, if you take a cube with 6 faces, these faces will translate into the exterior walls of the print. However, if you delete one of these faces, leaving the cube non-manifold, its geometry becomes open and incomplete. You do not need to solidify objects, as long as all the walls are connected and the surfaces are facing correctly outward. The key is ensuring that the object has a fully enclosed, consistent surface without holes or inverted normals. There are other definitions and use cases for "non-manifold," but that's a separate topic. The main point here is that in 3D modeling, surfaces or faces have only one physical side. If you have a single plane surface, it will only have one physical "face," and the reverse side will be nonexistent in the printed model. This means that for a 3D object to be printable, it must be fully enclosed or "physical" with no holes. I know this concept can be tricky to explain in text, so I'll be creating a video on it very soon.
@@zerodotcmdthis makes a lot of sense ! Obviously, the consequence is having open geometry is that the object is not “whole” anymore, which would make it non-printable. At least that’s what I understood from your description.
Great Tutorial. I love it. Thanks to you I can now use Blender more confidently for 3D printing. @14:20 you do a scale operation. I do not know if it will be useful but you only used s to scale. This works in orthographic view but in 3d view you have issues. You can use (in you case you were using the ZX plane and looking down on to Y axis) S + Shift Y. this will enable scaling only in X and Z axis. I run Loop Tools, Bool Tools and Node Wrangler as default free addons and MachineTools from Paid addons. Looking forward to seeing you break the 1000 sub mark.
Awesome, I'm glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for the feedback@15:57 I briefly go over scaling on axis, its a great addition to the scaling tool. Loop Tools is insanely powerful. Both Bool Tools and Node Wrangler are great options as well. I try to keep my plugins extremely limited but I will most likely go over a few tools like this in the future! Thanks, it will be exciting to hit 1k. This should happen really soon. ☺️
✅ Excellent Video Thanks! …been trying to learn this stuff to teach my kid. I just bought a Creality K1C, I heard it was a bad printer but it looks like you’re doing well with it. ✅
Thanks glad you found the video helpful. Almost all available printers have issues right now, were just not quite their yet. But most these issues are solvable with some tweaks.
When I extend my edges...it always leaves a second line...the rear of the box line still there that I also have to extend out or else the box is lobsided?
It's hard to really tell without being able to see exactly what your having trouble with. If you are trying to adjust or extend the edge of a cube per say, you need to make sure you grab all 4 edges. when grabbing from the side view its easy to only select two edges. sometimes you have to rotate to make sure you grab all 4.
What are the settings for imperial units? I set up to inches, now what about the unit scale? Should that be something like 1/64th (0.015625)? What about the view scale? You told us what to set theses values to for metric but never explained what it actually does.
Honestly I wouldn't know I have never attempted to model in Imperial since everything with 3D printing and design is normally done in metric. The values set the scale to be correct with real world values as blender units are relative and not exact.
Blender is a fantastic program, BUT it's not really a replacement for parametric CAD. The issue is that any modifications to a polygon model are destructive, making it harder to make certain modifications later. For example, the hole you punched through the curved surface; if it needed to be moved, you'd have to basically go back and remodel, because you'd applied the boolean, so you can't just "move" the hole without distorting the overall shape. In a parametric CAD app, you'd just change the parameter for the placement of the hole and everything would recompute. So, if you know Blender well, I can see why you'd just want to continue using it rather than learn a new app. But for precision parts that may need iterative design, you're not going to beat a parametric CAD app with an editable history stack.
@@flygarfpv3496 Its not a replacement for parametric this is true. They both have their place in design for 3D printing. Blender is a more "Physical" type work flow. While parametric CAD is more mathematic and drafted workflow and takes a different approach for "modeling". The issues you point out with a boolean cut are one downside of programs like Blender. However keep in mind that CAD also has many downfalls depending on workflow and application. With both methods of design there are ways to solve most issues, even the boolean and modifier issue. One of these solutions is something as simple as non applied modifiers, which I use quite often but felt didn't match the level of this video. If you want to design a simple mechanical part maybe CAD is the way for some users. But if your wanting to make an electronics enclosure in the shape of a dog riding a cloud through space then most of the time Blender would be a better choice. This is why I think Blender is so popular in the 3D design space for printing. The bounds of what people are creating has opened so wide that the options in CAD simply have not kept up. Blender isn't perfect by far, but it is however incredibly powerful and able to achieve amazing results for 3D printing.
