3D Modeling & 3D Printing: a Human-Shaped Joint

This instructable introduces the progress of creating a 3D-printed joint that connects four wooden rods. In this instructable, the joint is in the shape of a human due to my personal desire of creating vivid objects. The whole process includes the following five phases:

1. Designing Phase: determine the shape of the 3D object with accurate measurements
2. Modeling Phase: draw the design on Rhino 7
3. Printing Phase: use 3D printer to print the design
4. Grinding & Polishing Phase: remove supports from the printed design and polish the work
5. Finalizing Phase: Use the printed work to connect wood rods

Based on this experience of printing an 3D object, I learned:

1. How to use Rhino 7's SubD tool to draw models
2. How to use 3D printer to print the design
3. How to rub the object's surface with tools

Continue reading this instructable if you are interested in 3D printing :)

Any great work starts with ideas. In order to come up with ideas, I borrowed four thin wooden rods from my professor and considered possible shapes of my design. I drew all of my ideas on paper and considered those ideas' feasibilities. In the end, I decided my design to be in the shape of a tiny human because I thought it would be interesting to see a toy-like human settled at the edge of wooden rods. With the basic design drawn on paper and the precise measure of the wooden rod, I determined the measure of my design.

After determining the measure, I began to draw my design on Rhino 7. Initially, I used "Standard mode" to draw the front view of my model with precise measure. Then I used "SubD mode" to create SubD plane and modified the plane into a retroflexed "C" shape (as shown in the picture). Later on, based on the "C" shape, I built the model with other SubD tools (such as boolean difference, bridge meshes, merge, etc) to create the 3D model of my design.

One Important Note: make sure that the diameters of the model's holes are greater than those of wooden rods.

After finishing drawing the model on Rhino 7, I exported the file and sent it to the computer that is connected to 3D printer. Before starting to print, I checked layer by layer to see if the design is feasible being printed (as shown in the first video). With the affirmation that my design is feasible for the printer, I initiated the 3D printer to print my design. As shown in the picture, the machine would automatically add supports to the model (such as between its ams and legs) to make sure the printing is successful.

The next step is removing the support from the model and rub the model's surface with tools. I also cut wooden rods to demonstrate the model's function.

The final step is the most exciting step, which is inserting the wooden rods into the holes of the model!

One of my peer finished her work at the same time as I did. Therefore, we took pictures of our models being put together. We made our models into a position that they were about to fight.

The experience of designing and printing a 3D joint is very interesting to me. I not only learned how to use SubD to build the model I wanted, but also created a cute human-like joint. It was also very fun to have my peer's model set beside mine. I would like to make more 3D models in future and create some stories between those models.