3D Printing Without Wi-Fi

Today I was unable to send a print job wirelessly from my Mac to my Bambu Lab A1 3D printer because our Spectrum internet service went down.

I am accustomed to sending print jobs wirelessly to my 3D printer, in fact I have never done it any other way. Because I can turn my iPhone into a hotspot with my Visible Wireless cellular plan, I connected both my laptop and 3D printer to my hotspot. The connection was slow partly because I have the basic plan with 5 Mbps hotspot speeds but also because my 3D printer is located on the first floor where cellular reception is somewhat spotty. It is good enough for phone calls but not so great when it comes to transmitting larger amounts of data.

I sliced my model in Bambu Studio as I normally do. I then sent the print job which normally occurs in 2 phases. First, Bambu Studio uploads the print job from my laptop to Bambu Lab’s cloud service. Second, it downloads the print job from the Bambu Lab cloud to the 3D printer. It slowly but successfully uploaded the 4.1 MB print job to the cloud. However, the 3D printer struggled for a while to download the print job from the cloud and eventually failed.

Therefore, I reverted to the tried and true local printing method via microSD card which bypasses the internet. After slicing my model in Bambu Studio, instead of sending the print job via the cloud, I chose the “Export plate sliced file” option. From there, a “Save sliced file as:” dialog box allowed me to save a .gcode.3mf file. I placed the .gcode.3mf file in the root directory of the microSD card that came with my Bambu Lab A1 3D printer and powered up the printer. After staring up, I pressed the “Print Files” option on the home screen and selected my .gcode.3mf file. From there, I was able to toggle options for AMS, dynamic flow calibration, and bed leveling, just as I would have done when sending a print job from Bambu Studio via cloud printing. It worked like a charm.

With my first 3D printer, a Creality Ender 3 V2 Neo, I printed exclusively via microSD card because it did not offer a wireless option (at least not natively). Although printing via microSD card is not complex, it certainly is more convenient for me to send print jobs wirelessly than to transfer my microSD card between my computer (2nd floor) and 3D printer (1st floor). Some folks have concerns about privacy when sending print jobs through Bambu Lab cloud services, but I have no such concerns because all my prints are for fun and entertainment, and I have nothing to hide. I like the convenience of cloud printing and will appreciate it even more after my Spectrum internet service is restored!

3D Model Figurine Generators

I started 3D printing as a hobby in May 2023. At the time, most of my 3D prints were of models that other people created and uploaded to free online repositories such as the ones I’ve described here. I then took the next logical step of learning a CAD application called Tinkercad to create my own simple models. For some specific use cases, I’ve experimented with 3D modeling streets and terrain. Generative artificial intelligence exploded onto the scene in recent years, and now there are many websites that allow users to upload a photo and automatically generate a 3D figurine without knowing anything about mesh modeling of curved surfaces. In this post, I compare 2 free 3D figurine generators: PrintU by Bambu Lab and FanForge by Creality.

As depicted in the image at the top, I uploaded the same photo to PrintU and FanForge and generated 3D models. Both PrintU and FanForge had relatively easy to understand wizard interfaces, and both websites offered variations for how to generate the 3D models. I generated 3 variations in each application, and screenshots of the 3D models are presented below.

As you can see, the 3 models generated by PrintU were far more realistic than the ones generated by FanForge. In fact, the FanForge models did not even remotely match the facial features that were in the uploaded photo. The FanForge models were more “artistic” which could partially explain their deviation from reality, but if the starting point is a bust photo, I have an expectation that the resultant model should bear some resemblance.

I’d have to experiment with additional models generated by different photos before drawing more definitive conclusions, but my initial impression is that PrintU is the clear winner in this head to head comparison.

Watching UFC Became More Affordable

I have been a fan of mixed martial arts for more than a decade, and I think most people would agree that the most compelling fights are in the UFC. When UFC launched in 1993, broadcasting was exclusively via pay-per-view (PPV). In 2005, UFC partnered with Spike TV which marked their transition from a fringe sport into mainstream entertainment. In 2011, UFC signed its first major network TV deal with FOX Sports.

In 2019, the UFC signed a deal with ESPN. Fans could watch UFC Fight Night events on ESPN+ (available by subscription for $11.99/month or $119.99/year in 2025), whereas numbered UFC events (featuring championship fights and more popular fighters) were all PPV events ($79.99 per event in 2025, on top of the cost of and ESPN+ subscriptions). In other words, it was very expensive to be a UFC fan.

UFC’s transition to Paramount+ in 2026 was a big deal for the UFC and its fans. The most obvious change was the abandonment of the PPV model. Now a subscription to Paramount+ gives viewers access to both Fight Nights and numbered events. Paramount+ Essential is ad supported and costs $8.99/month or $89.99/year. Paramount+ Premium without ads costs $13.99/month or $139.99/year. For a hardcore UFC fan who watches every event, the cost of watching UFC on Paramount+ is roughly one tenth the cost of ESPN+. Hooray!

But how does this make any sense from a business perspective? I believe that the strategic play from Paramount+ is to change the model from price-gouging devoted UFC fans to adding compelling live sports content to its streaming platform. The net effect I think Paramount+ is aiming for is to increase the number of subscribers and to increase retention. On the latter point, when I subscribe to a streaming service, there are a limited number of movies and shows that I enjoy watching, so I am likely to eventually cancel my subscription. However, given that UFC has live events almost on a weekly basis, I will continue to tune in and am more likely to renew my subscription.

I subscribed to the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential plan and really enjoyed watching the first 2 events of 2026, UFC 324 and UFC 325 (which by the way is the first time that I ever recall there being back-to-back numbered UFC events). It was great to watch these numbered UFC events without the PPV price tag. One complaint I had about the broadcasting of UFC 324 was that they didn’t do a great job with the timing of the advertisements. I had expected ads with my Paramount+ Essential plan, but sometimes they would run ads in between rounds when I would prefer to hear what is being discussed in the fighters’ corners. This very issue was discussed in the UFC 324 post-fight press conference with UFC CEO Dana White at the 5:06 mark. I felt that they did a better job in UFC 325 in broadcasting the corner work, so it feels to me that Dana White and Paramount+ had targeted that as an area of improvement, and I expect that this will be a permanent change.

I previously wrote about how the UFC excels not only as a mixed martial arts company but also as a production company. With Paramount+, the UFC continues to provide undisputedly fantastic content and does so at an affordable price. Under Paramount+, I look forward to seeing further growth of the UFC brand as its fights become more accessible to general audiences. By extension, I hope this also results in the growth of the sport of mixed martial arts as a whole.