Blender has a certain way of doing things. I think the greatest miss is the beveling. When I work with bevels I just want to be in Solidworks or Fusion360 and get it over with... In blender you need to work in non destructive mode. meaning you should not apply a modifier until you are absolutely sure about it. I have been using cad software since the 80s and one must accept the fact that Blender is not a cad software. It is a modeling suite. There are some amazing addons for blender to get it to next level. one such addon is CAD Sketcher. It is in its infancy but it will get there if it has the support.
Your right, blender isn't a replacement for CAD. But it is a great substitute, especially for hobbyists that can't afford or justify expensive CAD apps. As for blender being destructive modelling this is only partially true. The whole point of modifiers is to facilitate non-destructive work flows. The way zero used the Boolean modifier was incorrect. They should not have been applied. There is a check box to apply the modifiers in the export window so any modifiers will be applied to the exported file while leaving them un-applied in blender. Sometimes you need to apply modifiers to progress with the design of the part in which case you can duplicate the part and apply the modifiers so you still have a copy of the original part. There are ways around everything in blender and is why a person has to develop their own workflow based on their use case and tools they use. Granted, blender isn't as time efficient as a parametric a modeling tool but the ability to import any STL and modify it directly often saves quite a lot of time. But as a maker I see blender as a tool in a bag of tools. Depending on the use case it has its strengths and it's weaknesses, same as CAD. Use the tool that better suits the job.
@ashleywhitehead3710 You are correct; the way I applied the modifiers isn't exactly the best approach. I made this decision for two main reasons. First, I wanted this to be a more entry-level video for Blender. If a user isn't familiar with how a boolean affects an object in Blender, there is a high risk that, upon export, they may encounter issues without understanding the cause. Early on, it may be good practice for newer users to understand how modifiers interact with objects when applied. Personally, I have a folder where I store all my cuts-these objects are hidden, and I can work as if the modifiers are applied. This is the proper way it should be done. The second reason I decided to apply the modifiers is for compatibility. Some older hardware doesn’t handle multiple real-time modifiers very well, and I didn’t want to limit users with older machines. In future videos, I plan to go a bit deeper with a few other options.
@zerodotcmd I understand. I figured you implemented the modifiers in the way you did for the reason you stated. I wasn't having a go at you at all, merely explaining to the other comment that blender is capable of non destructive hard surface modeling. I also created a separate collection to keep the cutter geometry so I can hide them easily and it also stops any parented geometry from stacking and getting lost. Great vid! Been using blender a couple years now. The part about the models clipping while zoomed out was something I had issues with and now know how to fix. So thanx for that!
Hey, I'm on the latest version of Blender (4.3.2) and it doesn't allow you to set the clip end to anything higher than 10,000. If I set it manually to 100,000, it glitches the grid. How did you set your clip end to 100,000?
Technically, it doesn't need to be set to 100,000. I set it to this value to easily cover my view's clipping. I would recommend setting it to the highest value allowed before glitches occur. I will need to double-check what is going on in the most recent version of Blender.
Was doing good until you hit that "presences" and went to get extensions. Nothing on my Blender here mmm...a lot of your items are not shown and I'm up to date with Blender so....don't know.
I'm sorry that's not good. are you using Blender 4.2.3? Previously this section was part of the addon's section. the most recent version has moved it to Extensions.
It seams to be like petting cat by the hammer.. too much effort to use Blender as precision tool.. 1500 steps to make Blender usable to such work, and than it still isnt good, sr but people have right Blender is not to make precision draw better invest time in right tool
Its 6 settings that takes less than a minute to setup for the workspace and these setting only need to be set once. But I'm more of a dog person after all so maybe your right.
