If you don’t have Dropbox installed stop what you’re doing and install it.
Go ahead.
I’ll wait.
For those not “in the know”, Dropbox is free a cloud based backup/psedo-versioning system. And it’s awesome, oh, and it’s free. Note: I really like Dropbox but Google Drive, SpiderOak, box.com, Microsoft SkyDrive, and BitTorrent Sync are all good alternatives. The important thing here is to backup your files! I also use Dropbox to keep my 3D modeling software in sync, here’s how I do it.
Being a maker is often a solitary hobby (which is often a good thing, but it can get lonely), so any time I have the chance to work with other people, I get excited. Recently I was approached by visual artist and designer Silvia Heisel asking for assistance creating a customizable monogrammed iPhone case.
It was a lot of fun to taking someone else’s concept and finding a way to make it into a customizable and reliably repeatable product. I got to work a lot with typography, Inkscape, and OpenSCAD on this project, the first two I haven’t had much of a reason to work with up until now (I love when a project presents itself that lets me expand on my skill sets).
The files are all available on Thingiverse to download and print if you have your own printer here: Monogrammed iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 Case. For the best fit and finish I recommend printing this case with PLA and Makerware’s medium setting.
Don’t have a printer (or just want to have us print it for you)? These cases are also available for purchase at http://sylviaheisel.com.
3D printed monogrammed iPhone cases are fun from sylvia heisel on Vimeo.
As I said in my previous post on SketchUp, I really enjoy reading about how other users setup and use their software. I usually find a plugin or setting that I never knew existed which helps me work more efficiently. I don’t know if my OpenSCAD setup has anything in it that’s out of the ordinary, but maybe something I use will help someone else out.
I’ve been really enjoying learning OpenSCAD for the past few months. In fact I wish I hadn’t put it off as long as I did, because once you get going it’s a pretty straight forward but powerful language to learn.
Since I’ve always thought that it’s impossible to learn a language without an application I’ve decided to re-model all the 3D objects that I carry with me daily as OpenSCAD Customizer compatible models. The first of which is the business card holder that phooky designed.
I printed out this business card case back in May of 2011 and it’s been looking and working great ever since. Because it’s held up so nicely I didn’t make many changes to the base design of the box. Instead I added customizable features to it that enhance the form without harming the function. Included in this model is the ability to change the number of cards the container will hold, as well as the type of cards (business or collectable). I also added the ability to emboss custom text on the front or an image using Benjamin’s great “Stencil-o-Matic“.
Here’s a link to my Card Case Customizer on Thingiverse
Now that I’ve finished the boxes I think I’ll move on to making my Coin-Op Money Clip more Customizer friendly. I’ll also be posting my current OpenSCAD editor setup and plugins in the near future. Stay tuned.
