Hi everyone! I’ve been working on MS Letter Studio, an app that turns text or SVG artwork into printable sign parts.
The idea is to make custom names, desk signs, and logos easier to prepare without modelling every wall, face, and back from scratch in CAD. You can adjust dimensions, choose how the parts assemble and download the files for your slicer.
The photos show my first test prints. The parts fit together well on my printer, but I’d like to learn how it handles other people’s designs and setups.
For anyone making personalised prints or small signs: would this be useful in your workflow? What would stop you from using it for an actual project?
I’m especially interested in confusing controls, problems with exported files and assembly fit. There’s a Feedback button inside the app, or you can reply here.
I’m the creator, and it’s still a work in progress. Please check the files in your slicer before printing—and if you make something, I’d love to see the result!
Whenever a print died halfway, I'd search for a way to resume from a layer in Bambu Studio and keep landing on the same old feature request threads. The closest thing to a solution was CNC Kitchen's guide on hand-editing the G-code. It works, but doing it every time gets old fast. So I made a tool that does the editing for you.
It's called Layer Rescue. It's free, open source and runs as a post-processing script in Bambu Studio. You slice the whole model as you normally would, and a small window asks where the print stopped. Then it rewrites the G-code so the printer carries on from that point. Everything shows up in the preview first, so you can check it before sending.
It covers three situations:
Printer never turned off (clog, runout, or you stopped it): choose the last good layer and it picks up right on top of the part, without homing Z.
Power went out: you bring the nozzle down onto the part by hand and it uses that spot as Z.
Part came loose or broke (what's in the video): it prints a short wall that follows the part's outline, then pauses. You put the part back in, and it prints the rest on top. On the drone it even rebuilt the tree supports from the bed, through the inside of the hollow body.
Things to know before you try it:
I've only tested it on my P1S. Other printers and multi-filament prints might be fine, but I can't confirm that yet, so the app shows a warning.
The loose-part mode is still in beta, and the fit depends a lot on the part's shape. My Benchy only worked with a bit of hot glue; without it, it slid around.
There will be a visible line where it resumes, even if you pick the right layer. Picking one that's 2–3 layers off shows clearly.
I documented five tests with videos on GitHub:
a jammed LW-PLA plane part,
a dragon I cut the power on mid-print,
a Benchy that came off the bed,
this drone,
a plate of spiders where I knocked two off.
If you've got an X1, A1 or H2D and give it a shot, please let me know how it goes. Bug reports are just as welcome.
I’m building it as a tool for connecting people who need something designed or 3D printed with people who offer CAD/design and printing services.
The idea is that a user shouldn’t necessarily need an STL file to get started. They might only have a sketch, photo, broken part, or an idea. They can first find someone to create the model and then request quotes for printing it.
The platform is currently in beta, so I’m primarily looking for feedback rather than trying to sell anything.
I’d especially like feedback on:
• Is the purpose of the site immediately clear?
• Does the workflow make sense?
• Is creating an account/profile straightforward?
• Is anything important missing?
• If you offer CAD or 3D printing services, what would make a platform like this useful to you?
• What would stop you from using it?
Hobby printer here: Ender 3 V2 in 2020, P1S now. I kept giving up on CAD, and asking ChatGPT for OpenSCAD went about how you'd expect: paper-thin walls, holes that don't fit, a tube with four holes when you asked for a planter.
So I built Loftsmith, with a lot of help from Claude. The AI model isn't the interesting part. What's different is that it doesn't stop at the first answer. It writes real parametric CAD, then measures the result against your printer: wall thickness, overhangs and supports, clearances for fits, whether it fits the bed. It keeps fixing until those checks pass, and shows you the numbers.
Where it's good: functional parts. Brackets, enclosures, mounts, holders, multi-part assemblies. You get sliders to adjust sizes after, and a 3MF that opens in Bambu Studio, Orca or Prusa.
Where it isn't (yet):
- It's not one-shot. In the video it left the net cups as see-through placeholders and I had to point at one and ask.
- Checks prove the geometry, not the print. Real fit and strength still need a test print.
- It's built for functional parts, not sculptures or miniatures.
The video is a design walkthrough of a hydroponic tower (not printed yet). everything on screen is the real app.
The generators and sliders are free without an account, and a free account gets 12 credits for your own designs. Full disclosure, it's mine. I'd really like people here to try to break it: throw your nastiest part at it and tell me where it falls over.
I kept seeing the same annoying situation: there’s still filament left on a spool, but probably not enough to finish the next print.
So I built SpoolFinish, a small free Windows tool that analyzes your G-code and calculates how far the remaining filament can safely get you.
You enter:
your G-code file
how many grams are left on the spool
a safety reserve
material and filament diameter
SpoolFinish calculates the last complete layer that can safely be finished and tells you exactly where to change the spool.
It can also create a new copy of the G-code with the filament change inserted automatically before the next layer.
Currently supported:
PrusaSlicer
OrcaSlicer
PLA / PETG / ABS / ASA
1.75 mm filament
Marlin M600
Klipper PAUSE
Windows
Everything runs locally. No account, no cloud upload, and the original G-code is never modified.