@@GLight_8D I'm glad you enjoy CAD but make no mistake about it both CAD and blender have their limitations depending on the application. The simple fact is 3D printing isn't CNC and there are a lot of things done in 3D printing that CAD simply isn't capable of. Take for instance advanced organics. Blender excelled in this area while Programs like FreeCad fail. I never once told anyone not to use CAD. This video is about helping people who want to use blender. You may be able to do something in CAD that Blender cannot, but trust me there is a lot more that can be done in Blender that cannot be done in CAD. If your happy in CAD that's great. Let others make their own their own choices for themselves.
@@zerodotcmd Plasticity is answear on that case.. Blender is big no for begginers, and even if you know Blender very good it is still full of bugs and limitations.. there is no perfect program but Blender is not even close to be even ok for this purpose...
@@GLight_8D that's interesting since thousands of people design both very precise and insanely detailed works in blender. The fact is not everyone's going to agree with you, this is evident by the amount of designers who work in programs other than CAD let alone the amount who work in Blender. I've worked in Blender for years and happen to know that most people who aren't from a mechanical background all model in Blender. Are all these people not entitled to their chosen method? If you don't think blender is a good option then I recommend you turn on a camera and spend the time articulating these points, after that spend hours editing and upload the content. Never know. Might find a few people who agree with you. But it won't be me.
like almost every tutorial on youtube this is useless because your monitor is too big compared to my laptop so everything is too small to see anything you are doing
Fusion does a great job with many things. Neither is exactly better than the other. It's all about the user and perspective, what works best for one person doesn’t always work best for another. Another thing to consider is the licensing for Fusion compared to Blender. Blender, being free and open-source, is a huge draw for a lot of people. Add to that the fact that Blender can run on Linux, and it begins to look like the obvious winner for many users.
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Channel exactly i am searching for
for someone that just got a printer and started designing, blender is really hard to grasp but this video definitely made it much easier to understand so I can't wait to put it to the test as I do want to design a few more things around the house
I'm glad this video was helpful. Getting started in Blender can be very overwhelming. I plan to keep adding to this series as I spend a lot of my time working in Blender.
I am quite new to 3D printing and modeling, when i came across your video I almost didn't watch it. I am SO GLAD I did. I learned more watching your video than I did watching over 10 hours of other creators videos. I greatly appreciate your knowledge and can not wait to watch many more!
Thanks for the feedback! I'm really glad you found this video helpful. I was in the same position when I started using blender for 3D printing, I couldn't find any helpful information to go off of.
This video is GOLD, I am an experienced Blender user and yet I watch the whole video without skipping a frame! The content you are creating is great for the community!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video! I'm looking forward to doing more Blender videos and videos about design in general.
Such a great video. Thank you so much, it was exactly what I needed 😊
Thanks! Glad you found the video helpful 🙂
I wish I could upvote this twice. Something about the way you explained this clicked with me.
Thanks! I'm glad the video was helpful. Blender is a lot less scary once people understand it. ☺️
amazing content, love the way you clarify an explanation.
well I finally found someone who's not explaining useless stuff and just do things I actually need
thank you, I'm trying to move from sketchup to blender
No problem. Welcome to Blender! Its definitely worth the time learning to switch.
Excellent video!! No nonsense as seen in others! Subscribed
Yeh...I'm not one for leaving comments..especially on youtube! But, this tutorial was the EASIEST and CLEAREST I've come across! Thank you!
Thanks! This feedback means a lot. Glad the video was helpful!
This is amazing. You made this look easy - quick description and immediate action. None of the fluff that slows videos down. As someone who is just getting introduced to blender - I can't thank you enough for this!
Thanks! I'm really glad you found the video helpful. Best of luck on your journey with Blender!
I learned a lot from this tutorial! Thank you for the clear and detailed explanation.
You're welcome! I'm glad this video was able to help you learn something new. Best of luck on your Blender journey!
very helpful video make more blender videos if possible keep up the great work
Great video, thanks for taking the time to make and share, watching has saved me hours.
