World Cup Logo Edge Lit Sign

[marmak3261]

I will double check that text to make sure that all the letters are closed paths. That might have been what caused it.

It was an SVG to start with lots of clipping paths and gradient fills. Some of the shapes were not closed and some were on top of another so I had to join and and separate. I generally make everything an SVG so I can get maximum control and potential for scaling to whatever size I want.

The stand is a 3D print. I have some translucent filament that does some nice color. This is just a plain PLA. Stay tuned for another big project with the same type of base but a different shape that uses different colors of translucent for the base.

Prusa 3D printer and Glowforge laser working together: Edge Lit Acrylic

[3A95DD6F-37DE-46B5-890D-17156215DB57] Le Chat Noir I traced from an image and tweaked by hand the vectors. It’s a hugely complicated 3color original so requires some interesting work to recreate the feel of the original with just the white. No pupils on this image gives it an eyeglasses look. [1B15E2E4-971F-410A-BF98-DA194616FA58] The White tree is wiki commons. I’m still trying to remember the location. Grabbed it way back when I was first doing my matchbox design and needed to do some w…

@ptodd

figure out what kind to buy

I really like my Prusa. It worked well right off the bat. The Prusa forked version of Slic3r does a super job of slicing and prepping the object.

I have a Creality CR-10s and it works great too. I had to do a little more work in getting Cura to slice the way I wanted and then switched to the main branch of Slic3r and have it tweaked now to get great prints.

Here are my thoughts about getting into 3D printing:

1. Learn a 3D design software like OnShape or Fusion 360. That is will enable you to get the maximum enjoyment and utility. Thingiverse and other sites have loads of models that will keep you busy, But I end up redesigning almost every object to fit my needs. We are talking practical prints, not dragon eggs and comic book characters.

2. Getting the bed leveled and nozzle height set is something that takes time and experience. If you haven’t done any 3D printing, get someone to help you run your initial setup and first prints. That will save you time. I did ok with my first prints, but there are so many things to consider, it’s hard to understand what it is all about at the beginning. That’s if you buy kits or some assembly required.

3. Understand filament loading and unloading and the whole hot end setup, most important temps for different filaments. I was having lots of trouble till I realized that the Maker Geeks PLA required a much higher temp than default PLA settings. Things really improved for me after that. Now if I can only get my flexible filament to work.

4. Understand the limitations of FDM printing. The layers as artifacts of printing are just part of the deal. Design can make these more or less obvious. I have found that designing for strength and ease of printing don’t always go together. That is where design intent is so important as you choose the most appropriate plane for the design surfaces.

5. Support structures. Figuring out ways to minimize needing support can sure speed up print times and post processing. I’m still learning here.

There are loads of videos out there. I watched them all before I ended up buying a printer. Then I rewatched them once I finally had some experience about what exactly they were talking about.

I’m at the point of digging into my slicer settings to keep tweaking for my own prints. It’s absolutely overwhelming to start with. That’s why I liked the Prusa ecosystem. Just so much stuff out there and the presets were great.