Foray into 3D Modeling

Sorry for the rant, but since I pulled out my 3D printers and resumed printing objects, I’ve had the itch to create 3d models of my own. But with the all complex models I’ve printed off Thingiverse, the very idea of creating designs was a little intimidating. Thankfully, I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, so I downloaded Fusion 360 and started experimenting with the software. While the bits were streaming to my machine, my CR-10S was hard at work printing TAK game pieces. For those who don’t know, TAK is a game that first appeared in Patrick Rothfuss’s book The Wise Man’s Fear

TAK Hexagon Pieces

TAK Rounds Pieces

Despite having a freshly printed set of stumps and stones, I wanted to design my own pieces. With that desire coursing through me, I fired up the freshly installed Fusion 360 and started poking through the software. Despite never using 3D modeling software before and the daunting nature of its interface, my desire to create a set of TAK pieces drove me to poke through the software. After a lot of trial and error and delving into the depths of YouTube for tutorials, I eventually stumbled onto two original designs that I’m eager to print, when I can find the time to get them loaded into one of my printers.

Fresh off a pair of designs I was happy with, I dove into the libraries of some 3D printing YouTubers looking for some inspiration for my next major project. And while I was thumbing through 3D Printing Nerd’s YouTube Channel, I stumbled onto one of his videos where he talked about his maker coin. Having run across other 3D printing YouTubers talk about these coins, I turned to Google to learn more about these prints. One of the top results was a video from Makers’s Muse, where he endeavors to answer a pair of related questions. What is a Maker Coin and should you design one? The video is interesting and worth watching, but it also lit a fire in me to create my maker coin.

Maker Coin Front

When the video finished, I checked its description and clicked the link to Maker’s Muse Fusion 360 Maker Coin tutorial. After watching the tutorial, I wished I’d run across it before I modeled my TAK pieces. I learned a lot of basics and practices that make sense. Honestly, those tips and tricks probably would have made my life simpler while working on my TAK pieces. The best nugget I took from the video, and creating my maker coin, was the power behind Design History. Before this video, I would make new alterations to the model to adjust the previous alteration. After watching this video, I realized that I could alter any step in the model’s Design History, and those alterations would carry throughout all the steps in the history.

Maker Coin Back

Armed with this knowledge, I’m going to revisit the TAK pieces and the other designs I’ve created between the TAK pieces and my Maker Coin. Thankfully, I’m finding a balance with my 3D printing obsession and my writing. Ultimately, I would love to create 3D models lifted right from my stories, though I’m well aware of the practice and patience it will take to get there, and I am excited to get there eventually.