Thanks. Glad the video was able to help save you some time 🙂
I agree, its a myth that blender isn't suitable for 3D printing or CAD. I've been using it for years without trouble. But I don't really do anything special. I just create the 3D part like any other blender project, except we don't need to worry about textures, lighting and rendering. Then export it as stl. All 3D printers have a front end software to load the model. There you can read the stl file, and scale it, rotate it as required, add fencing and supports as needed, and then hit print. That's about it.
True. People tend to over complicate things when they don't need to be complicated. It's tricked a lot of people into believing they can't use Blender.
Great video, thanks for the helpful tips 👍
You're welcome. Glad you found this helpful. I'm looking forward to making more videos on this topic.
Wow! There is so much good info in a concise format. I'm new to Blender, so I'm watching this a few times to let it all sink in. Thanks for posting a great video.
I'm glad you like the video. Best of luck exploring Blender!
im so glad this exists because it seems like everyone is just eyeballing it ha so I am glad its actually possible to make things accurate
I took up Blender about 3 months ago. For whatever reason it came easy to me. Imagine it's the great software and the great ppl like you out here hooking us all up with tips. I hand no idea about the 3D Print extension! Instead went the hard way lol. Thanks for the data!!!
No problem! Glad you found the information helpful. Congrats on your Blender journey, I hope you continue to develop and sharpen your skills!
This is the first video for learning Blender that has truly helped push me in the direction for learning to make 3d printed parts with the software. There are so many tools and functions in Blender that it's overwhelming. Thank you for showing us everything, while also not droning on forever.
It would be cool if you could make a series of videos like this, shorter if need be. Solely to show us some basic tools/modifiers that you commonly use making your own prints.
Thanks! I've glad you found the video helpful. I'm really looking forward to making more Blender related content! There's so much to go over.
@@zerodotcmdI have to agree with this comment. It is really helpful when you do videos like this. Straight to the point. It is just perfect for learning Blender.
This is so freaking awesome! I'm just getting into learning blender and got lost in another tutorial. This is straight to the point with no extra fluff. Thank you so much!
Thanks! Glad you like the video. I try my best not to waste anyone's time.
good interpretation think you
You're welcome!
Thank you. That really helped...
Excellent video! I’ve been looking for exactly what you presented in this video. I’m new to any kind of modeling software but settled on Blender as the most versatile once I catch on. I picked up more from your video than any of the tutorials I’ve tried. Great job.
Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you were able to pick up some helpful information from the video. Best of luck on your journey with Blender. It's always exciting learning to make your own designs and ideas.
Great stuff thank you, the only issue i had was when i exported the model it didnt have the boolean cut. Pressing A to select all and then going to export just kept the cylinders, i had to just select the parts after hiding the cylinders then check "selected only" on the export. Then it exported with the cut. Another way was simply to delete the cylinders objects. But I have a newer version it looks like, theres a new tab not shown here called "3D-Print" where "Item", "Tool" and "View" are. When you click there it has an export to STL option and applies the modifiers automatically without having to select anything. Its also has some other handy options to check your model to make it suitable for 3d printing, very handy tool, thanks again.
Great video, thanks for taking the time to create and share.
Thank you. I really enjoy designing. I'm looking forward to making more design videos.
Awesome, I already know Blender quite well from making mod maps for games so its nice to know I can use those skills instead of trying to learn CAD or Autodesk or whatever other software. Just got an Bambu A1and amazed at what these machines can do, cant wait to design my own creations!
Nice! I've always thought the best part of 3D printing is being able to design your own parts and have them printed right away. It really opens up the world of whats possible for creators. Hope you have an awesome time with your new printer!
Fantastic, I have been pulling my hair out on how to do those initial settings.
Thank you for respecting us. I hope to catch up skill wise soon. You are a blessing facts without fluff. You have a rare coin from me, trust.
Thanks! I feel like a lot of people miss these initial settings, which is a shame because they are very important. Glad I was able to help!
