Featured – Lannix Design

New Affiliate Link With Neewer!

Nick — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 21:30:23 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been accepted to Neewer’s affiliate marketing program. I’ve been using Neewer’s camera and videography gear for a while now and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Click any of the images to visit Neewer if you’re in the market for some great value tech. Following my link will earn me a small commission which goes toward creating more interesting and higher production value content for my channel.

Read on below for my testimony on some of the products I’ve used from Neewer.

I recently grabbed some app controlled RGB LEDs which have given me that extra touch of colour while filming. Look out for them in upcoming videos to the channel. The app allows the creation of pre-set scenes with your specific colours, and you are able to control multiple lights at once. Even if you’re not into photography or making videos, the lights can be timed to flash with music to create a party vibe in your house.

The microphone arm kit with pop guard has already allowed me to be more consistent with my voiceovers, reducing the time wasted adjusting the sound mix in the edit. There was also the added bonus of clearing a whole lot of cables off my desk by routing both the mic and headphone cables down the stand and under the desk with the included cable stays.

The Neutral Density lens filter kit I received from Neewer has allowed perfect exposure settings in bright daylight, eliminating overexposure of the sky when shooting video a the optimal shutter speed. As a bonus, they have a magnetic attachment ring, allowing to switch between them quickly, which is super handy when you just need to get filming. I’m very keen to try out the 1000 stop filter on some ultra long exposure photos and go out to the bush for some astral photography and time-lapses.

I have my eye on one of their motorized camera sliders, which I envision will make for more dynamic time-lapses while filming my projects and for some more interesting shots when the time comes to showcase my finished work.

So, if any of this interests you, click any of the images above or the button below to check out Neewer and get yourself some top-notch gear!

See more of our work

Make Your Own Triple 4K Wallpaper In Blender!

Nick — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 21:30:09 +0000

I’ve really been enjoying creating content for YouTube using Blender lately. A few weeks ago I uploaded some wallpapers I made for my triple screen displays so that anyone could enjoy them. Making them inspired the idea to create a tutorial on how to make them yourself so that the viewer could easily play around with the scene and produce whatever they wanted with the free assets provided.

So at last, on Friday the tutorial video was uploaded to YouTube for all to watch and hopefully enjoy. If you watched the video, please let me know what you thought of it. I’m keen to create the best content I can and have limited feedback on what I’ve made so far.

I’m trying to move into more of the DIY style content at this stage but there will still be some CAD and Blender elements to the videos.

Check out the link from our YouTube channel

If you want to follow along with the tutorial, you’ll need to download the free asset pack I made for it. Click the button to go to the download page!

If you ain’t got time for that, click the image above to download a free triple 4K wallpaper I prepared earlier!

Subscribe to our channel to keep up with the shenanigans at Lannix Design!

If you haven’t yet, check out our previous videos where we make the logo in Fusion 360 and then animate the logo in Blender. They’re both great tutorials for beginners in 3D modelling and animation.

See more of our work

It’s Finally Built! – Shed Build – Part 3

Nick — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 21:30:52 +0000

As regular visitors would know, I’ve been super keen to get the backyard shed built so we can finally move on with more renovations. I’m pleased to report that last week that it has finally happened!

This means that I’ve acquired enough footage to make a feature video for our YouTube channel. I’ve put a lot of effort into coming up with a compelling story to keep viewers interested while watching the cool timelapse videos I captured during the six-month build window.

If you watch the video and have some advice for me to make future videos more enjoyable, please let me know in the comments here or on YouTube. I’m aiming to make my videos as entertaining as I can and I’d appreciate your feedback!

Check out the link from our YouTube channel

Short version with just the shed build.

Subscribe to our channel to keep up with the shenanigans at Lannix Design!

See more of our work

Make A Star Wars Inspired Animation In Blender!

Nick — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 21:30:50 +0000

The wildly anticipated follow-up to the logo design video is finally here! If you’re curious about how to make 3D animation videos like they do at Pixar, check out our latest YouTube video that shows the basics of 3D animation. It’s a tutorial aimed at beginners and is paced so that new animators can follow along.

