Resources¶
A curated list of the sites worth bookmarking — where to find models, how to calibrate, where the real material numbers live, and where to ask for help. Every link was checked when this page was written; sites change, so report anything dead.
Data sheets beat forum posts
When a number matters (print temperature, HDT, drying time), get it from the manufacturer's technical data sheet (TDS) for that exact product, not from a forum thread or a reseller listing. See Material Selection for how to read and compare them.
Model repositories¶
| Site | What it's good for |
|---|---|
| Printables | Prusa's free model site; strong functional-print community, contests, and print-tested files |
| MakerWorld | Bambu Lab's site; huge catalogue, ready-to-print 3MF profiles, and browser customizers (Parametric Model Maker) |
| Thingiverse | The original repository; vast back-catalogue of older designs and Customizer models |
| Thangs | Search engine across repositories with geometric search — upload a shape, find similar models |
| Cults | Marketplace of free and paid designs (STL, 3MF, STEP) |
Check the licence
Most models carry a Creative Commons or custom licence. NC (non-commercial) means you can't sell prints; some designers offer a separate commercial tier.
Calibration guides¶
| Guide | Why use it |
|---|---|
| Ellis' Print Tuning Guide | Thorough, methodical tuning guide — first layer, pressure advance, extrusion multiplier, and more |
| OrcaSlicer Wiki — Calibration Guide | Recommended order for Orca's built-in tests: temperature, flow, pressure advance, retraction, max volumetric speed |
| OrcaSlicer Wiki | Reference for every Orca setting |
| Teaching Tech — 3D Printer Calibration | Step-by-step calibration (mainly Marlin) with G-code generators for test prints |
| Klipper — Configuration checks | First checks after installing Klipper |
| Klipper — Pressure advance | Tuning pressure advance on Klipper |
| Klipper — Resonance compensation | Input shaping to reduce ringing |
| Prusa Knowledge Base | Official Prusa guides; the calibration and troubleshooting articles are useful on any printer |
The calibration sequence itself is covered in Slicers & Firmware and Print Settings.
Material data sheets¶
| Brand | Where the TDS lives |
|---|---|
| Prusament | One page per material with print settings, a tech-sheet download and an SDS |
| Polymaker | Polymaker Wiki TDS index, a PDF per product |
| Bambu Lab — filament guide | Comparison of Bambu filaments; each product page carries its TDS |
| Bambu Lab Wiki — Filaments | Per-filament print and drying guidance |
| eSUN | Download centre: technical data sheets and guides, organised by material series |
| Overture | TDS and SDS PDFs for most filament lines, plus print profiles |
Communities¶
| Community | Best for |
|---|---|
| r/3Dprinting | General news, show-and-tell, discussion |
| r/FixMyPrint | Diagnosing failed prints — post a clear photo plus printer, slicer and material |
| r/prusa3d | Prusa printers, Prusament and PrusaSlicer |
| r/BambuLab | Bambu printers, AMS and Bambu Studio |
| r/gridfinity | Gridfinity sets and bin ideas |
| r/MultiBuild | Multiboard / MultiBuild |
| Klipper Discourse | Official Klipper forum — configs, macros, bug reports |
| Prusa Forum | Official Prusa community forum |
| Bambu Lab Community Forum | Official Bambu forum |
YouTube channels¶
| Channel | Known for |
|---|---|
| CNC Kitchen | Measured strength testing — infill, walls, heat-set inserts, annealing, materials |
| Teaching Tech | Calibration, upgrades and printer reviews |
| Made with Layers (Thomas Sanladerer) | In-depth explainers and reviews, firmware and hardware deep dives |
| Maker's Muse | Design-for-printing, print-in-place mechanisms, CAD tips |
| Slant 3D | Design for print farms and production — short, practical DFM tips |
| Vector 3D | Printer reviews, tests and tutorials |
| 3D Printing Nerd | Printer reviews and community news |
| Uncle Jessy | Printer and resin reviews, beginner-friendly |
| Zack Freedman | Creator of Gridfinity; maker projects |
| Keep Making | Creator of Multiboard; workshop organisation |
CAD learning¶
| Resource | Covers |
|---|---|
| FreeCAD Wiki — Tutorials | Official tutorials, including Basic Part Design and Sketcher |
| Onshape Learning Center | Free self-paced Onshape courses |
| Autodesk Fusion — self-paced learning | Official Fusion learning paths with videos and tutorials |
| Fusion Help | Fusion reference and step-by-step tutorials |
| OpenSCAD Documentation | Official docs hub |
| OpenSCAD CheatSheet | One-page language reference |
| OpenSCAD User Manual | Full manual (Wikibooks) |
| BOSL2 Wiki | The standard OpenSCAD library — threads, rounding, attachments |
| build123d docs | Python CAD on OpenCascade; exports STEP and STL |
| CadQuery docs | Python parametric CAD, also OpenCascade-based |
| Blender Manual | Official manual — for organic/sculpted models rather than precise parts |
For which tool to pick, and STL vs 3MF vs STEP, see CAD & Tools.
Generators & tools¶
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| gridfinity.xyz | Gridfinity wiki with a list of generators and CAD libraries |
| Gridfinity Generator | Web tool for Gridfinity boxes, baseplates and STL cut-outs |
| Perplexing Labs Gridfinity Generator | Form-based Gridfinity bins and baseplates (also hosts an openGrid tile generator) |
| Gridfinity Rebuilt | Parametric OpenSCAD bins and baseplates |
| openGrid useful links | Official index of openGrid generators, snaps and adapters |
| MultiBuild tools | Multiboard planner, plate generators, label generator |
| OpenSCAD Customizer | Built-in parameter panel — run any parametric .scad locally instead of a web customizer |
| Thingiverse Customizer | The original web customizer for OpenSCAD models |
| Text2STL | Free text/label/sign generator that exports STL |
Details on each modular system, plus CadQuery/build123d libraries, are in Modular Systems.