Nice job, trying to make move from Fusion to Blender...found this on day 2 and just what I needed.
Thanks! I'm glad you found this helpful. Best of luck on your move to Blender!
This was a super great tutorial , thank you so much.
Thanks. Glad you like the tutorial!
thanks for the straight forward approach, thought i need to learn another software to remodel for printing but just by adjusting the measurements you showed me how flexible this workflow, need to get more intuitive with meters for measuring lol
You're welcome! Blender is highly capable once someone understands the workflow. 😊I come from the imperial world as well, but have learned to love metric!
I just did this this weekend and had to faf around getting the units right. Wish i had seen this sooner :) Great job!
Thanks! Long ago I was stuck in the same boat trying to figure this out, that's why I ended up making this.
Very well done
Thanks!
Nicely done
Thanks!
This video was exactly what I was looking for! super straight forward!
Thanks. Glad you like the video. Blender is still my favorite for design.
Very informational and to the point. Thanks
really cool and simple approach for Blender and 3D printing design. simple and effective!
@@CallistoPili Thank you. Its the best method I've used. I'm hoping it helps more people to be able to create their own designs.
I've been using Fusion, I'm not great at it but I can already see how Blender would be way better on some stuff. Fusion better with other stuff. Since I'm already pretty deep in Fusion I should continue down that road but this was great to see. Good video style, thanks for the knowledge man!
I agree different software has different strengths over others. Fusion is great as well, I've used it for years. I'm a huge fan of open source so this has been a major factor for me leaning heavily towards blender. Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for the feedback!
great video. thanks. personally i'd move the hanger further back under the desk, but that's probably because i know i'd walk into it.
Thanks, glad you like the video.
I wish I could move it back a bit. Sadly the desk has a steel frame very close to the edge of the desk. Luckily I rarely walk that direction.
Nice video! How much does topology matter when it comes to 3D printing?
Thanks, glad you like the video. Topology for 3D printing matters very little. Honestly someone could have some of the worst topology possible and as long and there's no manifold or other major issues the file will still print.
@@zerodotcmdfor real?! Holy. I guess that makes sense now that I think more about it, topology is meant for good shading and easier UV mapping for texturing- of which are only seen IN Blender, not the real world (as a 3d print). I should’ve thought of that sooner since I have 5 years of modeling experience, guess you never stop learning- thanks for the confirmation!
@@DisastrousKevin Yeah we definitely never stop learning, or at least we shouldn't 🙂 The only time I can see topology being important in 3D printing it perhaps with multi color prints since rough topology could make face selection very difficult for coloring.
Thanks! These kind of videos make my "Blender/3D printing resistane" weaker and weaker ;) I'd love to learn it enough to use on a daily basis (and finally drop F360) - so please don't stop making them. And I agree with one of the comments - maybe lower a bit the resolution or capture smaller window - just for ergonomics.
Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad you found the video helpful. I will look into some options to make the workspace more easily viewable for people in the next video as this will most likely turn into a series. ☺️
Just make the switch. Take a lump or two, but you'll be at it in no time!
As a professional CAD user, and new Blender user I understand advantages of CAD. But I find Blender freeing and a joy to use. It's easy to make parts look good. You can have a library of boolean assets if it is something you use often.
Agreed and I feel like Blender opens people up to more creativity. It's a whole different workflow.
definitely check out the "measure it" add-on, its a game changer for modeling for 3d printing
I've used measure it quite a bit actually :)
@@zerodotcmd any chance you could do a video on how to use "measure it" I would love to know how to get the measurement labels closer to the measurement, they end up miles off. Thanks
@@creativecityis Yes I will be doing more videos on Blender very soon. Including various tools over time.
Good one, well done. Blender is so good.
Thanks! I've really enjoyed being able to use Blender through the years. It's been fun to be able to make a video about it!
Holy crap yes this is exactly what I needed
Awesome! Sometimes TH-cam knows 🙂
Great video. Question, Is the object solid, or hollow inside, and if hollow, does one need to specify the inner thickness of the “walls”?