Blender has a steep learning curve but for those who stick with it, it can be very rewarding when you produce a 3D animation that you can be proud of like the one in our video. Check it out if you’re curious about the process!

If you want to follow along with the tutorial, I’ve made a zip file availabel with the logo model

Subscribe to our channel to keep up with the shenanigans at Lannix Design!

Check out the link from our YouTube channel

If you haven’t yet, why not check out the precursor video where we make the logo in Fusion 360. Using the text feature in Fusion is often overlooked in parametric software but it is possible to get some cool results. Watch below!

This is the result of the Blender tutorial which you’ll be able to create for yourself in the video above.

See more of our work

AI Vehicle Camera Mount – Take 2: Part II

Nick — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 21:30:33 +0000

The AI camera frame has been mounted to the Arrayen Suzuki Jimny and we’re all very happy with the result. The guys have sent over some pics for me to share with you and have reported that it is rigid and strong which has inspired confidence in its ability to keep the very expensive 360° camera safe.

There was talk of getting the aluminium frame powder-coated but as we all know, time is money and the camera was needed for a job before that could happen. It would look neat coated black to match the camera and roof-racks but for now the bare aly frame will be durable enough.

The Jimny looks tip top wrapped in the Arrayen company logo and with the camera mounting frame fitted.

The finished camera frame fitted to the Arrayen Jimny.

Thanks to Brett at Koda metal for the top notch fabrication work. Check out his Instagram below. Check out the Arrayen website too. They do some really interesting work with AI using data collected by drone and the vehicle mounted camera you see here.

Gallery - AI Vehicle Camera Mount - Take 2: Part II

See more of our work

Designing Our Logo In Fusion 360

Nick — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 21:30:38 +0000

This week we’ve uploaded a video where you can learn how to use the text function and render a logo in Autodesk Fusion 360. You may find inspiration for your own logo and realize the versatility of using text in 3D modeling.

Stay tuned for the next installment where we export the 3D model to Blender to really amp up the rendering!

Subscribe to our channel to keep up with the shenanigans at Lannix Design!

Check out the link from our YouTube channel

A screenshot of the model after it was exported and tweaked in Blender

See more of our work

Learning Blender For Better Renders

Nick — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 21:30:19 +0000

Coming from a technical background I’ve mostly used parametric 3D modelling software such as Solidworks, Inventor, SolidEdge and Fusion 360. These software packages are great for producing technical drawings based on the 3D models you create from given or acquired parameters. In simpler terms, parametric models start from a two-dimensional sketch and are then extruded to become three dimensional.

Blender is a 3D modelling program that uses meshes that enable a more free form style of modelling. This let’s the user create natural objects such as people, animals and natural landscapes that can look very nice and this style of modelling is used by Disney and others to create movies such as Toy Story, Cars and Finding Nemo.

To round out my 3D modelling skills, I’ve been trying my hand at Blender to create some more visually interesting and artistic renders. Let me tell you, the learning curve is pretty steep when you first start out in Blender especially if your mind is used to parametric modelling. Like everything though, it can be learned and the best way to learn Blender is to do. Also, there’s the Blender Guru who has a great tutorial series that shows you how to model a donut. “A donut?”, I imagine you’re asking. Yes, this series is regarded as the best for Blender noobs and I have to agree that it covers the basic features of the software in enough detail to allow you to create a video that you can be proud of. Check out mine!

The result of the Blender Guru tutorial series.

I dabbled with Blender a few years ago and enjoyed it quite a bit but it became harder and harder to justify the time spent mucking around with it. Since starting Lannix Design I’ve come up with some ideas that require the use of Blender to create the kind of imagery I envisioned. Luckily the models created in Fusion 360 are able to be imported into Blender, combined with other 3D models and rendered using its superior rendering engine. The images in the gallery below have all been produced in Blender by myself.

