New to 3D Printing - Suggested Reading & websites

**VRS065** · 01-21-2016, 06:17 PM

Hello all, this is my first post as I am new to the world of 3D Printing.

I have just bought a Lulzbot Taz 5, it should be here in a few days, cant wait

I am an experienced 3D CAD modeller, been a machinery designer for over 30 years, pretty good at using Inventor & general modelling.

I have bought the printer as I want to start up a small hobby online store selling some custom performance car parts that over the years I have come up with. I think a lot of my printing will be in ABS

So being new to the world of 3D printing, can anyone suggest any reading material that I should look at to at least get started?

When i am designing parts, is there anything that can guide me on tips and tricks on things like wall thickness, transitions etc? Are there any good books or sites?

Any suggestions or help most appreciated!!

**Bobby Lin** · 01-21-2016, 06:41 PM

You can always browse articles, how-to guides, video tutorials on the internet. The information is widely available right now and is accessible with ease, so it shouldn't be that difficult to learn how to use a 3d printer. Aside from that, you can always browse books in the library. You need to learn about how 3d printing technology works, and look for online reviews to help you in choosing what 3d printer that fits to your requirements and features. Then you can learn how to 3d design, 3d print, and use 3d printer. Here are some websites you can browse for 3d printing resources:

1. Autodesk’s 123D A comprehensive site with plenty of tutorials, the 123D Gallery contains a nice community of designs and designers. The tutorials are especially useful, so novices should give this site a good runthrough, then stick around to build some of the featured designs.

2. CGTrader Hands down one of the most attractive 3D model design sites online right now, users can both buy and sell their wares on CDTrader’s 3D model store. The site sells original artwork, gadgets and even models for computer animation, giving it a niche advantage over competing sites. Although some categories are not well-stocked, just give it a little time.

3. CubeHero Lots of gadgets and mechanical parts available on this site, and all for free (always a good thing). This site’s only a few months old, but sports a pretty decent collection of design models. The best advantage of the site is its interaction; the discussion groups are lively, and you can even make specific requests for designs to download.

4. Cubify Created to supplement the line of Cube printers, Cubify sells designs, printers, and aggregate material, plus features a marketplace for amateur sellers. Basically the site is one-stop shop for all things 3D modeling, and since its a veteran site in the field, you won’t have to deal with beta problems.

5.Last but not the least, 3dPintBoard is the greatest 3d printing forum to access with latest trends about 3d printing and for your 3d printing help. Hope this helps!