1,000 Followers – Thank YouRecently I passed 1,000 followers on MakerWorld. So first of all, a big thank you to each and every one of you. 🎉To give something back, I thought I’d share a bit of behind the scenes from my current photography setup, along with some thoughts on what to do and what to avoid.A “Studio” Built on Limited TimeI am a father of two young kids. The little “off time” I have, I spend creating 3D models and taking photos. Needless to say, I do not have a dedicated space for either. My only printer, a P2S, sits in the basement.So I needed a setup that is quick to set up and just as quick to tear down. The need for speed mostly comes from the very narrow window between the kids falling asleep and me spontaneously falling unconscious due to prolonged sleep deprivation. A very reliable daily routine. Think I'm joking…well on todays photo session I had an assistant:I have to have a word with his superior though because he kept snoozing away on the job. Why I Don’t Use a Light TentI decided against using a photography tent. I do have one, but I don’t use it anymore. It is too tedious to set up and, once it is up, not flexible enough for the shots I want. Back in the days I used my tent mainly for photographing rocket models for Etsy. The sterile environment of a tent was perfect for that. Sterile as long as no cat comes along that is…   The most common print volume is 256 × 256 × 256 mm. I do not design models that fill that space, and I don’t plan to, but it is the general upper limit. My dual charger Bonsai planter comes in just under 250 mm, which already pushes smaller setups to their limits.So I wanted something that could comfortably handle larger models. I ended up with a simple backdrop setup. Two 60 × 60 cm boards and a set of interchangeable sheets. The boards are double sided with textures like wood and brick. The sheets range from marble and concrete to plain colors.This gives me a lot of flexibility, both for the background and for the “floor” the model stands on.For the Bonsai, I used a dark wooden base with a light concrete background. Why yes, that is a pack of lasagna sheets I propped up my shades on. Thanks for asking.Separating the Model from the BackgroundAs a rule of thumb, you want to separate your model from the background. No distracting elements intersecting with it.Contrast helps a lot. A dark model in front of a dark background loses detail, and the other way around.You can also blur the background. This can be done with expensive lenses or with pretty much any modern smartphone using portrait mode. Honestly, phones have become so good that you can get excellent results with just a phone and some decent lighting.A much simpler trick is distance. Do not place your model directly against a wall or backdrop.Give it space.If possible, place it near the edge of a table and shoot slightly into the room instead of straight at a wall. This creates natural depth. The background falls away, becomes softer, and looks less staged. It also separates your model nicely without needing expensive gear.That said, I enjoy photography and make consistently questionable financial decisions. Ask my wife. So I use a proper camera setup: Sony A7V with a 24–70 mm f2.8 GM II and a 90 mm macro.Be informed though, the next photo of my camera was taken with my phone. Which feels a bit disrespectful. Light. Probably the Most Important ThingLight is everything. The more control you have, the more flexibility you get.I use two LED panels for fill light and a small spotlight for more creative use. The panels are simple 12 W LED lights with adjustable color temperature and built-in batteries. Nothing fancy, but they do the job.One light sits in the front, slightly to the left or right. The other sits on the opposite side, a bit lower and closer to the model. This gives even light from the front while the side light adds some contrast along edges.You can get very similar results by placing your model next to a window.If you include lamps or other light sources in your shot, dim them. Otherwise you will need a lot of light from the front to balance things out. Without that, your camera will darken the whole image and question your life choices.Adding Depth With LightFor the spotlight, I use a small handheld LED with interchangeable pattern plates. These cast distinct shadows when placed in front of the light.They mimic things like sunlight coming through window blinds. It is an easy way to add some subtle detail in the background and create lines that lead the eye toward the model. . Props and My Very Unfortunate Relationship with PlantsFor background decoration, I try to match the theme. If it is something you would place in a living room, like a charger, I might add some greenery.That said, I have what you could call a very brown thumb. I am not even sure if that is a real saying, but it should be. Plants tend to die when I enter the room, sometimes out of principle.So all of mine are fake. Thanks, IKEA. On AI, Renders, and Other Things That Bother Me SlightlyI don’t use AI for my images. At least that is what I would like to say.The amount of AI-generated content in both models and photos is impressive, but also a bit discouraging. Some of the most popular model pages are filled with it and still collect hundreds or thousands of likes.I am also not a big fan of renders. As a user, I want to see an actual printed object from a real printer like mine.So why can’t I say I don’t use AI?Because sometimes my setup ends a few centimeters too early and I get things in the frame that I don’t want. Wallpaper. Random household items. Diapers. Did I mention the whole setup sits on a baby changing station?  In those cases, I sometimes use AI to extend the edges of an image. But only to expand what is already there. Never to generate content that does not exist in real life.  Final ImageLooking good? I think I like it. However on the landscape shot I missed focus, forgot to close the aperture and ended up with a blurry photo. I didn't check the images before tearing down the setup, sleep deprivation is no joke. Oh well, time to set it up again tomorrow…🤡 Feel free to ask for more details or advice. I will do my best to answer. Best Adrian

