My Workflow for 3D Printing Design

This was requested by a few people and I thought it was a fun idea to talk through my workflow for my 3D print designs.
Jetpack (and other designs) available on the following links:
cults3d.com/en...
www.cgtrader.c...

[@aam50]

I really like the pace and level of detail in your videos - you are getting it spot on. Enough content to make it really informative but not so much that a relative newbie like me is overwhelmed. Thanks!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks so much. It's such a hard thing to get right it's fantastic to know when you're hitting the mark 👍🏻😁

[@kevinm3751]

@@ArtisansofVaul Yea you are definitely hitting the mark, spot on in my opinion!

[@studiozealot]

I don't usually comment on your videos, so I'll take a second to say thank you for all the tutorials! They've really helped me incrementally level up my Blender skills and I so appreciate it! Mostly I wanted to throw you some affirmation about your workflow- it bugs me when people say "you're doing it wrong" just because someone has a different process. I'm somebody who's developed a lot of sketching and drawing skills over the years, but even I approach 3D without a sketch sometimes and I've learned a lot by trying new things and shaking up my workflow, so definitely keep it up!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks so much. Really appreciated 😁👍🏻 I have to say I generally laugh at the "you're doing it wrong" crowd because they don't seem to understand exactly what you're saying. Different workflows work for different approaches and different peoples preferences. Luckily for every "you're wrong and this is right" person there are also people that have some great comments that seem to get this and they have awesome tips and ideas.

[@noliverk]

Would absolutely like to see a longer workflow video where you go through start to finish.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

I'll make sure to record a future project. I'm trying to think of one that will be suitable. I've got a video planned where I'm going to go though the start of a project in more detail (more about the process of setting up a design with the "non-negotiables" which I hope will be interesting in a similar way.

[@azrael7133]

You can save your blend file without all modifiers applied (or at least last one), after saving they all be applied in order. In case test failure, just open blend file and change settings. Thanks for your videos!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Do you mean you can export them into an STL? If so, then yes you can, but I like to apply them so that I can check for any issues before I do the printing.

[@azrael7133]

@@ArtisansofVaul Yes. If each part is manifold - no issues. In slicer you will see issues which are left before printing, but it is the matter of personal workflow.

[@BrailleScale]

Awesome! That made a lot of sense to me. I feel like I have a pretty good conceptual idea of things I want to model in my head, and so then I too will use blender as like a working sketch without actually drawing anything down. I take all my real world measurements of scale objects with a basic digital caliper or I find the 1:1 scale measurements and use a scale calculator to get a rough idea of the millimeters I'm working with. Very helpful to see how you use the non-negotiables to build off of and then apply last as cutouts. Especially if they need adjusting after a few test prints. Looking forward to some longer working-versions of your process if you get a chance

[@ArtisansofVaul]

I use the same. In fact that's and how to use the measurements effectively with Blender is going to be the topic of a video next week. 👍🏻

[@BrailleScale]

@@ArtisansofVaul nice! I am sure I will learn something, even if it's just a little process improvement

[@BB-ti9ic]

I would love to see the printed result on your mini! Great vid as always.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

If you check out my instagram there's already some photos on there (I only finished it over the weekend so hadn't by the time the video was recorded).

[@MartinJamesLittle]

For the thruster part that you accidentally applied the rotation on; you can Align the view port as you did with Shift Num7, then Shift Right click on the face to align the cursor with that face. You can then note the rotation of the cursor down, move the cursor to the origin of the part, re apply the rotation of the cursor that you noted down and move the origin of the part to the cursor. This will only get you the Z axis alignment in your case, but with a cylindrical part the X and Y might not be as important, or you can rotate the part so that the Local and World Z axis align and then do the same procedure on the other axi as needed (and if you have a face to use as a reference). It's a very long-winded explanation, but only takes a minute, and can get you out of a hole if you can't undo to that point.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Good idea. If I needed to do alot on it I normally would move the cursor to the face and use the cursor for transformations and bring objects in on that alignment to speed things up but this could work too. Thanks for the comment.

[@Kurt634]

Thank you for all your vids! Super helpful for 3D printing

[@ArtisansofVaul]

No problem at all. 😁👌

[@Impossible_Emporium]

One of the key points you make is about version control. So you can go back to an older version. An easy way to make that happen can be as follows; To save a new version, use Save As (Control Shift S), then release those keys quickly or it may glitch out and not accept the next bit... NOTE: If there is no number in the filename it will add one to the end, otherwise it will increase the number as shown below, starting from zero. By pressing , it will increase the number by 1. & will increase the number by 10. & will increase the number by 100. NOTE: So to avoid this stuffing up filenames for the JP-17 Jump-pack. I'd suggest add a number ot the end of the filename. Eg JP-17 Jump-pack-0

[@ArtisansofVaul]

That's cool. I didn't know that and did it using Save as and clicking the plus. Once I'm used to this was that's going to save some time!