As long as an object is fully "faced," it doesn't matter if it's "hollow" or not. When a file is exported for 3D printing, it relies on the model's faces to define its geometry. For example, if you take a cube with 6 faces, these faces will translate into the exterior walls of the print. However, if you delete one of these faces, leaving the cube non-manifold, its geometry becomes open and incomplete.
You do not need to solidify objects, as long as all the walls are connected and the surfaces are facing correctly outward. The key is ensuring that the object has a fully enclosed, consistent surface without holes or inverted normals.
There are other definitions and use cases for "non-manifold," but that's a separate topic. The main point here is that in 3D modeling, surfaces or faces have only one physical side. If you have a single plane surface, it will only have one physical "face," and the reverse side will be nonexistent in the printed model. This means that for a 3D object to be printable, it must be fully enclosed or "physical" with no holes.
I know this concept can be tricky to explain in text, so I'll be creating a video on it very soon.
@@zerodotcmdthis makes a lot of sense ! Obviously, the consequence is having open geometry is that the object is not “whole” anymore, which would make it non-printable.
At least that’s what I understood from your description.
Great Tutorial. I love it. Thanks to you I can now use Blender more confidently for 3D printing.
@14:20 you do a scale operation. I do not know if it will be useful but you only used s to scale. This works in orthographic view but in 3d view you have issues. You can use (in you case you were using the ZX plane and looking down on to Y axis) S + Shift Y. this will enable scaling only in X and Z axis.
I run Loop Tools, Bool Tools and Node Wrangler as default free addons and MachineTools from Paid addons.
Looking forward to seeing you break the 1000 sub mark.
Awesome, I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Thanks for the feedback@15:57 I briefly go over scaling on axis, its a great addition to the scaling tool.
Loop Tools is insanely powerful. Both Bool Tools and Node Wrangler are great options as well. I try to keep my plugins extremely limited but I will most likely go over a few tools like this in the future!
Thanks, it will be exciting to hit 1k. This should happen really soon. ☺️
✅ Excellent Video Thanks!
…been trying to learn this stuff to teach my kid. I just bought a Creality K1C, I heard it was a bad printer but it looks like you’re doing well with it. ✅
Thanks glad you found the video helpful. Almost all available printers have issues right now, were just not quite their yet. But most these issues are solvable with some tweaks.
Exactly what I want😊
Thanks! I'm glad you liked the video and that you found what you were looking for! 😊
excellent video cheers
Thanks!
When I extend my edges...it always leaves a second line...the rear of the box line still there that I also have to extend out or else the box is lobsided?
It's hard to really tell without being able to see exactly what your having trouble with. If you are trying to adjust or extend the edge of a cube per say, you need to make sure you grab all 4 edges. when grabbing from the side view its easy to only select two edges. sometimes you have to rotate to make sure you grab all 4.
@@zerodotcmd Will just take some getting use to coming from Fusion but I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
What are the settings for imperial units? I set up to inches, now what about the unit scale? Should that be something like 1/64th (0.015625)? What about the view scale? You told us what to set theses values to for metric but never explained what it actually does.
Honestly I wouldn't know I have never attempted to model in Imperial since everything with 3D printing and design is normally done in metric. The values set the scale to be correct with real world values as blender units are relative and not exact.
Thanks ❤
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thank so much !
You're welcome!
i'm only 5 min in so far - fcking hell thanks for the new default walk thru
No problem! Happy to help.
Blender is a fantastic program, BUT it's not really a replacement for parametric CAD. The issue is that any modifications to a polygon model are destructive, making it harder to make certain modifications later. For example, the hole you punched through the curved surface; if it needed to be moved, you'd have to basically go back and remodel, because you'd applied the boolean, so you can't just "move" the hole without distorting the overall shape. In a parametric CAD app, you'd just change the parameter for the placement of the hole and everything would recompute. So, if you know Blender well, I can see why you'd just want to continue using it rather than learn a new app. But for precision parts that may need iterative design, you're not going to beat a parametric CAD app with an editable history stack.
