{"id":166156,"date":"2023-01-23T16:11:54","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T08:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=166156"},"modified":"2023-01-31T17:28:05","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T09:28:05","slug":"blender-for-3d-printing-training-3d-design-course-vs-youtube-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/blender-for-3d-printing-training-3d-design-course-vs-youtube-tutorial","title":{"rendered":"Blender for 3D Printing Training \u2013 3D Design Course vs YouTube Tutorial"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time to learn an advanced 3D design software for 3D printing; let\u2019s try a 4-week Blender course. Why Blender? Because it\u2019s powerful, free, and one of the most popular 3D design tools out there. Blender has been around since the early 90\u2019s. This software may appear hard to handle, with moderate-to-hard difficulty to be able to use it like a PRO. Luckily, there are plenty of Blender training courses and YouTube tutorials.<\/p>\n

In this post, we will talk about a 4-week Blender course by Jayson Wall, a fellow 3D designer who understands better than just about anyone the modeling requirements for desktop 3D printing. In addition, we will explain why this online interactive training course is far more valuable than a random YouTube tutorial. 4-Week Blender for 3D Printing Training Course by Jayson Wall moved to\u00a0Udemy<\/a><\/p>\n

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Blender 2.9 Training Course for 3D Design and 3D Printing (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4-Week Blender Training Introduction<\/h2>\n

It is important to follow Jayson\u2019s tutorial step by step. Students are asked to create models and then use their imaginations to customize them. There are several models to design each week. Both functional and decorative models are thoughtfully chosen to highlight the important aspects of 3D design for 3D printing at home. Jason teaches us to utilize 45-degree angles in order to avoid the support placement and to make a model \u201csolid\u201d and \u201cmanifoldable\u201d (i.e. 3D printable). There are many different aspects to take into account when creating the models. This is where the file management comes in handy. It allows you to return and further customize for different purposes. It might mean adding an extra curve to the vase or a new text to the ring. Here are a few pointers from the 4-week Blender course for beginners.<\/p>\n

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Blender Tutorial \u2013 Design for 3D Printing (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

Blender Training 4-Weeks Tutorial \u2013 What\u2019s included?<\/h2>\n

\u2013 Browser-Based Interactive Platform.<\/strong>\u00a0A well-organized chain of short videos that students have to follow step by step completing all tasks. If you manage to achieve the same results as on the tutor\u2019s screen, mark as completed and move to the next task. If you get stuck at some point, then you can visually compare your Blender view with the tutor\u2019s screen. Jason keeps his tutorial videos up-to-date and reloads them if there were any updated on the software development side.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Discussion tool.<\/strong>\u00a0This is a great tool where it is possible to ask the questions. Write down the exact time when you got stuck. Use Windows Snipping Tool for mini screenshots and copy\/paste them into discussions. The tutor will then have a clear picture of where you got stuck and will be able to act to help you accordingly.
\n\u2013 Cloud.<\/strong>\u00a0Upload your result (a design) onto the cloud. The links are provided. The tutor asks to add a student\u2019s full name to the file name when uploading the model. Further, he checks the models in a slicing software to see if it is 3D printable.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Weekly live meetups.<\/strong>\u00a0At the end of each week, Jayson holds a live Workshop Meetup. He then looks through his students\u2019 files and discusses the possible faults, admires the originality, and gives advice on how the improvements can be implemented. Also, there is an opportunity to meet some active 3D printing community members. These meetups have a very friendly atmosphere.<\/p>\n

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VR Chat Room \u2013 Discussing Freshly Designed Models (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

\u2013 VR Chat Room.<\/strong>\u00a0A VR Chat room is open to join at any time. It is similar to a game world, where instead of the monsters and buildings, there are 3D models, freshly designed by Jayson\u2019s students. Sunday meetups in the VR Chat room are super fun. Students can use funny-looking avatars while walking around in a 3D world. This is great for shy students. Good to note here that it doesn\u2019t require any headsets or super-fast internet, neither a special VR gear, only a laptop. The future is NOW.<\/p>\n

