Your first 3d printer. Design it yourself. Personal Fabrication with SketchUp: A Primer. With all the hullabaloo about Personal Fabrication lately, scads of committed SketchUp modelers are getting very excited about turning their digital models into honest-to-goodness, physical things.
The idea is thrilling, but the process of actually going “from idea to object” can be intimidating. The PF train is just leaving the station, but with a little bit of help, anyone who knows their way around SketchUp can climb aboard. I promise. Getting Started The first thing to realize is that there are basically two types of personal fabrication (at least when it comes to SketchUp.) ShopBotTools CNC Routers. Google SketchUp. SketchUp Overview Google SketchUp is a 3D sketching, modeling, design and photorealistic rendering tool.
For an overview of its capabilities see my American Woodworker post SketchUp Comes To American Woodworker. If you are interested in learning how to use SketchUp I have provided a Beginner's SketchUp Webinar in eight parts, which can be accessed below. That webinar can be followed up with my Intermediate SketchUp Webinar, also below. Google SketchUp 8 Hands-On: Basic and Advanced Exercises (e-book)