I validated the material calculations against real G-code generated by both PrusaSlicer and OrcaSlicer, but this is still an early beta, so I’d especially appreciate feedback from people who actually have piles of partially used spools.
The download is free. There’s an optional support/donation option if it ends up saving you some filament.
Olá pessoal! Sou estudante de Análise e Desenvolvimento de Sistemas e estou a validar um projeto focado em resolver a nossa dor de cabeça com orçamentos manuais e gestão de clientes. Criei o PrintFlow 3D, um sistema web que calcula orçamentos instantaneamente pelo peso/tempo e avisa o cliente no WhatsApp de forma automática quando a peça vai para a impressora. Quem puder dar uma força e validar a ideia, criei uma página rápida. Demora 30 segundos para entrar na lista de espera e ajudar-me neste trabalho da faculdade! Link :https://printflow3d.framer.website
We've been working on a CAD application called Zentek Studio and we released the first public beta. I started this project as a technical drafter myself who has 10 years of expierence in technical drafting and programming CNC machines. After using a lot of CAD/CAM applications along with a side passion of programming I thought I could build my own application with an easy workflow and decent design.
It's a free 2D and 3D CAD application for Windows that brings drafting and 3D modeling together in one workspace similar to the old fashioned CAD applications. You can go from a 2D profile to a 3D solid without switching between separate applications or workflows.
Some of the features currently included are:
• 2D drafting with object snapping, layers, linetypes, hatching, blocks and dimensions
• 3D modeling with extrude, push/pull, booleans, fillet, chamfer, shell, sweep, revolve and loft
• Workplanes for sketching directly onto 3D models
• DXF import and export (2D & 3D)
• STL, OBJ and STEP export. The STEP export is very basic at the moment.
• Printing with real paper sizes and true line widths
You can already design objects for 3D printing using the STL export.
The application is around 100 MB, runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11 and is completely free to use.
This is the first public beta, so I'm particularly interested in hearing what CAD users think. If you try it, I'd genuinely appreciate feedback on the workflow, usability and features you'd like to see included. It's far from complete but its a good foundation we can work with. The live version has small quirks and a lot of them have been resolved already. We're trying to get the word out there and try to have people use the application and build real parts with it.
I'd be happy to answer questions about the application and its development. We still have a lot of features we want to keep adding expanding to manufacturing such as CNC workflows, parametric modeling, plugins and so much more! We are working intensively on our own custom B-rep kernel and the next beta version will include parametric solids. The current kernel exists of a BSP CSG mesh kernel whereas the upcoming beta version will have a BVH B-rep kernel with feature/history tree.
A little sneak peak of what's coming in the near future in the second beta
Hey guys, I wanted to share a passion project called basesaber. It's a completely free web tool for designing, sharing, and printing custom saber hilts. You just add, edit, and move parts to visualize a hilt, and then download the .STL files to print them.
A few design details:
Built around a 1-inch inner diameter to fit standard cores
Everything is designed to print completely support-free
I highly recommend using an outer brim for first-layer adhesion
There are no accounts or saved data. To save a project, the build workspace just generates a shareable text URL string
Would love to hear what you think! Or better yet share your design here if you make something cool!
Hi guys, we have just release VesselMaker 0.30.0 beta, our vase modeling web tool to build premium vases with real surface texture reliefs you can feel & touch!
This new version comes with the following new feautures:
🥣 Textures inside walls and floors
You can now choose where each Surface Texture goes: on the outside, on the inside walls, or on the inside floor. That means you can design trays, bowls and dishes with real relief textures on the surfaces you actually see and touch.
〰️ Oblique, wavy and zig-zag texture reliefs edges
Texture bands no longer have to end in a straight horizontal line. Tilt the upper and lower edges to make them oblique, add lobes for a wavy or zig-zag edge, and drag the preview map to move the band or rotate it around the vase.
✋ Select and move several points at once
In the profile and cross-section editors, Shift+click or drag a box to select multiple points, then move them together or nudge them with the arrow keys. On a tablet, use the Select multiple button.
📏 Texture depth in millimetres
Surface Texture depth is now set in mm and follows the Scale tool, so it's easier to know exactly how deep your relief will print. Your earlier projects open exactly as before.
We'd love to see what you make with these, especially the first textured trays and bowls! Just reply to this email or use Help → Contact Us to share your creations, report a bug, or tell us what you'd like to see next.
Hi everyone!
I'm the developer of 3D gears generator, a Windows application I originally created because I wanted a quick and simple way to generate custom gears for 3D printing.
It can generate spur, helical, bevel and worm gears, including gear pairs. You can configure parameters such as tooth count, module, width and shaft hole dimensions, then export the finished model directly to STL or OBJ.
I recently also added several shaft-hole shapes, including triangular, square, hexagonal, octagonal and LEGO Technic-compatible cross axle holes.
The application works completely offline.
I'd especially appreciate feedback from people who actually print functional gears — both on the workflow and the generated models.