Online Interactive Course vs YouTube Tutorials<\/h2>\n

A year ago, as part of the New Year\u2019s resolution, we learned to 3D sculpt. As a result, we managed to create a beautiful model (Easter Bunny). But it took us so much effort and patience that we dropped the idea of further progress, but kept coming back to the subject multiple times. We had to spend a lot of time on Googling and searching for tips and guidance in connection to that 3D design software, even as simple as for the navigation. And this was unsettling for us, especially when being used to TinkerCAD. Jayson\u2019s Blender training course provided a smooth transition here.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Disruption.<\/strong>\u00a0Advertisement and clickbait thumbnails that come up together with YouTube tutorials will tear your FOCUS to nothing. And procrastination will sit deeper in. In the 3D design tutorial course, it only takes two clicks to get to the subject, with no disruptors.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Updates.<\/strong>\u00a0The interactive course gets updated regularly. You cannot say this about random YouTube tutorials. Any well-edited and to-the-point tutorial may be irrelevant in a few months as the software developers publish a newer version.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Organization.<\/strong>\u00a0Blender has a lot of different tools and functions which any person may forget about. Short videos provided in a course are like a well-organized bookshelf. It is great to have the opportunity to use these recordings as a refresher and to come back for a particular hint or two.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Grinding Game Effect.<\/strong>\u00a0It reminded us of grinding games\u2019 effect. Some time ago, we used to play grinding games like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2. We noticed that on the completion of a quest we felt a so-called Dopamine rush. The same achievement satisfaction comes from completion of the tasks in the course. And no doubt, the biggest satisfaction comes when a freshly designed model is finally 3D printed.<\/p>\n

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3D Printable Models & Customizable Variations<\/h2>\n

During the 4-week course, you learn how to design and to 3D print the models listed below. Simplistic at the first glance, these designs actually teach us how to use all the tools and the mods we may need. Is it a Boolean tool or a Bisect Knife? Edit Mode or Object Mode? Also, Jason encourages us to use the short keys on a keyboard \u2013 which greatly fastens the workflow.<\/p>\n

Blender Course \u2013 Week 1<\/h3>\n

Suzanne in Different Mods \u2013 Low Poly, Smooth, Blocky, Voronoi \u2013 just in a few clicks.
\nCheese Wedge \u2013 a Functional door stopper. Bool tool. It is so easy to be original here, just use different objects for boolean function.<\/p>\n

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Blender Training \u2013 3D Printed Suzanne in Voronoi Style (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blender Course \u2013 Week 2<\/h3>\n

Lithophanes \u2013 An art picture from the past. 3D Printed photo with the stand. How to add pictures and play with settings.
\nPottery \u2013 Customized shapes. Flowerpot with a hole or thin wall vase? It\u2019s up to you. Drawing then thickening the object.
\nRings \u2013 With customizable text \u2013 With a file ready to get back anytime and customize further for friends or even for clients.<\/p>\n

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Blender Tutorial \u2013 3D Printable Ring With Customizable Text (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blender Course \u2013 Week 3<\/h3>\n

Box animal \u2013 Simplistic designs from the box. How to use Extrude and Insect tools. Vertex, Edges, and faces. Adding the eyes.
\nToy Car \u2013 How to design and 3d print a car with functional wheels. Without supports.
\nSlicing Large Models \u2013 Knife, Bisect tool. Complex model cutting, patching the holes.<\/p>\n

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3D Printed With Functional Wheels \u2013 Without Supports (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blender Course \u2013 Week 4<\/h3>\n

Snowman \u2013 3D Sculpting mode. Brushes. Dynamic Topology. Symmetry
\nCell Phone Amp \u2013 Basic design of a phone holder. Measuring and fitting.<\/p>\n