Another video render. I don’t recall who made the tutorial sorry.

Take a look at the Blender Guru donut tutorial series if you’re keen to have a go yourself. Link here.

The gallery below shows a few of the renders I’ve produced with Blender both for Lannix Design and for fun or practice. Let me know what you think!

Bye

Gallery - Blender Renders

See more of our work

Reusing Empty Filament Spools For Storage

Nick — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 21:30:00 +0000

The idea to reuse empty filament spools as parts storage isn’t new. When I first started 3D printing I recall seeing that people had made curved containers that fit within a spool and thought that was a nifty idea. I’d always thought I’d make one for myself once I had a few empty spools laying around so here we are.

Back in the day I was using Tecor filament that was quite cheap and not bad for the money. The Lannix Design 3D printing cabinet is full of custom made ducting parts that I designed and 3D printed to suit what was needed for filtration and dehumidifying. Long story short, I ended up with many empty spools that were the same size and just begging to be turned into something useful.

Design

I need to be able to visualise my projects before I start to make anything so I have something to reference. All parts of the organiser were modelled in CAD before a tool was picked up so that the end result could be seen and any changes could be made.

The finished assembly, now used to house many tiny screws.

Since the major parts of the project were to be 3D printed, CAD modelling was completely necessary. One of the Tecor filament spools was measured with Vernier calipers for accuracy and 3D modelled which aided in creating parts that would fit around and inside it. I took the time to design a drilling template that would help to accurately install the parts containers when the time came which worked perfectly. I’m a big fan of these drilling templates and I’ve used them in all the projects I’ve done that require drilling.

A carry handle was designed to be 3D printed in the orientation that would produce the strongest part. This necessitated a three-piece assembly that screws to the top of the PVC pipe and includes the top handle (ring), the handle support and a press-fit top cover.

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Building

The build was very straight-forward thanks to the time taken to model all parts and create the previously mentioned drilling templates. If you’d like to make one of these organisers for yourself I’ve outlined parts needed below and created a video guide for assembly that’s been uploaded to YouTube. The 3D models are available for download on Printables.com

Materials

The previously mentioned Tecor filament spools and the obvious 3D printing filament are needed to make the parts organiser. In addition to these, you’ll need a 72mm rotary (lazy Susan) bearing and a length of 60mm PVC pipe whose length will be determined by the number of spools you want to use.

Fasteners required are 8Gx20mm and 4Gx12mm timber screws. A small pack of each will be enough for the task.

The 3D models were printed with extra perimeters for strength and at a slower speed to give the best finish. Click the Printables logo below to download the models for 3D printing.

3D models are available for download on Printables.com.

Tools

Only basic tools are required including a drilling machine of some sort, a 3mm drill bit, a Philips screwdriver and something to cut your PVC pipe to length.

Assembly

The build process has been outlined in the linked YouTube video. It’s a very easy project if you’re interested in making one for yourself.

Take a look at the gallery below to see the finished product. It was assembled in one day once the parts had been 3D printed.

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Conclusion

This project was designed to highlight the fact that it isn’t necessary to throw away your old filament spools to landfill. Although they are made of ABS plastic that can be recycled, reusing them is better than recycling in that no energy needs to be used to melt them down and mold them into something else. I’m hoping I can come up with more projects in the future that involve using parts that would otherwise be thrown away.

Until next week, ciao for now.

See more of our work

End Table With 3D Printed Parts

Nick — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 21:30:21 +0000

Tripod End Table Project

Sometimes you just need an end table. I can’t say that these small tables are a passion of mine. I’m not sure that anyone would say that. This one was designed and built out of a need that arose after my baby son arrived. But let’s not get into that.

I guess we could have gone to Ikea and picked up something for a quarter of the price of making this, but where’s the fun in that. This was the perfect opportunity to get creative and to dust off the old router.

