printables, thingiverse, but mostly I make stuff myself with openscad (I do mostly technical/functional stuff)
this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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Hey, what type of models do you design? Are they like figures, stuff around the house or basic designs? And how did you learn/ how long did it take for you to learn how to design
Self designed very specific objects are where it's at regarding 3D Printing IMO. Once you get into the habit of realizing that you can print a part for you'll find yourself doing it again and again.
Examples I've designed and printed include:
- two bluetooth speakers. I'm getting ready to print my first subwoofer
- tons of replacement parts (parts for kids toys, replacement knobs for our stove as the oem ones are $50/pop, etc)
- wheels with TPU tread and pockets for bearings for a fold up wagon. We've used that to cart our two kids around for 3 years now
You also find yourself being more adventurous with modifying other things knowing you can print interface parts. For example, our outdoor table had a 1.5" hole for umbrellas. We wanted a larger umbrella, which requires a bigger hole, so I cut a portion of the metal center of the table out and made a plastic adapter. I've also done lampshades and a bunch of other odds/ends around the house.
Mostly stuff around the house, so replacement parts (broken stuff, missing caps, etc.,) or useful crap like a pen holder that fits into the hole left in my ikea desk from one of their qi-chargers that turned out to be less convenient than I thought :-P Turns out having a 3d printer one tends to find use-cases all over, just like one does having a 2d printer. You just didn't consider those before you had one and now, poof, you can just make it when you have an idea.
I mostly do very technical designs, mathematical curves rather than organic ones, if at all. I'm a programmer so the concept of "writing" my models instead of 'drawing" them feels more natural to me, hence OpenSCAD instead of the usual CAD tools or even blender (it certainly helps that I did a lot of raytracing stuff with povray years ago). It ain't art, but figuring out the real-world strength of different geometries, how to design screw-holes that work even when sagging somewhat in one axis, creating an exact mathematical description of the thread for a nut and bolt that work despite the crude resolution of a FDM printer... all these tickle my brain and I enjoy them.
As to learning there are many decent tutorials on designing "production ready" parts (think small-scale manufacturing runs), e.g. "Slant 3D" on youtube. But ultimately my answer has always been "becoming fascinated, trying stuff out, and trying to find resources on specific problems I encounter" Not because it is fast or efficient, but because I tremendously enjoy the experience ;-)
Either I make them myself, or I grab something from printables.com
Sometimes I use a downloaded model as a starting point and I modify it to suit my needs.
Printables, myself, cults.
What are you looking to print and for what purpose?
I'm open to anything but hopefully looking for unique designs, and I'm really just trying to build my collection right now, but most of the people im subsrciped to have similar designs.
People who design 3D prints chase whatever is popular and pays. So all payed models tend to look alike. IMO those are people to totally ignore.
To find the new and unique you need to sort through a lot of chaff to find the seeds.
I totally agree with you, all of the models do look vary similar but how do would you pick and chose prints that are not trendy but still stand out and grabs people’s attention, what type of models do you recommend ?
It sounds like you're asking for advice on how to find files that you can print and sell. Legality and ethics of that aside, it all comes down to filling a niche, good timing and tons of luck.
I mainly search on makerworld or printables or make them myself depending on what im looking for
If I don't design them myself, I get them from Printables.com.
Students come to me with models from Makerworld, and those are, more often than not, terribly optimized for 3D printing.
Nowhere, but I've bought prints locally that are really nice that come from people on patreon... Lol but I forgot the names :(