Six months after having been given a 3D printer as a Christmas present, having not used it even once, I realized I needed something very basic to get me started. I could not keep relying on my teenage son to keep designing everything I needed. This beginner book by Joe Micallef seemed like a reasonable start. Before I continue, I should point out that this is not a book about how 3D printers work or how to build one of your own, nor should you expect that you will be pushing any software tool to its limits. It is a book providing step-by-step instructions on how to use a variety of free software applications to design 3D shapes and to get them printed on a 3D printer.

The first chapter is a brief introduction to 3D printers and provides a variety of examples where designers and artists have created items using 3D printers. The second chapter looks at the design process, covering hand-drawn sketches, extrusion of 2D shapes, meshes, and a variety of online tools and sites that can be used for idea generation and sharing. The chapter ends with a very brief overview of seven design tools that will be covered in the remainder of the book. Chapter 3 provides step-by-step instructions (which include 12 screen captures) to build a box with a lid using Tinkercad. The exact same design is repeated next using OpenSCAD.

Chapter 4 looks at the production pipeline and discusses key aspects of 3D printing, primarily part placement on the printer bed and support generation. Instructions are provided on how to use the Meshmixer application to place the box and lid on the printer bed and generate supports of the overhangs in the lid. Similar steps are repeated using the 3D printing applications Cura, MatterControl, Slic3r, and Netfabb. Chapter 5 covers the various libraries of shapes in Tinkercad with a strong focus on 3D letters. The lessons are made practical through the design of a wall hook, a business card holder, a guitar pick, and a cable holder using letters and a variety of built-in shape generators.

Chapter 6 delves into the challenges of fused deposition modeling 3D printers, such as feature size limits due to filament diameter, dealing with overhangs, and how best to modify designs to reduce failure rates during the printing process. The next chapter provides an introduction to the 123D Design application and the benefits and challenges of solid modeling techniques. As before, creating learning through practice, the author steps through the design of a desktop organizer, textured picture frame, funnel, paper clip, and mini wall shelf. Chapter 8 looks at organic modeling techniques and shows how to perform free-form design using the Sculptris package. The projects for this chapter are a brontosaurus and a humanoid figurine.

Chapter 9 on customization techniques looks at combining shapes and previously developed objects. The learning points cover mesh complexity, combining hard edge and organic models, and the Revolve tool in 123D Design. Chapter 10 takes an interesting side glance at 3D scanning techniques, where the 123D Catch application is used to perform a 3D scan. Chapter 11 adds a bit more complexity to the design process and steps through building a ball and socket joint and gears. The latter forms the basis for an introduction to FreeCAD. In chapter 12, the reader is introduced to the most complex application covered in this book: Blender. The user is shown how to build a chair, a polyhedron frame, and a maze. The book ends with some helpful hints for dealing with 3D printing bureaus.

Overall, I found that the book was longer than it needed to be. However, some readers may appreciate having every single button click and selection detailed. So the verdict on length should incorporate personal preference. I also feel that the book would have benefited from a more detailed review process. There are numerous errors in the dimensions given throughout the text, and the author has a habit of mixing up left and right. Both should have been cleaned up in the review process. Finally, I did find the constant reiteration of the life-changing nature of 3D printing an overdramatization. Despite the above, if you want a quick introduction to a whole host of software tools for 3D printing, then this could be the book for you.

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