Do you use a MakerBot 3-D printer? Tell me what life is like with a MakerBot or other 3-D printer. What do you make? I ask because they are selling them at Home Depot.
I sure as heck WANT one! I guess I’ll wait for prices to drop. Heck, I just bought a microwave oven for $75. Why are 3D printers costing 20 and 30 times as much? Why can’t somebody market a cheapie home hobbyists’ model?
Also… What’s the programming language like? How easy to use is the CAD interface to describe objects? How do you do “sculpture” here? Say I want to make a cameo with the profile of Westbrook Pegler. I can draw one using “Paint.” What does it take to three-dimensionalize it?
I’ve been screwing around with one at the local Hackerspace.It’s a great spot to get through the learning curve and see what all the issues are. I design the thing in Sketchup (I have a full licensed version) and then use a slicer program to slice up the thing. Then there’s a web based app that drives the Makerbot. I cannot even remember what these apps are and will just repeat the process the next time I try it.
You can use the free version of Sketchup to build the model. The learning curve was pretty steep for me, but YMMV. The other thing is that there are varying qualities of plastic feed stock and people at the Hackerspace can give you some guidance on the issue.
Also, at ny local Hackerspace, we have 3 different types of 3D printers, so you can play around with all of them and see what the deal is. There is quite often an introductory demonstration for free so you can get a read on how each works.