3D Printing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 15

Identifying Software and Calibrating Your 3D Printer

IN THIS CHAPTER

Locating 3D design software and models

Preparing, slicing, and selecting settings for models

Calibrating your 3D-printing machine

Creating your first 3D-printed objects

This chapter covers the final phase of RepRap machine setup: processing and calibrating 3D models. In this chapter, we discuss the best ways to print models, and look at various sources of 3D models and common 3D-modeling packages. We go into detail about on preparing the model files and producing output G-code (with Slic3r) that you can use with your RepRap 3D printer. Before getting into the nuances of printing parts, we show you how to make sure that your machine is calibrated and ready to print your first object. Finally, we look at some common types of 3D objects and how to use specific settings to achieve the best 3D-printed results.

Finding 3D Design Software and Models

The entire 3D-printing process starts with a 3D model. In this section, we take a look at some of the steps you need to understand to achieve successful 3D printing ...