@@flygarfpv3496 Its not a replacement for parametric this is true. They both have their place in design for 3D printing. Blender is a more "Physical" type work flow. While parametric CAD is more mathematic and drafted workflow and takes a different approach for "modeling". The issues you point out with a boolean cut are one downside of programs like Blender. However keep in mind that CAD also has many downfalls depending on workflow and application. With both methods of design there are ways to solve most issues, even the boolean and modifier issue. One of these solutions is something as simple as non applied modifiers, which I use quite often but felt didn't match the level of this video. If you want to design a simple mechanical part maybe CAD is the way for some users. But if your wanting to make an electronics enclosure in the shape of a dog riding a cloud through space then most of the time Blender would be a better choice. This is why I think Blender is so popular in the 3D design space for printing. The bounds of what people are creating has opened so wide that the options in CAD simply have not kept up. Blender isn't perfect by far, but it is however incredibly powerful and able to achieve amazing results for 3D printing.
Blender has a certain way of doing things. I think the greatest miss is the beveling. When I work with bevels I just want to be in Solidworks or Fusion360 and get it over with...
In blender you need to work in non destructive mode. meaning you should not apply a modifier until you are absolutely sure about it.
I have been using cad software since the 80s and one must accept the fact that Blender is not a cad software. It is a modeling suite. There are some amazing addons for blender to get it to next level. one such addon is CAD Sketcher. It is in its infancy but it will get there if it has the support.
Your right, blender isn't a replacement for CAD. But it is a great substitute, especially for hobbyists that can't afford or justify expensive CAD apps.
As for blender being destructive modelling this is only partially true. The whole point of modifiers is to facilitate non-destructive work flows. The way zero used the Boolean modifier was incorrect. They should not have been applied. There is a check box to apply the modifiers in the export window so any modifiers will be applied to the exported file while leaving them un-applied in blender.
Sometimes you need to apply modifiers to progress with the design of the part in which case you can duplicate the part and apply the modifiers so you still have a copy of the original part. There are ways around everything in blender and is why a person has to develop their own workflow based on their use case and tools they use.
Granted, blender isn't as time efficient as a parametric a modeling tool but the ability to import any STL and modify it directly often saves quite a lot of time.
But as a maker I see blender as a tool in a bag of tools. Depending on the use case it has its strengths and it's weaknesses, same as CAD. Use the tool that better suits the job.
@ashleywhitehead3710 You are correct; the way I applied the modifiers isn't exactly the best approach. I made this decision for two main reasons. First, I wanted this to be a more entry-level video for Blender. If a user isn't familiar with how a boolean affects an object in Blender, there is a high risk that, upon export, they may encounter issues without understanding the cause. Early on, it may be good practice for newer users to understand how modifiers interact with objects when applied.
Personally, I have a folder where I store all my cuts-these objects are hidden, and I can work as if the modifiers are applied. This is the proper way it should be done.
The second reason I decided to apply the modifiers is for compatibility. Some older hardware doesn’t handle multiple real-time modifiers very well, and I didn’t want to limit users with older machines. In future videos, I plan to go a bit deeper with a few other options.
@zerodotcmd I understand. I figured you implemented the modifiers in the way you did for the reason you stated. I wasn't having a go at you at all, merely explaining to the other comment that blender is capable of non destructive hard surface modeling.
I also created a separate collection to keep the cutter geometry so I can hide them easily and it also stops any parented geometry from stacking and getting lost.
Great vid! Been using blender a couple years now. The part about the models clipping while zoomed out was something I had issues with and now know how to fix. So thanx for that!
Hey, I'm on the latest version of Blender (4.3.2) and it doesn't allow you to set the clip end to anything higher than 10,000. If I set it manually to 100,000, it glitches the grid. How did you set your clip end to 100,000?
Technically, it doesn't need to be set to 100,000. I set it to this value to easily cover my view's clipping. I would recommend setting it to the highest value allowed before glitches occur. I will need to double-check what is going on in the most recent version of Blender.
