Lee Family 2024 Year In Review

It’s hard to believe that the Lee Family 2024 Year in Review newsletter is our 20th edition! We hope you enjoy reading it, and we look forward to connecting with friends and family during the holidays and into the new year.

All 20 editions of our Year In Review newsletters are hosted on Dropbox, and the 2014 edition and beyond have associated blog entries. Our home movies are available on Victor’s YouTube channel where you can see footage of our Big Island vacation, extended GoPro footage of our manta ray excursion, the “Great American Eclipse” on April 8, and Victor’s visit to Indiana Dunes National Park—all from 2024.

3D Model Repositories

If you’re a 3D printing hobbyist like me, you might enjoy downloading and printing 3D models that other people have painstakingly created. Whether your 3D prints have practical applications (e.g., containers, GoPro mounts, phone holders), are used for decorative display (e.g., art sculptures, HueForge prints, figurines), provide entertainment (e.g., games, puzzles), or other reasons, there is a chance that somebody has created a model that meets your criteria. There are many repositories where 3D models can be sold or even downloaded for free. Here are my 3 favorite model repositories.

Thingiverse is one of the early pioneers of open source 3D models and is one of my favorite repositories. It has a long history and is currently owned by a 3D printer manufacturer called Ultimaker. Ultimaker is also the developer of an open source slicer called Cura, and while Thingiverse features an “Open in Cura” button in its model download page, that is currently the full extent of its workflow integration with a slicer. However, I like Thingiverse because it features one of the largest libraries of 3D models around, and everything that you see on Thingiverse can be downloaded for free. Designers who upload 3D models to Thingiverse can connect their accounts to one of several donation platforms (PayPal, Ko-fi, Github, Patreon, or BuyMeACoffee) to accept tips, but beyond a relatively inconspicuous “Tip designer” button on each 3D model’s page, the central focus of Thingiverse is around sharing open source models rather than commerce.

MakerWorld is a newer 3d model repository that is owned by 3D printer manufacturer Bambu Lab. MakerWorld is another one of my favorite repositories because it has a very active designer community that uploads an extensive assortment of 3D models. All models in MakerWorld are free, and there is an unobtrusive incentive system for designers to earn points that can be redeemed for Bambu Lab merchandise. It features workflow integration with Bambu Labs’ default slicer, Bambu Studio, in the form of print profiles. Any 3D model may be linked with 1 or more print profiles which includes slicer settings such as layer height, wall loops, infill density, or other slicer settings that are uploaded by the original designer or other users who have downloaded and successfully printed the same 3D model. Simply clicking on a print profile on the MakerWorld website results in launching and loading the model into Bambu Studio, along with the relevant slicer settings in the chosen print profile. Despite this tight integration with the Bambu Lab ecosystem, models can be downloaded and sliced in other slicers and printed with 3D printers other than Bambu Lab.

Printables is owned by Prusa Research, the same company that manufactures open source Prusa 3D printers and develops PrusaSlicer. Most models in Printables are free, although Printables features a separate Store where designers can sell their models as well. I appreciate how the free models are shown by default, and a user must navigate to the Store section of the website to browse and purchase models that are sold for a fee. There is a reward system where designers and visitors can collect points in exchange for filament or other rewards. Models can be downloaded or opened in PrusaSlicer, although there do not appear to be any print profiles that accompany the model files.

In addition to my 3 favorite model repositories above, there are some honorable mentions that I’ll briefly discuss.

Creality Cloud is owned by—you guessed it—Creality. There are free and paid models mixed together, and there is print profile integration with Creality 3D printers. This appears to be a recent development, but I have not been able to test it because I no longer have a Creality printer. Much of the user experience centers around 3D model sales, so I generally don’t visit this repository regularly.

Cults 3D is an independent, self-financed site that is run by 4 guys in France who state in their “About” page that their advantage is they they not accountable to any investor or brand. Although there are both paid and free models, one thing I like about their search function is that the results page can be filtered to show only free models.

Thangs is registered to Physna, a company that advertises itself as providing the the world’s leading geometric search engine. It contains a lot of free models, and also has a marketplace for buying and selling models.

Are there other 3D model repositories that you like to use often? Feel free to leave a comment and describe your favorite 3D model repository.

3D Printing and Air Quality, Part 3

I previously discussed 3D printing air quality issues and mitigation approaches here and here. In this post, I’d like to highlight another informative resource—a YouTube video by Jonathan Levi whose screen name is The Next Layer. His video is called “I was DEAD WRONG about air quality” and can be viewed here:

He admits that he is not a scientist, and he also acknowledges that his video is sponsored by a company that makes a featured air circulation unit. That being said, his semi-scientific methods led him to some insightful conclusions. First of all, air filtration is an important approach to improving air quality, but air circulation (room ventilation) are just as important, and a multi-pronged approach may be needed to purify air in 3D printing workspaces. He also noted that despite a combination of filtration and circulation, it often took a long time (e.g., sometimes overnight) to bring air quality back to normal. He also pointed out that outside air can have its own impurities—namely particular matter—depending on where you live. But the impurities of outside air are likely to be particular matter and less likely to be volatile organic compounds, so air circulation would still likely be highly beneficial.

Check out the links in his video description for other informative resources.

Amazon Replacement and UPS Pickup

I previously wrote about Amazon shipping AirPods Pro 2 to me with a damaged box, as well as the process for getting the damaged product replaced. I began the process of returning the damaged product a couple days later, at which time I noticed that the return shipment required that I pay postage:

I called Amazon and stated that because they shipped a damaged product to me, I felt that I should not have to pay for shipping. They agreed and arranged instead for a next-day postage-paid UPS pickup. I asked if they could give me a UPS shipping label instead because it is more convenient for me to drop off a package at the UPS Store on my own time than to coordinate a pickup with a UPS driver. The Amazon representative apologized and stated that they were only authorized to provide a UPS pickup option at this time, but if they fail to pick up after 3 attempts, I could call Amazon again to make other arrangements. I was asked to provide either an email or phone number where I could be contacted, and I provided my cell phone number so that UPS could contact me in real time.

Amazon sent me an email with a link to instructions for the UPS pickup. It provided instructions on how to package the AirPods Pro 2. It provided me with a barcode which I was instructed to place inside my return package in case the shipping label was damaged, and a lithium battery hazmat label which was to be affixed to the outside of the return package.

The next day rolled around, and because I had not received any communication from UPS about a scheduled pickup, I called UPS. They confirmed that I was scheduled for a package pickup, and I was given a time window of 2-7 PM. I was home all day, except for a 45-minute period during which I had to pick up my daughter from school. I did not receive any communication from UPS by the late evening—no phone call, no knock on my door, and no note stating that they made delivery attempt #1 of 3.

I called UPS the following day, and I was told that UPS attempted a pickup the previous day, but I did not answer. I asked why they did not call me, and UPS stated that the drivers are not allowed to call customers. I stated that Amazon asked for my email or phone number for communication purposes, but I guess the Amazon representative was incorrect in stating that my phone number could be used for such communication. I then asked the UPS representative if instead of a pickup I could drop off the package at at a UPS Store, and he said yes—in fact, the bar code could be scanned at a UPS Store and converted into a shipping label.

The UPS driver did pick up my package on attempt #2 later that day, but the moral of the story is that if you are given a barcode for a UPS pickup, apparently you also have the option to drop off the package at a UPS Store, contrary to what the Amazon representative told me. I hope this helps someone in a similar situation.