SainSmart x Creality Ender-3 3D Printer

I am buying this time and bonus it is a little cheaper than last time.

Is 3D software included with this item?

lolā€¦ I didnā€™t know why I wanted one, either, when I got my Tevo Tarantulaā€¦ I just knew I wanted it, I have printed almost as many upgrades for it as I have anything else. That and if you are into knick-knacks, a 3d printer is for you. You will have more useless crap laying around than you will ever know what to do with! lol

Just bought one 2 weeks ago (got the 3X version with the glass bed and extra extruder nozzles). It took me a full afternoon to assemble it. Highly recommend watching the many videos on YouTube about how to assemble. Once put together, it works great. I use it mostly to print new upgraded pieces for my board games. A cart that looks like a cart instead of a wooden cube, that kind of thing. Also, thereā€™s tons of stuff on Thingiverse that you can just download and print. New tags for my dog. A set of Slime Rancher slimes for my daughter. Mine cost about fifty bucks more than this deal :frowning:

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To get started, I recommend using tinkercad.com. Itā€™s free, online and easy. Lots of YouTube videos on how to use it.
You can get other 3D software as well, just do a search. Many are free.
You need a slicer to prepare the STL files for printing, and this (like many) 3D printer probably comes with a version of Cura. You can just download the latest version from ultimaker.com for free.
You can also get 3D modeling software for free/online if you are want to work in virtual clay, for example. Do a search.
Finally, check out Thingiverse - LOADS of files to download (the vast majority are free) and when you create something cool, you can upload it!

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Iā€™ve been wanting to get a printer for years now, and when I mentioned this deal to my wife, she finally said ā€œitā€™s up to youā€ instead of a hard ā€œnoā€ lol. If I were to get one of these, what file types does it accept for the 3D model? I have full access to AutoCAD through work, but I donā€™t know if I would need to get another program to convert to a file type that AutoCAD canā€™t export to natively.

You will convert every model to a .gcode file using a slicer like Cura. The printer accepts .gcode files. If your software can output to .stl, you are all set.
A complete set (I think!) of file types that Cura can handle is:
.x3d
.3mf
.obj
.gif
.jpeg/.jpg
.png
.stl
.g
.ufp

Clearly. some of these donā€™t have a Z component so I donā€™t know what Cura output looks like for those (.jpg, .png, etc.)

this (any 3D printer) is a ridiculous woot. I cannot think of one useful thing that would come out of one of these, Iā€™ve tried to justify buying one and cannot, just another thing to have, that will only generate another pile of useless plastic bits.

in for one.

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Thatā€™s the spirit!

Iā€™m in for 1 as well. Iā€™m finally going to stop having to ask my co-worker to print stuff for me.
Plus time to setup an octopi with my newly retired Pi3 that just got upgraded to a Pi4.
Now time to go find some filament.

Excellent, thanks for the info. AutoCAD can natively export to .stl, so thatā€™d probably be the way to go. Still on the fence about this one, but the idea of making whatever parts or pieces I want is very tempting.

Definitely watch the videos on youtube before starting assembly. There are a couple that go into much better detail about checking alignment, assembly order, etc. that will result in a much better printer right away with less fiddling later on.

For filament I recommend going with hatchbox. Iā€™ve had nothing but great success with it.

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One of the interesting things you can print are lithophanes. This is a panel that is printed with varying thicknesses. You shine light through it and the thickness determines how light or dark things appear. Cura and other programs can convert a picture file such as a .jpg into a lithophane. Take a look at the link below for more information.

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Well, I got one. Yay!

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Why do I want to print little alien guys?

Why wouldnā€™t you?

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cool.as.hell

Not sure if you meant to reply to me or @acraigl, but if you were replying to meā€¦

Yeah, Cura is the best (IMHO) slicer out there. As for tinkerCAD, I despise ā€œcloud-basedā€ software. Call me an old-fashioned, crazy kook (most people call me worse), but I like my software and my data staying on my computer. When I first got my printer, I had been using SketchUp for almost a decade, so I was well versed in that. Since then, though, I have been learning / teaching myself FreeCAD and, to a lesser extent, Blender.

As for thingiverseā€¦ been there, done that :slight_smile: If you (or anyone else) wants to check out some really awesome models, have a look at my page - About rebeltaz - Thingiverse

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For starters, have you ever built model kits? Collected knick knacks/stamps/baseball cards? All examples of ā€œuselessā€ hobbies. Also, all examples of fun.

Yes, 3d printers can be, and are, used for useless knick knacks, but thatā€™s what hobbies are. Aside from that, 3d printers can be used to solve real world problems. I have designed and printed many accessories for my pool; hummingbird feeders; tools and replacement parts for use in my shopā€¦ a whole litany of functional models.

A friend just came in and asked me today if I could make him a part for his outboard engine that is discontinued.

No, 3d printers arenā€™t for everyone, but they do have their uses - both frivolous fun and functional designs.

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