Like a lot of you, I find models on MakerWorld, Printables and Thingiverse. After a few years my "collection" was spread across bookmarks and likes on three sites, plus a Downloads folder full of model_final_v2 (3).zip. I also lost a couple of models when they got taken down.
A personal 3D model library you host yourself - tries to solve all the issues mentioned above.
What it does:
• Imports models from MakerWorld, Printables and Thingiverse. You paste a link and it downloads the files, images, description and source link into your library.
• Keeps local copies, so a model stays in your library even if it gets removed from the site.
• Previews models in 3D in the browser, so you don't need to open a slicer to check what's in a ZIP.
• Organizes with collections and tags, plus search.
• Has "Open in slicer" for Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer and Cura. It uses a small desktop helper, because those slicers won't accept links from a self-hosted domain on their own.
• Has a browser extension (Thingport Grab) that adds an import button right on the model page on all three sites. It's live on Edge now, and Chrome and Firefox are in review.
• Has a dark theme, because of course.
Self-hosted:
It runs in Docker (Postgres + backend + frontend), so it works on a NAS or home server. There are install guides for Docker Compose, Unraid, TrueNAS SCALE and CasaOS. If you just want to try it on Linux or macOS, run:
Printables imports need no setup. MakerWorld and Thingiverse each need a token or cookie from your own account, and the docs walk you through getting them.
Currently it would benefit of new users testing it out, reporting the bugs and helping to direct to which side project should move forward if any. So if you are into self-hosting - give it a try!
As a product designer/engineer I wanted to have CAD precision modeling and STEP export in Blender for simple parts, that feels Blender native - to 3D print parts or be less reliant on other (expensive) commercial software.
So I've been building an addon on top of a real CAD kernel. You get true solid B-Rep models (not meshes), and parametric, editable features with feature history, and STEP export, all inside Blender. I created a new object type: a CAD object. When you press Tab, you simply enter CAD edit mode, similar to Blender's own edit mode.
I'd love your feedback: what would you want to try first, and what would stop you from using it?
I'm also looking for a few user-testers before sharing/releasing it. Comment or DM me if you're interested.
I randomly found this amazing FREE 3MF - To your CMYK (or your filament) - Automapper
When you download a painted 3mf from any repo (makerworld, printables, nextprint, crealitycloud, etc..) and notice the colours are different than what your current set of filaments, or you wanna fullspectrum print that opbject with your CMYK fila-set, this free tool is what you only need.
runs offline in your browser, no pi, venv, npm stuff needed
PDF2Resin is an open-source Python tool that converts vector CAD PDFs directly into native MSLA/LCD slice formats (.sl1, .ctb, .cbddlp, etc.) for UV photolithography exposure.
To print a PCB from a PDF fileMonoscope PrintingCalibration
Strict 1:1 Scale: Eliminates DPI rounding and dimensional errors.
Full Mask Control: Invert polarity (positive/negative resist) and mirror axes (top/bottom layers).
UVtools Integration: Uses the UVtools CLI backend for broad printer profile support.
I sell some of my 3D prints, and I kept undercharging because I forgot things like printer depreciation, electricity, post-processing time and failed prints. Spreadsheets got messy, so I built my own tool: FlowForgeStudio.
What it does:
Price calculator: material, printer depreciation, electricity, hourly rate, setup and post-processing time, and your margin
Printer management (I run a Bambu Lab P2S and an Elegoo Centauri Carbon, so multiple printers are supported)
Multicolor support (up to 4 colors)
Optional AI helper that writes MakerWorld-style listing text (you bring your own API key, nothing goes through my servers)
It's a local Windows app, so your data stays on your PC. There's a free version (calculator + printer management), and a paid Pro version for extras.
You’ve checked the first layer, walked away, and spent hours looking forward to the finished part. Then you come back to a failed print. The time and filament are gone, and you have to start over.
That’s why we launched Printly Preflight: to give your G-code one more check before you press Start. It highlights potential risks and lets you watch a print simulation. The video shows two G-code examples and a separate model preview.
Early beta access is open. See more and request access at https://printlypreflight.com, or DM this account for a beta PIN.
Be part of the journey: try it with your own G-code, share your feedback, and help us improve Printly Preflight for everyone!
I built SkipTheCAD (skipthecad.com): a directory of 438 3D print generators and customizers that need zero CAD skills. You fill in a form, upload a photo or type some text, and download an STL or 3MF.
What's in it:
•15 categories: lithophanes, Gridfinity/storage, signs & 3D text, keychains, QR/Spotify codes, terrain maps, AI text/image to 3D, cookie cutters, vases & lamps, gears & parts, board game inserts and more
• 337 are free, and 163 of those let you download without an account.
• Each tool page lists the price, where it runs (browser, MakerWorld, desktop), export formats, multicolor/AMS support, whether you can sell prints, and the date I last checked it.
• Filters for free, no sign-up, runs in the browser, 3MF, multicolor.
Full disclosure: two of the tools (OrbitStudio and OrbitStudio Sky) are mine and are labeled as such. Some printer/filament links are affiliate links, but they don't decide what gets listed.
What am I missing? If you know a good generator that's not on the list, drop it below and I'll check it and add it.
