[fireant911]

I am a late starter... again... I recently had an idea for an object that would be worth pursuing. I started looking at 3D printers and was shocked at the number of different models available (thankfully the prices are now more reasonable). Reading reviews is oftentimes not the best way to decide on a particular manufacturer so I figured why not look on Pelican??? I was not disappointed - the Ender 3 model by Creality was mentioned several times which seemed to be highly regarded by those of you here that use 3D printers.

I, like others had stated, have experience with Sketchup but NOT with a real 3D design software. I started looking at the programs available and after experimenting with a few of these, I opted for DesignSpark Mechanical. It had a few things in its favor: it is free, lots of YouTube videos are available for using this software, and it is extremely capable of enabling a determined user in crafting some great designs.

Along with the design software, a method of printing model is required. After yet another thorough search, I decided to use the Ultimaker Cura as the slicing software (it instructs the printer to print the model layer-by layer). It, too, is free and highly recommended by many veteran modelers. Lots of features, easy to use, and, just as the modeling software, this slicer has a wealth of YouTube videos available for those of us that are just starting on our 3D modeling adventure!

The only area that gave me some discomfort was the table leveling procedures required for the Ender 3 and Ender 5 models. This is probably an easy endeavor for the experienced modelers but I was a bit concerned about my ability to do correctly this so I opted for another Creality 3D machine, the CR6-SE model. This machine has automatic table leveling so, in theory, one should be able to start printing just after assembling the machine and running the auto-level procedure!

I ordered the Creality CR6-SE model on Monday evening as there was an 8th anniversary sale on at the time! The machine arrived yesterday morning. I am off to do some 3D printing with, of course, multiple redesigns to my idea but having the ability to make actual models will be huge!!!

Thank you to those that pointed me in the Creality direction!