[@christiandelao2547]

I actually do something similar with not using sketchs, I can't visualize things like at all, so blocking things out can be really difficult and not very helpful, so I start with the peices that feel like they'll be the main section, and start adding in details that'll help me with the rest, like a mechs shoulder and hip joints

[@ArtisansofVaul]

😁 Nixe. I find if really helps with making sure everything "fits" together as well. Good to know I'm not alone 😉

[@christiandelao2547]

@@ArtisansofVaul yeah that's what I was thinking lol

[@lithium534]

Great explanation on your process. I would love a video on tolerances for 3D printing. Specially like parts that need to move in one another like joints or just like that connection piece.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Im going to mention that a little on the video next week (Monday or Friday I think) but only a few comments. The reason for the "only a few comments" is that it totally depends on the printer more than the model. As I say in this video I normally leave a few 10ths of a mm extra, but with my old printer which I didnt have very dialed in and was a bit overexposed Id leave closer to 1/2mm extra clearance. And because of that it also depends on if the part if going on a plastic model or if its attaching to another printed resin piece where that slight increase in size will affect both pieces.

[@davecolwell725]

I'd like to know about how you handle cleaning up mesh for printing, non manifold edge and stuff. As my models get more and more complicated it seems to take me more time to prep the model for printing than it does to build it in the first place. I'm constantly trying to think about the mesh and normals and how things will stick together but it can be a real pain. I'm sure I'm not doing something right.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

I'll have to have a look at doing a video that covered what ai do for cleanup in more detail. I have some bits discussed in this video if it helps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKGzdYt4f86kr6M

[@MCHammer0000]

This is an incredibly informative video! This has helped me figure out a good workflow when transitioning from digital game asset creation to creating models for printing. One question: At the end when you finally union pieces together, how to do you manage and resolve mesh issues as a result of the boolean? I've generally used HardOps to cSharpen and weighted normals to resolve these, but wondering what you do? Keep it up!

[@ArtisansofVaul]

In terms of fixing the mesh issues a combination for machine tools cleanup (the 3 key) and Hard Ops Clean Mesh do wonders. After that it's generally manual work to fix any issues left and then 3D builder for a final check.

[@richardduska1558]

Great videos. But it dose highlight how litle tools I'm using during my modeling process. Like I mainly only use loop cuts and extrude to get the shapes I want.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Thanks a lot. To be fair that with Booleans is probably about 95% of what I do for most projects. There are exceptions to that for some things but generally thats what you need.

[@richardduska1558]

@@ArtisansofVaul I'm realy bad with Boolien sadly. Most of the time I just have several objects intersect. Thankfully it dose not affect my print at all I think. (Unless you want to hollow it).

[@adrianalcomendras6754]

do you have a video of you making a jetpack from scratch from start to finish? I'm working on making one myself but im in a bit of a block and I think following along might help me

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@adrianalcomendras6754 I have one covering different weapons and some other objects (like a Turbine fan) but not for a jetpack im afraid. I should make a playlist for full workflow videos to make them easier to search through/find.

[@adrianalcomendras6754]

@@ArtisansofVaul will you consider making one? it would be nice if its the same as the flame handgun one where you use free addons and specify workarounds for sections where you use paid add. ons

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@adrianalcomendras6754 I'm going to be doing a series on making power armour. That will have a video on a more generic backpack so that should help. They are just taking quite a bit of time to put together.

[@adrianalcomendras6754]

@@ArtisansofVaul oh I'll be on the look out for that

[@kevinm3751]

Thanks a ton for making these tutorials! I wonder if you would and have time can you make a video that shows what Blender features and functionality that does not translate to a 3D print? For example there are some things that work great for the digital world that will not translate and print like using the smoothing tools. I have done a few prints where things I created did not carry through to the printer and I wasted a ton of time and material. I get confused on this issue and I am sure there are others that dont know what they can and cant do in Blender that are a waste of time and wont translate to the printer. Hope that made sense?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Hi Kevin. Yeah that does. To be honest the smooth viewport function you mention is the major one, which is why I always suggest and show using shade flat. I cant think of any other major ones to discuss other than having to check that the geometry is manifold and connected to each other. But I will have a think to see if there are any others worth mentioning to warrent a video as I have covered the objects being manifold in other videos.

[@HrafnNordhri]

Greetings, I've not modeled anything for 3D printing as of yet. I've had requests for 3D printed versions of my lightsabers. Do you have any information on how to get started.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Hi Raven. The main thing thats important is going to make sure everything is joined together in one manifold object (or several manifold objects that can fit together if they are going to be printed in pieces). Have you ever 3D printed anything before?

[@HrafnNordhri]

@@ArtisansofVaul Not a thing :D Do you have a discord? I could show you one or two of my sabers and you can tell me if its viable or craziness?

[@ArtisansofVaul]

@@HrafnNordhri I do have discord or you could message me on instagram. Im going to be honest I have no idea how to add someone on Discord, lols.

[@mordenthex8554]

This is awesome! yes please do a real time video of you working on something. Maybe even have a live real time video. I would love to watch your real time workflow and learn some tips a the same time. :)

[@ArtisansofVaul]

I'll add it to the list for sure.

[@Yoshis_Studio]

Hey man....I love your vids. Question, do you do personal training? DM me pls.

[@ArtisansofVaul]

Random question.... Do you mean for exercise? Not so much, I just walk a lot.

[@bravodium]

@@ArtisansofVaul I'm gonna guess he meant private lessons on blender modeling? Hehe

[@ArtisansofVaul]

LMAO. Obviously it was too early in the morning for me to be replying to comments, thanks for the common sense Bravodium, that was well beyond by ability! I do do private lessons on Blender modeling. I cant DM you on KZbin Yoshi but feel free to find me on Instagram (or Facebook) and messageme there.