3D Printed Nomad Space Probe

In my "Laser Cut Cardboard Nomad Space Probe" instructable, I showed how I used Autodesk Inventor to design a replica of the Nomad space probe from the Star Trek episode "The Changeling" and how to make a 3D model using 123D Make and laser cut cardboard.  That model was fun to make and is a great decoration but it's rather large.  I decided to try my hand at using a 3D printer to make a couple of smaller plastic models of Nomad.  It was straightforward and the results were pretty good.  This instructable describes the process.

The first photo shows the large (4.75") model, the second photo shows the small (2.75") model, and the third shows them together.

I made this at TechShop.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

To make the Nomad model, I used Autodesk Inventor to do the design (details here). The free open source ReplicatorG software was used to convert the output from Autodesk Inventor into the instructions used by the 3D printer.  The 3D printer I used was a "Replicator" made by MakerBot at TechShop.  The material was 1.75mm/1.8mm width True White ABS Filament.