What this book covers

Chapter 1, Designing Objects for 3D Printing, gives you a glimpse into the general issues affecting 3D printing and background on what is going on, so you understand why you may have to do things differently to make an object in Blender for 3D printing than you do for animation or the game engine.

Chapter 2, Measuring and Texturing Techniques for 3D Printing, explains how to prepare a file to be used in 3D printing. We will cover using the Ruler/Protractor tool to measure objects and some methods used in texturing the model.

Chapter 3, Making a Blender Model that's Ready to Print, explains how to make models that are watertight, manifold, and will print well.

Chapter 4, Making Strong, Light Objects with the Solidify Modifier, explains how to make an object strong and light using the Solidify modifier and how to clean up the model. You will also learn about doing precision modeling, dealing with overhangs, and finally you will learn how to export the completed file.

Appendix, contains links to good background material on 3D printing, 3D printing services, hobbyist-level 3D printers, industrial-level 3D printers, and Blender objects available on the web.