So this is a dog house. But modeling it isn’t enough — I also need to figure out how to bring it to life.
Originally, I was planning to 3D-print the entire frame. But the dog house is roughly 1×1×2m — it would’ve taken around 10 kg of filament, a full week of printing, and hundreds of parts.
I even ended up writing a Python script for Blender (yes, that happens too) that generates flat surfaces and slices the model into appropriately sized segments.
But while printing just one of the parts, a major issue popped up — thin-walled curved surfaces started warping badly after about 10 cm in height. Fixing it would require either designing internal ribs for reinforcement or drastically increasing wall thickness.
And then it hit me — I could just unfold the model into flat pieces and glue it together from paper.
Turns out there's even a special program for that — Pepakura. I used it to unfold everything, and within a couple of hours, I was already holding full-size A0 printouts of the patterns in my hands.
Originally, I was planning to 3D-print the entire frame. But the dog house is roughly 1×1×2m — it would’ve taken around 10 kg of filament, a full week of printing, and hundreds of parts.
I even ended up writing a Python script for Blender (yes, that happens too) that generates flat surfaces and slices the model into appropriately sized segments.
But while printing just one of the parts, a major issue popped up — thin-walled curved surfaces started warping badly after about 10 cm in height. Fixing it would require either designing internal ribs for reinforcement or drastically increasing wall thickness.
And then it hit me — I could just unfold the model into flat pieces and glue it together from paper.
Turns out there's even a special program for that — Pepakura. I used it to unfold everything, and within a couple of hours, I was already holding full-size A0 printouts of the patterns in my hands.
I have an electric underfloor heating system in my bathroom, which is especially handy during hot water outages.
For the past four years, it was controlled by a "smart" thermostat integrated with Home Assistant, but recently it stopped turning on.
Fortunately, the exact same model is still available on the market — I ordered it, removed the old one, installed the new one, and everything works again.
As a bonus — here’s a 4-minute timelapse compressed into 5 seconds from a thermal camera, clearly showing where the heating cable runs under the floor. Not bad, even with the thermostat’s low resolution.
I remember the first time I turned it on — I sat on the floor trying to feel if it was actually heating, and after 5 minutes I got disappointed thinking it wasn’t working. I couldn’t feel any difference by touch. There’s a thick layer of screed above the cable and 8 mm of porcelain tile. But after about 30 minutes it had warmed up, and it’s been heating every day on schedule ever since, for 4 years straight.
For the past four years, it was controlled by a "smart" thermostat integrated with Home Assistant, but recently it stopped turning on.
Fortunately, the exact same model is still available on the market — I ordered it, removed the old one, installed the new one, and everything works again.
As a bonus — here’s a 4-minute timelapse compressed into 5 seconds from a thermal camera, clearly showing where the heating cable runs under the floor. Not bad, even with the thermostat’s low resolution.
I remember the first time I turned it on — I sat on the floor trying to feel if it was actually heating, and after 5 minutes I got disappointed thinking it wasn’t working. I couldn’t feel any difference by touch. There’s a thick layer of screed above the cable and 8 mm of porcelain tile. But after about 30 minutes it had warmed up, and it’s been heating every day on schedule ever since, for 4 years straight.
A new video generator was just released promising better quality and anatomy.
Overall, it delivers solid results. You get 500 credits when registering with a Google account — that’s enough for 20 six-second videos. Both img2video and txt2video modes are available.
For example: a cat walking on a rope over a river filled with crocodiles.
The second video is from Sora by OpenAI, which was the top generator a couple of years ago — that’s the best I managed to get from it with the same prompt after 20 generations. Hailuo nailed it in just one try.
Overall, it delivers solid results. You get 500 credits when registering with a Google account — that’s enough for 20 six-second videos. Both img2video and txt2video modes are available.
For example: a cat walking on a rope over a river filled with crocodiles.
The second video is from Sora by OpenAI, which was the top generator a couple of years ago — that’s the best I managed to get from it with the same prompt after 20 generations. Hailuo nailed it in just one try.
Just released a short blog article about my DIY leveling rake project.
The full build process is now available in a compact video format. You can also watch it on YouTube.
I’ve already shared some behind-the-scenes and demo clips in Telegram, but this post gives a bit more detail — both in the write-up and in the expanded video version.