I've run into many people who are interested in getting started in 3D printing and making things. However, they're mystified on how to go about it. "Where do I find things to print?" "Can I make my own things?" "If I find something, how does the printer print it?" The article below is intended to give a practical starting point and road map for folks interested.  There are four basic steps to take an idea and make it real. Let's talk about each step.  Step 1 - Design: When someone has an idea or concept, he or she will use specialized software to design the item. Applications generally fall into two categories: CAD, which tends to be used more for technical or practical designs. Some examples of CAD programs are: Fusion 360TinkerCadSlic3r Shaper3DOthers Sculpting, which tends to be used more for creative and artistic designs.  Some examples of Sculpting and Artistic programs: BlenderNomad SculptOthers.    Step 2: Model Creation:Usually built into most of the design software, this converts the design to a 3D model in a standard format. There are a couple of universal data formats:STL Files: this is an older format which converts the design into a mesh of triangles that create the shape. It’s strictly a shape format; there is no color, texture or other information in the file. It’s among the oldest standards but among the most universally understood.OBJ files: Less universal. It can contain color and texture information.3MF files: Now the predominant file format. It includes color and texture, but also printer information, including settings, material, and even detailed printing setup such as positioning the pieces, supporting multiple plates and much more.         Step 3 - Slicing:The model above is described in 3D space. However, like building a home, a 3D printer builds from the bottom up.  To do that, there is slicing software, sometimes referred to as a slicer. This software takes the 3D model and creates horizontal slices, or layers.Each layer contains instructions for the printer: where to move, where to extrude plastic, and in what order. It does this for each successive layer, from bottom to top. The software also creates setup instructions, such as how hot to heat the nozzle, how hot to heat the printing bed, when to turn on fans, what rate to extrude the plastic, etc. Finally the software can either save the file or send it directly to the printer.  Most of the software used is free. Common applications used are:Orca Slicer: this is among the most popular slicers. It’s not focused on a particular brand of printers, so it tends to be universal. Other slicers can be very similar because they may be based on Orca. Bambu Slicer: this can be used with any printer, though it focuses on Bambu’s line of printers.Most printer manufacturers offer their version of a slicer. Most are some variant of Orca.Cura: This was the dominant title for many years, but is used less as other slicers surpass it.  Step 4: Printing:The printer takes the file from a slicer and executes the instructions to create the physical file on the printer. The file can be sent to the printer using a flash drive, but with current printers it's much more common to send the file using WiFi. When the printer is done, you have a physical model!  I had thought of making this a video. What do you think? Would it be easier to understand as an article or a video? Enjoy.

This post is to de-mystify the basic operation of 3D printers for for those just getting started. The diagram below presents a functional exploded view of the filament path: The filament goes into the extruder, which has toothed gears to push the filament forward into the heat break.The heat break has a hot side and a cool side. The cool side of the heat break is embedded into the heat sink. A fan blows across the fins of the heat sink to help keep it cool.The hot side of the heat break goes into the heating block.The hot part of the heat break meets up with the nozzle, fitting tightly against it. This is where the filament is melted and pushed through the nozzle.In a setup where the extruder is mounted on the frame of the printer (known as a Bowden setup), there is a lot more distance between the extruder and the heat break (shown below). In order for it to work, the filament is fed through a PTFE ("Teflon") tube. It's like pushing water uphill: without a hose, it will never happen. However, the hose directs the water, making it possible. The problem with a Bowden setup is that there is elasticity and play in the filament and the tube, making it much harder to manage the filament precisely.  By contrast, with a direct drive setup there is almost no distance between the extruder and heat break, eliminating almost all of the play found in the Bowden setup. This allows a potential better print quality. This has a practical application for me: I'm upgrading an older printer I have from a Bowden setup to a direct drive in order to improve print quality. I hope this helps folks understand the basics.

