Developed in 1995, Blender is a comprehensive 3D modeling software that is particularly popular in the world of animation and film thanks to the many functions it offers. What makes Blender special is that it’s 100% free and it’s open source software – which means it’s constantly being improved. There is also a large fan base that meets all over the world to exchange ideas about projects and challenges related to the software. By using polygon modeling, it is not necessarily the most widely used solution in the field of additive manufacturing, but it allows 3D models to be exported in formats adapted to the technology. Now for the main features of the Blender software!
The Blender solution was developed for an animation studio and was not intended for global distribution. But the software quickly went open source, and today the Blender Foundation (the association behind the developments) estimates that there are 3 million users worldwide. The software includes various functionalities grouped into a dozen categories: modeling, animation, simulation, video editing, 3D rendering, and a few more. Blender is primarily aimed at animation studios, artists and small teams that work in the video or cinema area – several “Open Movies” have already been created with the help of Blender. So does Spring, one of the latest films:
The short film Spring was created with the help of Blender
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Blender is based on polygonal modeling
As you know, 3D software offers different modeling methods: surface, solid or organic. Blender uses polygons to create a three-dimensional shape. The designed model is therefore composed of a large number of polygons (or facets) that form the so-called mesh. Each polygon consists of vertices, edges and faces. A basic shape is obtained by assembling different polygons: eg a cube is formed by interlocking 6 polygons. The next step is the deformation of basic forms and their agglomeration to create basic objects: 9 deformed cubes become a chair, for example. The user can then play with the edges and move points to gradually refine their model.
This modeling method is quite intuitive as the user can move edges and points in space to deform his model until he gets the desired shape. It also allows greater complexity than surface processes, however it does not offer the best dimensional accuracy as the 3D model is the result of successive subdivisions. This is a major obstacle when trying to get a stable mold for additive manufacturing.
Blender is based on polygonal modeling
Software features for 3D printing
We won’t go into all of Blender’s features (animation, video, 3D rendering, etc.) because the main interest is in the 3D modeling part for 3D printing. You should know that the software offers export formats for additive manufacturing, such as STL file but also OBJ file. However, polygonal modeling doesn’t seem like the most intuitive way to design printable parts. Blender offers another feature to add to its software, the “3D Printing ToolBox”. With this you can analyze your mesh to identify some errors that could cause the printing to fail. For example, this toolbox can check the minimum thickness of your walls or the geometry of overhangs.
The “3D Printing ToolBox” allows you to check your 3D model for 3D printing
Blender is not the 3D software most used by 3D printing enthusiasts, but it has the advantage of being free and regularly improved by the entire community. We recommend software that is more accessible to all beginners, such as TinkerCAD and Fusion 360 for the more advanced. You can download Blender here, the solution is compatible on Mac, Windows or Linux.
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