#3dprintin

Finished the exploded view drawing. Put the assembled version in the CAD system and the 3D printed version for comparison. Next step is to animate it for an assembly video ;)

*For limited time only. 

For a long time, makers and designers have been asking advice for their first 3D printer purchase.

So we have done a temporary partnership with Anycubic and the multiple times featured table top studio Hobgoblin3D to bring you a unique bundle to start your experience with.   The concept is simple: Printer + File ProPack Bundle. 

BUY THE BUNDLE

BUY THE BUNDLE

What's inside the box?

Anycubic i3 Mega FDM 3D printer

Hobgoblin3D Mega Prop Pack

Anycubic i3 Mega Features:

max. print volume: 210mm X 210mm X 205mm

min. layer thickness: 0.05mm

extruder up to 260°C

accepts 1.75mm diameter filament

PLA, ABS, HIPS, Wood 

SD Card, USB port

printer weight: 11kg

works with: Cura with MyMiniFactory inside

Download the product brochure

In the Hobgoblin Mega Prop Pack:

27 Premium STL files.

Includes all of Hobgoblin's Prop Pack: all your 3D printable scenery needs!

See the Prop Pack description here.

BUY THE BUNDLE

How old are you?

I am 21 years old.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Fountain Valley but I spent most of my years in Huntington Beach California. It’s a great place to live and I hope to stick around for as long as I can.

Where did you learn 3D design?

Currently, I have been studying Industrial Design at California State University of Long Beach with about 20 units to go, so this is where I have learned everything I know to this day. Our program is incredibly intensive but if you are willing to tolerate all the sleepless nights, you will be happy to have done so. I wouldn’t be the designer I am today if it weren’t for my school.

In terms of “3D design”, we start by learning how to draw in 3D, or perspective, and then shortly after are taught how to model in 3D using a program called Solidworks.

Which software do you use?

As an Industrial Designer, you need to know a multitude of programs, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Premiere Pro, Sketchbook Pro, and many more but for 3D modeling, we are taught Solidworks, so that’s what I mainly use. I absolutely love it because it is great for making lots of parts and assemblies which is incredibly important for 3D printing.

When did you start designing for 3D printing?

I have always loved creating 3d models on my computer, but it wasn’t until around February of this year that I really started to make models for 3D printing. I actually started uploading things to Thingiverse on which some of my objects got pretty popular, and after seeing a few people print some of my designs, I have been hooked to 3D printing ever since then. Now that I am a studios designer for Myminifactory however, I no longer use Thingiverse.

  Where does your passion for designing and 3D printing come from?

Unlike a lot of people in my Solidworks classes, I actually thoroughly enjoy using the software and making 3D models on my own time, so a lot of my passion just comes from me enjoying what I do. I’m always thinking of new and exciting things to make, so 3D printing just naturally attracted me. That’s part of the reason as to why I believe Industrial Design is the perfect career choice for me.

What’s your biggest project?

So far, I would have to say my biggest project would have to be the Queenbreaker’s Bow that I recently did for a contest. The sheer amount of organic modeling and detail work in that gun was just insane. I also made it to be printed in its separate colors so that you may either print or paint each piece without the need to do masking. That alone takes forever to do, but I figured it would give me the best chance at winning.

Just to give you an idea of how big it is, the gun has over 80 pieces and is about 4ft long… Along with that, I had to make a detailed “Instructable” which took even more time, so this would definitely be my biggest project to date. You can view the project here. You can also view my highly detailed renderings here

Apart from that, the Vex Mythoclast was definitely my 2nd biggest project. It’s actually what really got me started on MyMiniFactory and it also won me the ps4 contest. You can view the Vex here

Is there any project you never managed to design/print?

Thankfully no. There has not been any failed projects to date, and I think it’s because of my desire to constantly challenge myself as well as knowing the software and 3d printing’s limits. Certainly I’ve run into issues within Solidworks, but I’ve always managed to figure out what was wrong and how to fix it. I can only hope that things will remain as time goes on.

What are you working on at the moment?

Right now, I’m back in school and am also trying to find a job (shout out to any companies who are looking to hire), but for 3D printing, I have some cool ideas in store for you guys, so keep tight. I have also recently uploaded a couple new cool designs to MyMiniFactory like the Queenbreaker’s Bow and Batman’s Grenade Launcher from the new movie, but since I do not have a large format 3d printer yet, I cannot actually print either one for myself.

One thing that I would love to do for the future (once I have a large format printer) is to design and print an electric guitar. I’m actually a musician, so that’s definitely something I look forward to doing.

What’s your process for creating a design?

The first thing I do for any design is sit down and write out a list of ideas following a good number of sketches. Generally if the design is an original, I will take my time to develop a good number of sketches until I end with something I am happy with. For things that are not so original like a gun from a videogame, I will go straight into 3d modeling.

Most of my designs on MyMinFactory are from videogames, so what I will usually do is take a bunch of screenshots from the game as well as images from the internet and use those as a reference to model from. Depending on the complexity of the model, it can take anywhere from 1 hour to 100 hours to finish a model, so after finishing those 2 destiny guns, it is definitely going to be nice to make some small things for a while.

When was the first time you saw a 3D printer? Do you remember what went through your head?

I think the first time I was introduced to 3d printing was during one of my classes for school. The project was to make a functional toy with mechanical parts, so I decided to make my own dual action assassin’s creed hidden blade. Up until that point, I had never used 3d printing for any of my projects, so I was compelled to learn more about it after that project was over. You can view my hidden blade design here

This was actually the only time I ever saw a 3d printer in person, but I unfortunately did not get to see it in action.

Do you own a 3D printer? If yes, which one?

Yes I do. Currently I own a Maker Select v2 from Monoprice, and so far it’s been performing very well! It has had its problems however, but thankfully I was able to figure out what was wrong each time something came up. Now I know it’s not the biggest printer out there, but for now, it will be adequate enough for my needs for now.

I have already upgraded the x bearings and plan on doing many more mods, such as the z brace, y bearings upgrade, glass bed, diii cooler (or one similar), and maybe some others.  

I have also backed a printer on Kickstarter by XMachines, but there’s no telling if they will come through or not. I’ve always dreamed of having a large format printer, so if there are any companies out there willing to help me out or work a deal with me, I’m all ears :)

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I would say I get my inspiration from a lot of people, but the ones that really stick out would be Kirby Downey, Jeff Lagant, and Daniel Lilygreen. All of them are amazing designers. It would be pretty awesome to collaborate with one of them in the future :)

In terms of my design style, I would say I get inspired by anything involving videogames or organic forms. I try to implement curvilinear shapes wherever I can in my designs. My hope is that in the near future people will be able to recognize my work when they see it.

Do you use social media to promote your work? What's your relationship with your followers?

Yes actually. I frequently post things to various 3d printing groups and I also I have an Instagram which you can find here: https://www.instagram.com/millersmaddesigns/. I love it when others comment on my things, so I will frequently respond to those who leave positive comments on my work.

I also have a website where you can check out all the work I have done so far here: http://www.millersmaddesigns.com/

If anyone wishes to say hi, or collaborate with me on something just drop me a message on my profile or my website!