People often talk to me about 3D printing and are fascinated by the process. To some it seems like only nerds can do it and that is certainly true to some extent! You don’t need to be an expert in computers and CAD to find something to interesting to 3D print.
There are many website around that offer free to download 3D models that you can 3D print yourself or can have us 3D print for you here at Lannix 3D.
An older relative of mine said he reckons 3D printing is just making little plastic knick-knacks but that is far from the truth. We have endeavoured to showcase some of the useful objects that can be produced with 3D printing and aim to introduce to many the advantages of having a 3D printer. We believe in future, having a 3D printer in the home or workshop will be as commonplace as having a computer.
The Lannix logo was designed in house but you don’t have to know CAD to have something to 3D print
Just recently, my dad broke some plastic clips in the back of his car seats which had gone brittle over time. 3D modelling them and printing out replacements was a simple job. Check out some of our other blog posts to see some of the handy parts we’ve made using CAD and 3D printing.
But I digress… Check out the websites below for some FREE STUFF!
Websites with free 3D models
Printables.com is the official 3D model sharing site of Prusa Printers. It seems to have higher quality models than most and is the favourite here at Lannix Design!
MakerBot’s Thingiverse is probably the most popular website for 3D model downloads and is setup for 3D printing. All 3D content is free to download.
MyMiniFactory guarantees the models they have are verified to be 3D printable. Most models are free to download but they have recently expanded to include paid content.
Thangs is a compiler for multiple 3D model websites meaning that it will search most of the sites mentioned and display them on the same page for you. It’s a newer site but there’s already heaps of models free to download.
UltiMaker’s YouMagine is a site that has good quality 3D model downloads but not as many as some of the other sites. All 3D content is free to download.
The Smithsonian Institution has 3D scanned a lot of the display items in their museum. They’re kind enough to offer them up on their website for free download.
GrabCAD is more of a resource for engineers to assist with designing new parts that need to interact with existing real-world parts. The models are free to download and are very handy to have in your design kit.
Websites with 3D models worth paying for!
3D sets have designed the Landrover model that we have produced along with some other RC vehicles. The amount of design work that has gone into creating these vehicles for 3D printing is astounding!