Materials

Keeping to the Lannix Design philosophy of going Australian made where possible, the timber chosen was Tasmanian oak panel for the top and 25.4mm dowel for the legs. The panel was 1200 x 405 x 17mm which would provide enough for the 400mm diameter table top with material left over for another upcoming project.

The timber has a nice dark contrasting grain through it which came out looking very nice when given a few coats of oil.

Render of the CAD model

3D printed parts & tools

It’s obvious that the table brackets are 3D printed but I thought it would be fun to create 3D printed tools to assist with the build and keep some accuracy.

A bracket was designed and printed that would fit to the Makita trim router that my partner gifted to me for Christmas last year. It’s a fun tool to use so this was a good excuse to bring it out. The circle template worked well but was a little flexible so care was needed to keep the router vertical when cutting. The bracket pivots on a timber screw drilled into the centre of the timber panel.

Since the table has three legs that need to be in the exact right position, a pilot hole drilling template was designed and 3D printed. Using the same pivot point as the cutting bracket, it was designed with equally spaced notches to maintain a perfect 60˚ between brackets. It proved to work perfectly and made assembly about as straight-forward as it gets.

Drilling template in place for drilling the leg bracket pilot holes

Assembly

Once the oil had dried on the timber parts and all the 3D printing was done, the table went together surprisingly smoothly. Past experience assembling furniture with angled legs proved to be tedious but with this one it was really not the case.

The leg top brackets went on first then all the legs were inserted through the mid brace which was temporarily set at half-way up the legs by eye. The leg assembly was then positioned upside-down on the table top and lined up with the pilot holes drilled earlier.

The table top brackets were then screwed to the table top. The mid brace was held in place by the angle of the legs which meant that it couldn’t really move even without screws. A level was used to confirm its position and it was screwed in place just to be sure.

Finally, the feet were attached. This was probably the easiest woodworking project I’ve ever done. As long as the legs are all the same length, it would be difficult to mess it up. I may have to use this as a project for my son to learn the tools when he’s old enough!

The finished table

Some changes I’d make are adding rigidity to the router template so it doesn’t flex as much. This wasn’t a huge problem or really a problem at all since the table came out great but it would probably aid in confidence!

The 3D printed parts will be made available for download on Printables.com in the near future if you’d like to try to make a table for yourself. Click the Printables icon below.

Bye for now!

View video part 1 on Facebook Watch

View video part 2 on YouTube

Gallery - 3D Printing for the Office

See more of our work

The Road To 3D Printing Success

Nick — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 21:30:06 +0000

Starting out in 3D printing can be a disheartening experience for some people. The lure of the cheap 3D printer can definitely be a trap for new players. In 2016 the M3D was $500 and was one of the cheapest available. Reviews at the time were good but unfortunately it didn’t really live up to expectations.

This blog is the Lannix Design guide to 3D printing built from information I’ve acquired over time. Topics are to do with 3D printer tuning and setup which is enough for one blog post. Slicer settings are another topic which will be covered at a later date.

A cheaper Creality CR10 next to the more expensive but more reliable Prusa i3 MK3S+.

Choose wisely

Nowadays the Creality Ender 3 can be yours for about $350 and is not a bad machine for the money but does require some fine-tuning to get it working well. I acquired some of these after getting my first Prusas and I found the user-friendly experience of owning the Prusas to be very helpful when fine tuning the Ender 3s.

Moving up to a more expensive but far more reliable machine can improve your outlook on life quite a bit. Enter the Prusa MK3S. Even in kit form it is more than three times the price of the Ender 3 but in terms of quality, design and customer experience it doesn’t come close. I’d especially recommend the kit version as it is significantly cheaper in both the initial purchase and import duty (don’t forget that!) and allows you to become more familiar with the machine itself.

I bought my first Prusa in 2019 and built it in the workshop under the house. It showed decent results straight out of the box but as the weather became cooler coming up to Autumn, I noticed that I was seeing more failures. The downstairs workshop is not fully enclosed and I realised that having the printer out in the open was likely the cause of the failures.

Get an enclosure!

