There is a reason why 3D simulation games like The Sims are so popular. In case of The Sims, it is not really about being able to play god and run the lives of computer-generated people. For many players of this game, it is more about the ability to build a house from scratch, design it however the way you like it and then furnish it to your heart's content. The most recent version of the game even has a sophisticated item customization system that allows you to personalize your house fully.
If building imaginary houses using 3D software is a passion of yours, you can actually go a step further than just dragging your mouse to build walls in games like The Sims. You can get yourself a 3D printer, draw your house using simple CAD software and then print it out. You can have an actual 3D model of a house of your own creation.
How Does It Work?
If you have heard of 3D printing before, your idea of the 3D printer may be that it is a big machine that engineers and architects use for to create scale models. You may have also heard that these machines are very expensive. These notions about 3D printing are certainly true.
Now William pulled the lever down,
And click-clack went the printing-press.
William was the only printer in town
Who had peeped while the angels undress.
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)
But there are now cheaper and handier alternatives to the 3D printing machines that engineers and architects use. You can actually build your own 3D printer if you have the patience for it. To do this, you simply need to download instructions from a fabber website, buy the parts and materials you will need, and then start building. Or you can buy a commercially made 3D printer; they go for anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000.
A 3D printer is certainly quite a costly toy to play with, but eventually you can get a lot of returns from it. The simple reason is that you can build almost anything with a 3D printer, including a model house.
Building a Model House
So, how do you build a scale of your dream house with a 3D printer? The process is simple. First, you come up with a drawing of your house. If you play The Sims, you would already be an adept at this. But there are other simple CAD software that you can easily learn how to use.
Although then a printer by trade, he listed himself in this early directory as an antiquarian. When he was asked the reason for this he replied that he always thought every town should have at least one antiquarian, and since none appeared for the post, he volunteered.
—For the State of Iowa, U. S. public relief program (1935-1943)
Once you are done with your drawing, you can feed the file to the 3D printer. The software that the printer comes with will slice your drawing into layers along the cross-section before processing it. If your house is too big for the printer, you can build it in parts and then glue the parts together.
Designing a house and then building a scale model using a 3D printer helps a lot in visualizing your dream house. As they say, visualizing your dream will make it turn into reality someday.
John C Arkin from printcountry.com the contributor of PrintCountry Articles. More information on the subject is at How to Design Your Own Home with 3D Printing, and related resources can be found at Epson Cartridges.