Has anyone been using Adobe Illustrator to create 3D objects that can be exported as an obj and then sent to a 3D printer?
I’ve used blender but am really not that familiar with it. I am creating a small tray but am not 100% how to achieve the effect I’m looking for. It will be individual trays that will create a color wheel sort of shape when sitting next to each other. I am unsure of how to create the design with a bottom for filling liquid. If I turn the object into a 3D object in Ai, it just looks like the frame with no top or bottom.
My brother in law owns the 3D printer. He usually downloads free 3D models. He has minimal understanding of the software to create 3D models.
I actually had issues exporting through the steps you suggested but also still don’t know how to create a bottom to the design. I’m not sure how to articulate this. I’ll try again when I get a chance since I am going away tomorrow. I’ll attach better images for reference of what I mean.
In my honest opinion, I don’t think Illustrator is the tool for 3d modelling.
Sure you can make some quick simple work with cross-sections, but I would highly recommend to install a proper 3d modelling software and watch online tutorials.
For the sake of time, I sent my vector file to a ** contest site removed ** designer to have it made. 3D modeling is out of my wheelhouse and the amount of time and frustration in trying to figure out how to render this in Blender was worth paying someone else to resolve so I could finally move forward. I have worked with Blender in the past and have minimal experience but was still quite stuck and unable to find any tutorials specifically for what I needed.
The file came out great and I can make minor adjustments on my own if I need to. I’d love to see Illustrator incorporate some 3D modeling options in the future. Adobe’s AI features are amazing so far; I’m excited to see what else they come up with.
