I’m looking to expand my horizons to more advanced models and from what I’ve seen, it seems that a good design starts with a good reference image. Typically with a front/side/back view. Does anyone know a good place for these/what reference images do you use? Or do you just freehand everything. I’m basically looking for tips for modeling. I’m using fusion for personal use.
Thanks in advance 
If it’s human forms you’re after, Print a Dummy 13/Carbon 13 and give em a pose.
That’s a good idea, but I’m looking more for objects or things I can CAD design or just modeling help in general. But thanks for the response
Google Images.
What are you trying to design? Or what problem are you trying to solve?
I’m not exactly certain quite yet, but I think I’ll do more game items or something along those lines. But google images doesn’t always have all angles/views so do you just eyeball/make up the rest?
A lot of the things I have designed come from hobbies I have. I got a new hobby, needed to upgrade / alter something and created new designs for them. After testing them I upload most of them to my Makerworld page.
So take a look at your hobbies and see if you get inspired to design something.
For example see this folder with designs for my VW camper Van.
I dont tend to directly copy things. But when I do “eyeballing it” is usually the strategy.
Like for example, I have been working on a model of the MS Queen Elizabeth, for most of the details, I have been using drone shots then trying to guess at it when modeling.
That’s cool, I’ll look into what I can make for my hobbies. Thanks for the idea
Ok, so get a general idea off of google and then just go to town? I can get behind that 
I go to Google, enter the type of object that I am looking for and then select images. Alamy tends to have the best pictures.
Wikimedia Commons also tends to have good images, many of them in SVG format which is good for things like logos and flags.
For vehicles, include the term blueprint in your search. This results in 3 or 4 view images, side, front, top, and back. Some are for sale but there are also free ones. There are several Fusion tutorials on YouTube modeling vehicles using these types of images.
.Lol. You picked my car, same color and all.
Sounds good thanks! I’ll give it a go.
Funnily enough I was thinking the other day it would be useful to have some sort of base model to build on, for example I wanted to create a little walker using the bambu walker but for the life of me don’t know how I would create the “socket” for it to fit into.
When I find a need for something, I figure out what the solution is for that need. I currently use Onshape/Blender to create the solution.
This is going to be a VOC Chamber based on a prototype i kicked out just after I got my printer.
In the case of stuff that Bambu offers on their store, they also include the model of the object to help you work with it. The link is on the store page under the heading “Documentation”. I am not sure I am competent enough to explain how to make use of it, but in the most basic way of describing it, you could use the model provided by Bambu to combine with your model to create the negative space needed. I have not tried it yet, but I am guessing that you could get way with using Bambu Studio to scale a suitable model and then use the walker model as a negative part modifier. (Disclaimer: I am not an expert! I think I understand how this works, but that is only in theory not in good solid practice yet!)
Ah thanks, think I missed that somewhere, will have a proper look!
That’s cool. So you get a general idea, print it, find issues and refine?
Cool! I didn’t know that. I’ll look into modeling things compatible with makers supply parts now.
Yes, exactly. Not everything there is printed. The brown is wood/plywood.
The light blue is plywood (just forgot to change the color).
The dark blue are Dry boxes from Amazon.
The green is modeled using measurement’s from the wood frame and printed.
what you can’t see from this image are 4 sets of print in place rollers that allow the printer to be pulled out for maintenance, filament change and reload, or to remove “spaghetti”. These rollers are my own design, but based on the concept of roller bearings, print in place bearings and the concepts introduced by rollerblades.
I still need to create walls for the chamber and the ventilation system.
Ok cool, so you use 3d modeling more as a planning and organizing tool along with creating. That’s interesting. I might do that.
