I just started using SketchUp, and I'm using it to design my new dust collection cart for the workshop. It's quite comfortable with designing an entire piece of furniture or even an entire house. It's much-beloved by woodworkers and builders. I use TinkerCAD a lot for my quick-and-dirty Practical 3D Printing projects because it's quick and super-easy to learn. You can certainly use any of these programs to model your design, and then export your model to an STL file, which will then go through a slicer and be translated to G-code. These are tools that let us create graphic representations of shapes, build them up, mold them, trim them, and turn them into digital models.Īlso: Practical 3D prints: A first TinkerCAD project for your 3D printer

Instead, we use 3D modeling tools, or CAD/CAM (for computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing). The thing is, while some diehard 3D modelers will code in G-code, it's almost impossible for mortal humans to design complex 3D models directly in G-code. Codes can move a gantry to a specific X/Y/Z position, can control the heating and cooling of print heads, can instruct the printer to feed out filament, and more. It consists of a relatively large number of numeric codes (many preceded by the letter 'G', hence G-code) that function as commands that tell machines what specific actions they're to take. The G-code we're looking at as a foundation for desktop fabrication goes all the way back to the 1950s and the MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory. Most 3D printers (and subtractive devices like CNC machines) use a programming language called G-code (not to be confused with the 1999 album by rapper Juvenile, the 2005 song by Geto Boys on their The Foundation album, or the album put out in 2008 by Korean rapper Eun Ji Won). Whether you're new to 3D printing or an old hand, ZDNet's 3D Printing Discovery Series will help you understand and get the most out of this amazing, accessible technology.

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