Afinia H-Series Featured in Modeling with SketchUp for 3D Printing

Afinia H-Series-printed models are featured in the just-released project book Modeling in SketchUp for 3D Printing, by Bonnie Roskes.

Bonnie Roskes of 3DVinci has been writing SketchUp project books and producing YouTube tutorials for over 12 years. She has recently turned her attention to using SketchUp to create models for 3D printing.

Bonnie says, “The 3D printing seed was planted when several teachers approached me about writing a project book on this topic. Schools are funding STEM, and 3D printers are finding their way to more and more classrooms.”

“Teachers with 3D printers often wonder how to get started and what to make. My book opens by discussing printer types, filament, print beds, and adhesion methods. It then eases into modifying existing models and progresses to designing simple one-piece models like a name plate, pencil holder, and sports logo keychain.”

“By the end of the book, the reader is creating multi-part models with interacting pieces such as puzzles, geometric tiles, Lego bunk beds, a round container with curved polka dots, even a twisted-helix DNA model.”

Afina’s Vice President, John Westrum, got wind of Roskes’s book during the planning stages, and asked her how Afinia could help. John observed, “This looked like a perfect tool for our educators: A step-by-step guide that would quickly get students creating models that they could print and hold in their hands. So… we loaned Bonnie a printer to see what she would come up with. We love the result and are working on ways to bundle the book with our Education products.”

Roskes immediately enjoyed the Afinia. Her first print was a small snowflake she found online. “The printer worked beautifully right out-of-the-box, with some simple setup and calibration. Then, the ideas started flowing – one project easily led to another. Many suggestions came from my own kids, who loved watching the Afinia in action. They even brought neighborhood friends by to check out our cool new toy. I found that the Afinia’s ability to switch colors at specific heights delivered results like a dual extruder printer.”

“In my book, you’ll see many multi-color examples, like the Escher lizards, Penrose tiles, Lego bunk beds, and the “rungs” of the DNA ladder. I didn’t realize how unusual this color-switching feature was until I looked for it in other printers and didn’t find it!”

SketchUp is the perfect design tool for 3D printing. With its relatively small tool set, it’s easy to get started and the workflow is intuitive. But SketchUp can be used for very sophisticated models as well, especially when you include some plugins, such as FredoScale, Round Corner, and Shape Bender – all of which produce amazing results that will surprise anyone who thinks SketchUp is just a basic modeling tool.