3D Printing is something that fascinates me. It's amazing to see what can be made on a printer and how it can help people. I'd love to have a 3D printer myself. Not that I have any idea what I'd make with it, but it would be fun. This book is for people who are curious about printing and want more information without going too in depth as well as people who are new to the field who need information and quickly.

The book has a lot of great information in it, with a lot of photos to go along with it. At the end of each section there is also resources that you can check out if you are looking to find out more about each of the areas of 3D printing. Some of the things shown in this book are amazing - from figurines to castles to prosthetics.

This book was very interesting and I am still hoping that some day I'll be making something with a 3D printer!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review.
review will be posted august 14

This book is an excellent overview and summary of the 3D printing industry today. Each chapter of this book is packed full of additional reference materials on the topics discussed in that section.

As someone who actively tries to keep up with the technology of 3D printing for the last 3 or more years and who owns a home 3D printer, I can honestly say that there is information in this book that I had not read previously.

This book is an excellent starting point to get more details on most aspects of 3D printing today in both the industrial setting as well as the consumer setting. The book contains more than 200 references to other online websites, resources and books that the two authors have researched, cataloged and summarized for their readers and which can be used to delve deeper into all current aspects of 3D printing.

There are five major chapters in the book. The first chapter provides an overview of what 3D printing is and how it works. This chapter also includes suggestions of other online resources, 24 references and 12 additional books that help provide more details on the various aspects of 3D printing technology.

The second chapter covers examples of how and where 3D printing is used today and in some cases the directions those industries are focusing their research for the future. This chapter has 54 additional references for the reader to delve deeper into specific industries and technologies.

The third chapter discusses what is involved with going from concept to final results and explains in reasonable detail the work that it takes to produce a result from the concept and what types of software tools are needed to get to a final result. The chapter discusses the details about what types of software tools are needed to create 3D printed designs, what the purpose of the various tools are, and the steps it takes to go from concept to completion. Additionally, there is some discussion of actual tools that are currently used today. This chapter provides an additional 120 references on various topics discussed.

The fourth chapter talks about the things to consider when making a decision to buy a 3D printer versus using a 3D printing service instead. The book does not review the multitude of 3D printers but does point out there are a choice of at least 300 printers and/or manufacturers as of the printing of the book. Instead, it discusses general things to consider before making a purchase and does not provide any specific vendor recommended solutions that are likely to be out of date in days or months from now. This chapter does talk about some of the larger printing services and explains what it takes to get results from a printing service by means of showing the reader how the authors accomplished this task. This chapter provides an additional 17 references on various topics discussed.

The fifth and final chapter is an actual step-by-step walk-through using a free product from Autodesk called Meshmixer to go through the process of creating a 3D screwdriver model that the reader can replicate and get made as a way of providing an example of 3D printing the reader can do themselves.

Overall, I think this is an excellent introduction to 3D printing and the underlying technologies. I really enjoyed the book and read it cover to cover in one sitting. Next, I plan to go back through the multitude of references provided by the authors, read and use them as needed. This aloe extends the readability of this book for a very long time.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I am a newbie to 3D Printing. This book was very informative and instructional, full of clearly explained facts and processes. The authors have a friendly, approachable style that explains jargon rather than using it to confound the neophyte reader. There is no condescension here, only an excellent and comprehensive discussion of the different types of 3D printing and what's involved in 3D Printing (hardware, software, materials, etc.)

The authors include a number of references with each chapter. They also list Open Source alternatives (such as Blender software for 3D modeling) which is very useful for the financially challenged.

Overall an excellent educational resource for 3D Printing novices.

This book really blow me away, didn't really know much about 3D printing apart from the fact the architects use it. This actually explains all the other things that it can be used for, how it works - and it goes further into the technical side. The book is easy to read and understand even for a 64year old. The future looks both scary and exciting - the good that this does now, and what may be able to be achieve in the future, is mind boggling. It is not often that a find a book on technology that I can understand. The book would also be useful for people who want a more technical information, with references and where to go to sites.
This book was supplied to me in return for a honest and unbiased review.