MakerBot Chief Bre Pettis is now an author – he’s just published a new book on 3D printing and specifically on doing so with a MakerBot. We had a chance to get a copy from Pettis himself at CES (above). Jointly written by Pettis, Anna Kaziunas France and Jay Shergill, the book could become quite popular among 3D printer owners.
The book, while targeted at MakerBot equipment and software, offers many tips and learnings useful to anyone seeking an introduction to 3D printing. It’s definitely a technical book, but Pettis spends considerable text explaining why you’d want to 3D print objects before getting into the details. Example prints from Thingiverse and explanations of the MakerBot community demonstrate the support available to potential 3D printer owners. As such, this could be a book you might want to read before you buy a 3D printer.
But yes, there are many technical details for you to read, too. Pettis goes into depth on the Replicator 2, the current flagship product from MakerBot. The entire workflow is shown, from machine setup and operation to software tool use to print handling and finishing, with plenty of examples, links and diagrams to gently lead you through it all.
We particularly liked several sections at the back providing detailed tutorials on how to perform typical advanced, but inevitable, activities such as smoothing a mesh, cleaning up a messy 3D scan and designing a model for 3D printing, all of which can stymie a 3D printer owner.
At a list price of USD$15.99, this is a steal for anyone interested in 3D printing.
Via Amazon
