What Next?
over a WiFi or USB connection. Many printers are designed for operation in “untethered” mode, in which the printer runs on its own without a computer connection. In untethered mode, no client program is necessary; the printer automatically reads and follows CAM instructions from an SD card or USB thumb drive plugged into it directly. Untethered printing can be useful, for instance, for long-running prints during which you may want to use your computer elsewhere, or if you have more printers than computers to run them. CAM information is usually stored on removable media as G-code instructions. For a rundown of all the available printer control and slicing software, see “3D Printer Frontends” on page 197 and “Slicing Software” on page 198.
What Next? Your printed object will inspire improvements and new ideas. The design pipeline is really a cycle.
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Make: 3D Printing
Now that you’ve got the basic workflow down, you’re ready to make anything! Remember that 3D design and printing is an iterative process, and that things rarely turn out perfectly the first time around. If you aren’t comfortable with any of the tools that you tried, be sure to look at others—there’s no reason to limit yourself to only one workflow. Experiment, tweak, observe, repeat! Try to learn something from each mistake, and always remember to have fun. Matt Mets is a maker who uses electronics to create playful objects that teach and inspire. Matt Griffin is the Director of Community & Support at Adafruit Industries, a former MakerBot Community Manager, and author of the forthcoming MAKE book Design and Modeling for 3D Printing.