I have been so excited to test out my new FDM 3D printer, and while I have some 3D experience, I'm a bit out of practice. I expected the learning curve would be steep before I'd be able to reliably print my own 3D models. Most of my recent experience is in Adobe Illustrator, and I've made extensive use of the 3D effects in the past to create isometric illustrations, so it was perfect timing for Illustrator to come out with an update to 3D tools. I was very quickly able to generate 3D models and export OBJ models that my printer handled with impressive ease. The process could not have gone smoother.
Working in Adobe Illustrator I knew I could work with real-world units and created a blueprint of my design based on the measurements of my phone and angle I wanted it to rest at. I then used those same shapes from the blueprint I created and applied the 3D effects. I was even able to create a textured version using the filament color I had on hand. Once I had everything setup, I used asset export to export individual OBJs for the pieces I would need to assemble. I laid them out flat and sliced everything according to my specific printer in Cura, a free 3D Printing app, and sent the gcode file to my printer. Within about 5 hours I had my print!
