The 3D printing community is pretty incredible; there are so many brilliantly creative people out there, all making and sharing stuff. We've been featuring our favourite picks from sites like Thingiverse and Shapeways since the site started, but now we're going to start shining the spotlight on the people behind those creations. In the first Meet the Makers instalment, we caught up with Thingiverse user cerberus333, aka Perry Engel, for a chat about all things 3D printing...
What attracted you to 3D printing and model-making?
I used to make jewellery in the lost-wax casting process, I also owned a small CNC machine. Making models with the CNC machine was not ideal; FDM printing is better for my needs. 3D printing offers faster output in plastic, and it allows some geometries that 3-axis CNC systems cannot make. It allows me to model on the PC, and quickly make a prototype where I can see what needs changing.
What software do you use to design your projects? How did you learn to use it?
I use Sculptris, which I learned from online tutorials. I also use Truespace5; I'm self taught.
Who are your favorite designers and makers?
There are a lot of great designers! Arian Croft (Thingiverse user dutchmogul) is my favourite, but there are many others.
3D printing seems to be becoming increasingly widespread and accessible to more and more people - do you think we'll see more people getting involved as time goes on?
I see it becoming more widespread but i think the current form is far from what it will be in 10-20 years. I think that the tech will become more like photo printing. Most people no longer buy dedicated photo printers; they go to a store with photo printing services. There will be some who own machines for sure, but I think the majority will just use a service.
What's the best thing about 3D printing, from your perspective?
It allows me to be able to make models of things I would not have the time to do manually. Years ago when I did lost-wax casting, I would sometimes spend days working on a single wax model. When I cast the piece, sometimes the casting failed and the wax (and work) were lost. If a 3D print fails, I can just go back to the modeling software and fix the issue. It's like word processing but for sculpture.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to get started with 3D printing, and didn't know where to start?
Look at sites like Thingiverse and Shapeways and see if the end product is what you want to make. I would suggest maybe using Tinkercad as a intro to 3D modeling, and route to printing. It's a good streamlined way to make an STL model. There are many seemingly conflicting things about FDM printing, and it's difficult to explain the intricacies - overhangs, support, infill, shells (aka perimeters) are a few that come to mind.