Out in the open is usually where people will first set up their 3D printer. This can be ok if it’s in a room with relatively stable humidity and temperature but most people will have it in the garage or a spare room that may have drafts and require you to leave a window open to deal with the fumes.

I noticed a drastic improvement in the quality and consistency of my 3D prints when I started using my custom designed and built enclosure. The advantage of an enclosure is that the humidity and temperature are able to be controlled.

All filaments benefit from a warmer environment and the small volume of air in the enclosure is able to be heated more efficiently than an entire room. Keeping temperatures in the enclosure around 40°C is optimal and also easily achievable since the 3D printer will do this while it is operating.

When using filaments like Nylon, Carbon fibre and ABS/ASA which emit toxic fumes, an enclosure is absolutely necessary. A carbon HEPA filter and supporting ducting is required to deal with these fumes.

Other add-ons like a dehumidifier and custom lighting will also make your 3D printing experience a lot better.

An enclosure doesn’t have to be a custom designed and built project like the ones we have at Lannix Design. 3D printer manufacturers such as Prusa and Creality are now starting to offer enclosures that are designed to fit their own products.

Cheaper alternatives are also available such as a converted photographic tent for around $20 or the popular Ikea Lack table conversion that is a fun and useful project when you first get your 3D printer.

Check out our enclosure blog posts here or hit the buttons below.

The prints don't stick to the plate!

One of the most common and most catastrophic failures is when the part being printed doesn’t stick to the print plate. This is usually caused by a dirty bed plate. Most people will tell you to use isopropyl alcohol to clean the bed but I’ve found this to be unreliable. Washing the plate under hot water with dishwashing liquid will be far more effective.

Another cause of this problem is a variance in temperature in the print area. A sudden draft of cool air across the build plate can cause the part to contract and lose adhesion. An enclosure will eliminate this problem.

Part orientation is also a factor for taller prints. The momentum of the part when the Y-axis is thrusting back and forth can cause it to dislodge.

In extreme circumstances where the above solutions just don’t work for you, applying glue stick on the plate before heating will usually solve the problem.

BONUS – A glue stick is also helpful when printing with PETG which tends to stick too well to the plate. A barrier of glue stick can help since in some instances PETG will damage the plate surface when removing the part.

My part looks so ugly!

Strange looking parts with unexpected lumps and/or holes can be a less than desirable result. There are a few main causes that can be addressed to achieve a better looking part.

Under-extrusion may be caused by a partially blocked nozzle and will result in holes in your print as seen in the fox below. A blocked nozzle can be cleaned out using the cold-pull method. You may have received an acupuncture needle with your printer and wondered what it was for! Now’s your chance to use it.

Cold-pull

Steps to perform a cold-pull to unclog your nozzle.

Disable the stepper motors.
With the filament still in the extruder, heat it up to about 30°C more than the recommended temperature for your filament (ie. 250-260°C for PLA).
Poke your acupuncture needle up into the tiny opening of the nozzle. The idea is to dislodge any debris caught in the extruder such as dirt, crusty old filament and/or metal particles.
After 5 minutes allow the hotend to cool down to room temperature. Turn the extruder fan to full blast to speed this up.
Once the hotend has cooled, heat the extruder back up to around 105°C for PLA.
Allow the temperature to stabilize for about a minute and carefully use your pliers to pull the filament out of the extruder. If you go too hard and snap the filament you’ll need to pull the hotend assembly apart to get it out.

It may be necessary to repeat the process to fully remove the clog.

Other problems with the appearance of the print such as ‘zits’ and ringing can be cured in the slicer software and will be covered in a future blog post. Keep updated with our monthly newsletter.

Strange looking part finish caused by under-extrusion.

Filament has snapped inside the extruder. Likely caused by a clog in the nozzle.

It only printed half of the part!

If your printer says it’s finished printing your part but it’s missing some of the top layers, it may mean that the filament has snapped off in the extruder and/or that it has become stuck when entering the extruder assembly.

