If you design it yourself, you're going to need a 3D modeling program. If you're going to print something on a 3D printer, you're either going to download an already-designed model from a repository like Thingiverse or MyMiniFactory - or you're going to design it yourself. In the same way that compilers convert human-readable lines of text into binary machine instructions that the CPU operates on, CAD/CAM programs and slicers comprise a pipeline converting human-viewable 3D models into G-code that fabrication machines operate on. Programmers will be very familiar with this approach. These are tools that let us create graphic representations of shapes, build them up, mold them, trim them, and turn them into digital models. Instead, we use 3D modeling tools, or CAD/CAM (for computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing).
The thing is, while some diehard 3D modelers will code in G-code, it's almost impossible for mortal humans to design complex 3D models directly in G-code. Codes can move a gantry to a specific X/Y/Z position, can control the heating and cooling of print heads, can instruct the printer to feed out filament, and more.
It consists of a relatively large number of numeric codes (many preceded by the letter "G", hence G-code) that function as commands that tell machines what specific actions they're to take.
The G-code we're looking at as a foundation for desktop fabrication goes all the way back to the 1950s and the MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory. Most 3D printers (and subtractive devices like CNC machines) use a programming language called G-code (not to be confused with the 1999 album by rapper Juvenile, the 2005 song by Geto Boys on their The Foundation album, or the album put out in 2008 by Korean rapper Eun Ji Won). Whether you're new to 3D printing or an old hand, ZDNet's 3D Printing Discovery Series will help you understand and get the most out of this amazing, accessible technology.
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