Here’s documentation that walks you though the design stages behind MAKE’s Mega Make robot — and they shared the files so that you can build your home Make Your Own Mega Make Robot, MAKE:

Mega Make’s origins are a rough sketch in my maker’s notebook, drawn in a sushi restaurant during lunch with my supervisor. The creation was to be the main protagonist in our stop-motion animated short about a giant robot fighting off an alien invasion. After much deliberation (and about a dozen California rolls) we finally agreed upon a design we both liked.

Using Autodesk Inventor’s precise incremental dimensions and simple lines and curves, I recreated that drawing as a 2D digital sketch. I had the proportions, but our character also needed to move. I found some old patents online for G.I. Joe action figures that had exploded views of various articulated joints that would work on the model. I also found various images of sci-fi robots to help inspire my design….

With the 2D sketch and reference material, I could start modeling the parts in 3D. I began with just the basic shapes of the torso, head, and various limbs, tweaking dimensions and contours to ensure the greatest range of motion for each piece. Once satisfied with the simple model, I could move on to my favorite part of the process: the details. I added bolts, vents, ridges, raised panels, rivets, power cells and more….

Read more.

Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!

The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!