How to Make a 3D Printable Customized Brush Holder
3D printing has changed how we design and make things. This technology lets us create 3D objects from digital models by building them up layer by layer with materials like plastic, resin, or metal. The benefits are significant: 3D printing provides high precision, can produce complex shapes, and allows for creative experimentation with designs that would be difficult or impossible to make using traditional manufacturing methods.
While 3D printing is great, creating a design involves more than just having a 3D printer, but it also needs a good design tool. This is where SelfCAD comes in. SelfCAD is an easy-to-use, web-based 3D modeling and design software that works well for both beginners and experienced users. Its simple interface and powerful features make it a great choice for designing customized objects, like brush holders.
You can check the interactive tutorial to learn how to design it. In summary, start by launching SelfCAD and open the workspace:
Select a Cube from the 3D Shapes to form the basic shape of the brush holder:
Set the parameters of the cube as shown below:
Click the check mark to finalize the cube. On the toolbar from the Tools, select Copy Offset and set Position Y to 60 and click Copy:
Click “X” to close Copy Offset. Group the two objects together:
Select another cube from the 3D Shapes and set the parameters as shown and finalize it:
Select the cube, and from the Tools select Copy Offset and set position X to 12. Set the Number of Copies to 9 and click Copy:
Click “X” to close the copy offset. Click on the Tools and select the Copy Offset tool again. Set the Position Z to 12 and set the Number of Copies to 9. Then click Copy:
Click Copy and then click “X” to close the Copy Offset tool. Select the Move Tool and set X to 0, Y to 2 and Z to 0:
Isolate the selected object; two first cubes. Select the rest of the cubes except the ones on the edges:
Click Copy to make a copy then group them together.
Click Inverse Selection and then group the selected objects.
Show the isolated objects. Then ungroup the selected objects:
Select mesh (6)1 and group 3. Click Stitch and Scoop> Difference. Select Group 3 to subtract it:
Set Keep Subtracted Objects to true and finalize the operation. Select mesh 6 and group_3. Click Stitch and Scoop> Difference and select group_3, to remove it. Tick the check mark to finalize it:
Select Scale tool on the toolbar, use the gizmo to set Y to 65. Then click “X” to close the panel:
On the Deform category, select Taper. On the Advanced Settings set Individual Transformations to true. Set X and Z to -6:
Click “X” to close the Transformation Panel. Select difference_2 and group_2. Click on the Stitch and Scoop> Union and check mark to finalize Union:
There you go, the brush holder is ready:
Give the holder a color of your choice in the Color Picker:
Making a customized brush holder is just one way 3D designing and printing can improve our lives. The skills you learn from this process can be used for many other projects, from useful items like kitchen organizers to other detailed artistic sculptures. After 3D designing, you can use the in-built online slicer of the software to slice your files and generate the G-code to send to your 3D printer. The video below shows how slice STL files.
Enjoy powerful modeling, rendering, and 3D printing tools without the steep learning curve.
Need to learn 3D modeling? Get started with interactive tutorials.