Your first step in using a 3D printer will be to create a 3D computer model. You do that by scanning an existing object, downloading a model from the web, or creating a model yourself. In each case, there are a lot of options to choose from. There is more to design than picking a software package, though, and there are design decisions you can make that can simplify the printing process.
This chapter first covers the basic file requirements for a 3D printer. Then it reviews options for scanning and downloading 3D models. Finally, the chapter looks ...
