Teaching myself to be a modeller

[Geoff]

A year before I bought my machine I knew modelling was going to be a primary concern, so I picked up Blender (free) http://www.blender.org/

It can look a little daunting if you have never used a modelling program before, but the main point of using blender, besides it being free, is it can import native STL files and you can edit the mesh quite easily. Making things from scratch is very simple, and there are things that you can do that say, tinkercad can't

Tinker cad is great for small things, but it has such a lack of features it will diminish your final output, whereas blender you really can make anything you want. I started with some small youtube tutorials and eventually got into 3d modelling for games, a year practicing that before i got my printer meant I was more than ready to make whatever I wanted when I finally decided to purchase it, and I'm sure glad I did the study because it's made everything so much better. Everyone else I know with a 3d printer is getting me to model their stuff lol

Take a look at my youtube channel, every single mod I made for the game kerbal space program I did in blender, and every single one of them is 3d printable..

https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffroAU

That being said, if you do pick up blender and need some help, give me a hollar. Once you get your head around the important hot keys, you will be zooming around in it in no time.