In the case of the Prusa MK3S it has a filament detector in the top of the extruder assembly. This works well for the most part but in the case that the filament becomes stuck in the lower extruder, it cannot detect anything wrong.

Snapped filament

Snapped filament happens when the extruder is fully clogged and won’t allow the gears to push any more material through. The gears wear away at the filament which eventually breaks it.

Performing a cold-pull may take the blockage away but it is likely necessary to pull the extruder assembly apart to get to the filament. Any filament particles will also need to be cleaned out using compressed air. In extreme cases it may be necessary to pull the PTFE tube out of the hotend to get the foreign particles out of the nozzle.

Stuck filament

It is sometimes difficult to tell if the issue is caused by a clogged nozzle or not. In rare cases it can be a case of bad filament. It is becoming a rare occurrence these days with filament quality improving across all manufacturers but defects happen. The above photo shows an impurity that caused the printer to stop extruding because the filament was too thick to pull into the extruder.

The manufacturer has generously replaced the entire reel free of charge.

Inconsistent filament cross-section caused by manufacturing defects.

What's this huge blob on the nozzle?

A large blob of filament on the nozzle is caused by either a buildup of schmutz on the underside of the extruder or a partially block nozzle.

If you have a blob formed on your nozzle DO NOT try to remove it while the hotend is cold! You will break the wires on your thermistor which means you will either have to rewire it or replace it! Ask me how I know… If you’ve already broken your thermistor, we have a guide to replacing it in a Crealtiy CR10 here.

The blob of death kills your prints.

Buildup

Debris will acquire on the underside of the hotend due to slight defects in the filament material and a lack of cleaning. Once the buildup becomes significant enough, it will catch the part being printed and bring it with the extruder assembly. From that point on the extruder will keep pumping filament into the part creating the dreaded blob of death.

This can be prevented by keeping the nozzle and heat block clean by lightly scrubbing with a brass brush while the hotend is heated.

Partially clogged nozzle

A partially clogged nozzle will allow filament through the opening of the nozzle but has the characteristic of curling up on the way out. The extruded filament should always come straight down out of the nozzle.

If the curling becomes too severe, the filament will eventually stick itself up under the heat block and drag all subsequent filament along with it which is when the blob starts forming. This clogging can be fixed using the cold-pull technique mentioned above.

Conclusion

Wow, this post was meant to be a short one since I have to get the newsletter out this week!

I hope this has been helpful to you if you’ve just started out or are thinking about getting into 3D printing. I enjoy putting out content like this and if you have any questions I’m happy to answer via email or Facebook messenger.

If you’d like to see more or keep informed when future blog posts come out, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter below.

Ciao!

Featured – Lannix Design

New Affiliate Link With Neewer!

See more of our work

Make Your Own Triple 4K Wallpaper In Blender!

See more of our work

It’s Finally Built! – Shed Build – Part 3

See more of our work

Make A Star Wars Inspired Animation In Blender!

See more of our work

AI Vehicle Camera Mount – Take 2: Part II

Gallery - AI Vehicle Camera Mount - Take 2: Part II

See more of our work

Designing Our Logo In Fusion 360

See more of our work

Learning Blender For Better Renders

Gallery - Blender Renders

See more of our work

Reusing Empty Filament Spools For Storage

Design

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Building

Materials

Tools

Assembly

Gallery - Filament Spool Parts Organiser CAD Model

Conclusion

See more of our work

End Table With 3D Printed Parts

Tripod End Table Project

Materials

3D printed parts & tools

Assembly

View video part 1 on Facebook Watch

View video part 2 on YouTube

Gallery - 3D Printing for the Office

See more of our work

The Road To 3D Printing Success

Choose wisely

Get an enclosure!

The prints don't stick to the plate!

My part looks so ugly!

Cold-pull

It only printed half of the part!

Snapped filament

Stuck filament

What's this huge blob on the nozzle?

Buildup

Partially clogged nozzle

Conclusion

Gallery - 3D printing problems and solutions

See more of our work