kmanstudios 1,120
I started printing cubes and such as test objects and thingiverse provided calibration models. Cubes and cylinder type stuff allowed me to check the printer's accuracy. The calibration models allowed me to find thins like overhang angles it stopped printing well as well as holes, text, etc. They are also quick prints.
I have been designing things for a long time, so that part was easy. But starting out with something like a 3D Printer and calibration models allowed me to be comfortable in my printer's and slicer's capabilities.
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gr5 1,931
First have a goal. What do you want to print. Art? Brackets? No idea? If no idea then type "kitchen" as a search term in thingiverse.com. Or type your car. Or walk around your house looking for something broken.
Once you have a general idea we can then talk about what CAD you should learn. Or you can use this nice guide. All the CAD programs out there has endless and wonderful tutorials.
https://www.gliffy.com/go/publish/5271448
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GregValiant 891
Slicing things and then printing them helps improve you knowledge of Cura (or whatever slicer you choose) and your knowledge of your printer. Most of the common files found on sites like Thingiverse are either Artsy Craftsy stuff, or Printer Bling. (I have my share.)
Moving to the kitchen or garage and designing your own functional parts to repair something or to fill a need, and then printing those parts, is much more satisfying. I think that the trial and error to get a part just right or to incorporate a new "thought" into a design turns simple printing into a full blown hobby. Just printing off-the-shelf parts that I may have downloaded is more like production work. Printing things that are a result of my own imagination is a lot more fun.
Most CAD software has a similar thought behind it for 3D. You make a shape on a "plane", and then extrude the shape. In basic 3d CAD, the shape must be precisely made so the extrusion is the right size. In a parametric modeler, dimensions drive the size. In general, it is a lot easier to edit a parametric model since you only need to change the dimensions. To edit a 3d solid, you need to make "cuts" or add more "extrusions" to change the shape.
So whatever CAD program you decide to start with, the knowledge learned will somewhat carry-over into another program if you feel a need to move on. The toolbars and commands might be named something totally different in the next software though. Navigation through the menus and commands might be the hardest part when switching software. You know what you want to do but can't find the tool that does it.
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