Comment on What are your go-to sites to find free 3D files to print?
AliasVortex@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I mainly use my printer as a tool to solve problems, so my decision process is very much grounded in arriving at a solution as opposed to just finding something to keep the machine busy.
My usual approach is to cast a wide net and go through all the models that might do what I’m looking for. If I’m lucky, I’ll find something that I like enough to print. If not I’ll use it as a brainstorming session and either pick out a model or two that I can adapt (or at the very least pull critical dimensions) or get a feel for what I’d like to do differently. From there, it’s off to CAD where I’ll fire off slivers and prototypes until I’m happy with the fit and function of my part.
LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 4 weeks ago
Feels like most high quality results are on printables these days. Thingiverse used to be the go-to so they’ve got a lot of models from the early days, so it’s worth checking.
Makerworld seems to be drawing a lot of the newer crowd due to their huge sponsorship push on influencers, so they have a growing audience as well.
If you’re looking for a functional part (not strictly art or models) it’s probably on one of those three.