When I did the units settings I lost my grid
When you change unit's often the grid will go away until you change the view section to account for the change in units. This is covered in the video.
I have a 3D Model in Blender which i cant convert from faces to solids :-( can you help me?🙏
Hop into the discord and I'll see what I can do!
discord.gg/gUmQH5vu
@@zerodotcmd i just did 🙂
Blender user since v2.42. (... trueSpace user before that.)
How do you ( ZeroDotCMD ) use Blender effectively without a number-jack on your keyboard?
Keyboard Layers ☺️I hate Cap's Lock so its my layers key. I have a NumPad one that layer.
Hey, would you like to try my measure addon for 3d printing?:)
100% re Blender and 3D Printing!
Thanks for the comment!
Was doing good until you hit that "presences" and went to get extensions. Nothing on my Blender here mmm...a lot of your items are not shown and I'm up to date with Blender so....don't know.
I'm sorry that's not good. are you using Blender 4.2.3? Previously this section was part of the addon's section. the most recent version has moved it to Extensions.
Thanks, I'll check for the update. I have been trying to use Blender for years to 3d print and just can't seem to deal with it.
I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS EXACT KIND OF VIDEO AND ALL WAS GETTING WAS HOW TO MAKE DONUTS...MAN... I DON'T NEED COLOURFUL DONUTS ..I NEED PRECISION.
Yeah we don't need any donuts! Glad you found this helpful!
It seams to be like petting cat by the hammer.. too much effort to use Blender as precision tool.. 1500 steps to make Blender usable to such work, and than it still isnt good, sr but people have right Blender is not to make precision draw better invest time in right tool
Its 6 settings that takes less than a minute to setup for the workspace and these setting only need to be set once. But I'm more of a dog person after all so maybe your right.
@zerodotcmd yes but using this program to parametric isnot intuitive when I look what you do I would do this 3 times on FreeCAD xD
@@GLight_8D I'm glad you enjoy CAD but make no mistake about it both CAD and blender have their limitations depending on the application. The simple fact is 3D printing isn't CNC and there are a lot of things done in 3D printing that CAD simply isn't capable of. Take for instance advanced organics. Blender excelled in this area while Programs like FreeCad fail. I never once told anyone not to use CAD. This video is about helping people who want to use blender. You may be able to do something in CAD that Blender cannot, but trust me there is a lot more that can be done in Blender that cannot be done in CAD. If your happy in CAD that's great. Let others make their own their own choices for themselves.
@@zerodotcmd Plasticity is answear on that case.. Blender is big no for begginers, and even if you know Blender very good it is still full of bugs and limitations.. there is no perfect program but Blender is not even close to be even ok for this purpose...
@@GLight_8D that's interesting since thousands of people design both very precise and insanely detailed works in blender. The fact is not everyone's going to agree with you, this is evident by the amount of designers who work in programs other than CAD let alone the amount who work in Blender. I've worked in Blender for years and happen to know that most people who aren't from a mechanical background all model in Blender. Are all these people not entitled to their chosen method? If you don't think blender is a good option then I recommend you turn on a camera and spend the time articulating these points, after that spend hours editing and upload the content. Never know. Might find a few people who agree with you. But it won't be me.
like almost every tutorial on youtube this is useless because your monitor is too big compared to my laptop so everything is too small to see anything you are doing
@@flat-earther I'm sorry that sucks. 4K is pretty much the standard now.
For demo purposes you could increase the Interface Resolution Scale.
@@Testzugang2 This is most likely what I'll do
Isn't Fusion 360 better overall for all kind of modeling for 3d printing?
Fusion does a great job with many things. Neither is exactly better than the other. It's all about the user and perspective, what works best for one person doesn’t always work best for another. Another thing to consider is the licensing for Fusion compared to Blender. Blender, being free and open-source, is a huge draw for a lot of people. Add to that the fact that Blender can run on Linux, and it begins to look like the obvious winner for many users.