I tested this with my H2D previously. Using precision wall+arachne, without hole/contour compensation enabled. My machine has been calibrated with vision encoder. I tested this previously on my H2D to better understand where dimensional accuracy limits in FDM printing actually come from, using precision wall with the Arachne wall generator enabled and with hole and contour compensation completely disabled.  Positional accuracy and repeatability:The machine itself was calibrated using a vision encoder, so positional accuracy and repeatability of the motion system should not be a limiting factor.  Filament:I’m printing in Bambu PLA Basic, and since no hole/contour compensation is enabled, the slicer is not applying any intentional dimensional offset. I intentionally didn't calibrate the filament because in most common cases, it's not the main factor of tolerance issues.Testing proper method:I printed test parts with nominal hole diameters of 2 mm, 3 mm, and 4 mm, and measured them using a Mitutoyo caliper.  The measured diameters were:1.85 mm for the 2 mm hole, 2.88–2.90 mm approx. for the 3 mm hole, 3.93 mm for the 4 mm hole.  Does this make sense? I think it does. A systematic dimensional error on the order of ~0.1 mm for internal circular features is well within expectations for FDM and already below one quarter of the configured extrusion line width. This error is not caused by poor calibration or lack of machine precision, but by the effective geometric resolution of the extrusion process and how slicers approximate curved features using discrete toolpaths. However, this tiny error in most cases shouldn't cause tolerance issues. Testing problematci / classic method:To reproduce the scenario that users most commonly report as “inaccurate holes,” I repeated the same test using the Classic wall generator, again without precision wall and without any compensation enabled. In this case, the measured diameters were:1.6 mm for the 2 mm hole, 2.67 mm for the 3 mm hole, 3.7 mm for the 4 mm hole.  The resulting 0.3–0.4 mm diameter deviation is again expected and corresponds closely to one to two times the half-line width being effectively consumed by inward perimeter placement.  Conclusion: This comparison clearly shows that slicing strategy dominates dimensional accuracy for internal features, while machine precision mainly determines consistency and repeatability. You simply cannot expect a 0.4 mm nozzle to deliver sub-0.1 mm dimensional accuracy or tolerance in an FDM process, because that exceeds the physical resolution of material extrusion. Circular holes merely expose this limitation more clearly than most other geometries, which is why they are often used as a proxy for accuracy even though they are among the most demanding features to print accurately.

This is a tutorial on how to transfer a filament spool from a cardboard spool to a Bambu Labs Reusable Spool.  Step 1:Get spool Step 2:On Bambu spools it has a index notch for their filament I clip it off with a pair of snips (you can also use that index notch if you cut a notch in in the cardboard core of your filament.).Step 3:Peal off one side of your cardboard spool and the inner circle coreStep 4:Put the parted half of the spool holder on (should slip right on).Step 5:Flip it over and move over the filament end to the new spool side for safe storage while you peal off the other half of the cardboard spool.Step 6:Sometimes depending on the filament brand the inner cardboard cord can be loose on the center so just shim it with something like a piece of filament/cardboard so it doesn't slide around the middle of the spool.Step 7:Grab the other end of the reusable spool and lock it closes and now you should have a plastic spool ready to go!

I’ve had someone ask how to go about changing the numbers on my Titleist Pro V1 Golf Coasters to a custom number as part of a Christmas gift. It sounded like a great gift idea, so I thought I’d make a quick guide for adding custom numbers to the coaster in Bambu Studio. You can also use this guide with the blank coaster design to add custom names or logos for the coasters. This will work for both the coaster with the Titleist logo https://makerworld.com/en/models/865632-titleist-pro-v1-golf-ball-coaster-set#profileId-816816 And the blank coaster, if you want to add a custom logo or name https://makerworld.com/en/models/865636-golf-ball-coaster#profileId-816823 Start by opening the Titleist No Number print profile, or the blank coaster print profile.  Add a Text Shape, set the text to the number you want, change the font to your preference (Calibri Italicized looks pretty similar to the numbers on the real golf balls), change the size to 16mm, and the Thickness to 3.6mm. Don’t try to manually move it to the right spot yet, just hit Enter when you’re done.  Select the text part in the object list, then select the Position tool and grad the Y axis down to the correct position.  Select the Text object and the Golf Coaster object in the object list, right click and Merge them.  The Text is now part of the full assembly, select the Text again in the object list, create a copy of the Text using Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V, rename the original Text part to Text_bottom and change the filament color to match the golf ball. Change the name of the copied part to Text_top.  Move the Text_bottom part to the top of the assembly list, so it doesn’t override any of the ball geometry.  Select Text_top, select the scale tool, uncheck uniform scale, and change the Z size to .4mm  Then select the position tool, change the coordinates to World coordinates, and set the Z position to 3.60mm  Finally, change the color of Text_top to your preferred filament color, and move the purge tower if adding colors has put it outside the bounds of the print table, and you’re done!   It will look like it overlaps with the golf ball geometry in a weird way, but because the Text_top part is the last part in the assembly it will have priority, so when you slice the model, it should look correct. If the Slice view still looks wrong due, select the Text_top part, select the position tool, change the coordinates to world coordinates, and type 3.605 in the Z position, that should bring it above the ball geometry without actually adding additional print layers.  If you’re using the blank coaster and want to add custom text or logo, follow the same steps, just change the size and position, but make sure the Z size for the bottom part is 3.6, and the Z size for the top part is .4 and starts at Z position 3.6. Make sure both the bottom parts are first in the Assembly list or it will mess up the logo on the bottom of the coaster. Note that for this example I did need to change the Z position of both text_top parts to 3.605 because the Bambu slicer wasn’t correctly prioritizing the text parts. Here is what an example looks like in the Object view:  And correctly sliced:  I hope this helps! Feel free to message me if anything in this guide is confusing, or you need any further help customizing your model!