3D printer owners, can you please answer these questions

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Winston

Lorenzo von Matterhorn
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One's easy, the other maybe not as much.

First, what's the most popular 3D printer forum?

Second, I would like to create and print individual and separate rows of strips of a precise width and length with a flat surface on the bottom side and a curved surface described by a formula on the top side. Does a command line capability to do this exist within any of the freeware 3D editors so I could, for instance, create one strip in that manner and then duplicate it across the printer bed using the sort of duplicate function I see in Blender?
 
I've never found a good 3d printer forum, but I have learned some stuff from this one:

https://forums.reprap.org/

as for duplication, just design one. the program you use to place and slice the object (I use repetier https://www.repetier.com/ ) will allow you to place as many as you want. piece of cake.
Thanks. Weird about the lack of really good 3D printer forums considering their popularity now. That's why I had to ask.

On the second part, duplication is not my problem, it's creating an object with at least one surface that is described by a formula. Command line input would allow the quick and easy creation of precisely dimensioned and shaped simple 3D objects. I just wonder what, if any, freeware 3D modeling software allows this.
 
This looks like it might do the trick and it's freeware:

https://www.openscad.org/about.html

OpenSCAD is not an interactive modeller. Instead it is something like a 3D-compiler that reads in a script file that describes the object and renders the 3D model from this script file. This gives you (the designer) full control over the modelling process and enables you to easily change any step in the modelling process or make designs that are defined by configurable parameters.
 
Have you explored www.thingiverse.com? Great repository of other people's designs, really useful when you're first starting out or want to print something you're sure someone has modeled already!
 
I've started putting some of my designs up on Thingiverse. Up there now are the plastic parts to the Estes Nomad/Saros as well as the Estes Jupiter C. I'm working on the parts for the Estes Titan II, MX Missile and Gemini Titan all which are similar. I'm also working on the tailcone of the Estes #1338 Space Transporter America.

You can download and print these yourself as well as view and tweak the design files.

Rob
 
I recently obtained a 3D printer myself and can share a few things I have found.

https://3dprintboard.com/forum.php

I have found this forum useful while I was calibrating my gcode to find what worked best for my printer.

I also am using Solidworks to design I know it is out of the price range of 99% of consumers. But I really enjoy it and am lucky enough to use it through my school.
 
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