How to Use Skectup and 123D Program to Create Your Own 3D Puzzel or Model

How to use Free software and a 3D Printer to re-create some of your favorite things in life.

Step 1: Deciding What You Want to Make

Deciding what to create in a 3-D printer is easy. What are your interest, what do you find cool that you have seen on T.V. or Games, you can even create props form your favorite movies!

Step 2: How to Easily Print Your Idea.

If what you want to print is a popular item or something people have to go out of their way to pay for, chances are that you can make your own free replica of said item, even a working one! Website offer free models already made to size, scale, and functionality. They are easy to get and then import to a 3D Print or Laser Cut!

Step 3: Using Sketchup You Can Also Create Your Own Creation

Just start a new file in sketch-up and have a rough hand drawing ready to base your design off of. After that is done it can be imported into 123-D or Adobe Illustrator to engrave different designs into sheets of metal or wood.

Step 4: Model of Objects.

Some programs allow you to take multiple pictures at different angles of object so instead of designing it yourself you can save time and let the program render it in 3D for you!

Step 5: Finish Your Sketchup

Sketchup has a built in tutorial for creating/editing creations. This will help you get started and finish your design/model. After it is done, move onto the next step to start converting your file into a .stl or .gcode 3D-Print Source.

Step 6: Take Your Design to Aircloud or Put in on a Thumbdrive/SD-Card

Moving the file will require you to add a different extension to it. Most 3D Printers use Geocode or .gcode as a filename. Some laser-cutters handle .jpeg and .pnp well, there may be a preferred for your type so make sure to know ahead of time before converting the file.