The full build process is now available in a compact video format. You can also watch it on YouTube.
I’ve already shared some behind-the-scenes and demo clips in Telegram, but this post gives a bit more detail — both in the write-up and in the expanded video version.
The tech fleet just got an upgrade — a treadmill (well, more like a walking pad — top speed is 8 km/h).
In the near future, I’ve got a project lined up: a wall-mounted desk with adjustable height. I want to finally try this whole "working while standing" thing.
I’ve already bought half the materials. But hey — why stop at standing when you can work while walking? Just slide the treadmill under the desk, raise it to a comfortable height — and walk, whether you're on a call or getting things done.
I actually started from the end: to design it properly, I needed to know the treadmill's exact dimensions so I could figure out how to mount it to the wall, how the lifting or sliding mechanism would work, and other purely engineering concerns.
What’s left: draw the design in CAD, order decorative panels and the counterweight (yep, no motor drive planned) — and assemble everything.
The photo shows a quick mock-up in place. For now, there's just a small temporary desk standing there.
In the near future, I’ve got a project lined up: a wall-mounted desk with adjustable height. I want to finally try this whole "working while standing" thing.
I’ve already bought half the materials. But hey — why stop at standing when you can work while walking? Just slide the treadmill under the desk, raise it to a comfortable height — and walk, whether you're on a call or getting things done.
I actually started from the end: to design it properly, I needed to know the treadmill's exact dimensions so I could figure out how to mount it to the wall, how the lifting or sliding mechanism would work, and other purely engineering concerns.
What’s left: draw the design in CAD, order decorative panels and the counterweight (yep, no motor drive planned) — and assemble everything.
The photo shows a quick mock-up in place. For now, there's just a small temporary desk standing there.
Dog house. I ended up with quite a number of paper sheets — they almost completely covered two rooms in the apartment.
Next, I decided to start by making frames for all the vertical partitions — basically to have some kind of structural foundation.
I created the model in Blender using simple boolean operations on the existing model. Then I sliced this frame in Orca Slicer into printable pieces (the print bed is 30×30 cm), printed them, and assembled everything using a 3D pen, going over all the seams around the perimeter (dumbbell plates served as clamps).
After that, I began assembling the individual parts of the doghouse (since the whole thing wouldn't fit through any doorway) — and even at this stage it became clear that the number of frames wasn’t sufficient. So I printed additional frames for the outer "edges" of the model and also a separate one for the top section, following the same approach.
Next, I decided to start by making frames for all the vertical partitions — basically to have some kind of structural foundation.
I created the model in Blender using simple boolean operations on the existing model. Then I sliced this frame in Orca Slicer into printable pieces (the print bed is 30×30 cm), printed them, and assembled everything using a 3D pen, going over all the seams around the perimeter (dumbbell plates served as clamps).
After that, I began assembling the individual parts of the doghouse (since the whole thing wouldn't fit through any doorway) — and even at this stage it became clear that the number of frames wasn’t sufficient. So I printed additional frames for the outer "edges" of the model and also a separate one for the top section, following the same approach.
I was on the second day of printing, doing my best to save the job.
First, one of the walls (3mm thick) detached from the bed, so I had to fix the model in place with clamps. Then the filament ran out at the worst possible moment—not once, but twice.
But in the end, it all turned out well. The model is a spice organizer for a drawer. The oddly beveled corners are there to allow the model to fit on the printer bed. The drawer is 31 cm wide plus side lips, while the printer bed is 30×30 cm.
The moral of the story:
* always remember to print a skirt or brim for better bed adhesion;
* always keep an eye on your filament stock;
* and finally set up the filament runout sensor in Klipper—so you don’t have to babysit the printer the whole time.
I remember a time when I refused to print anything utilitarian if it seemed like it “used too much plastic” (say, 300 grams)—but now filament vanishes by the kilo. This model alone weighs about 800 grams.
P.S. I could watch bridges being printed forever.
First, one of the walls (3mm thick) detached from the bed, so I had to fix the model in place with clamps. Then the filament ran out at the worst possible moment—not once, but twice.
But in the end, it all turned out well. The model is a spice organizer for a drawer. The oddly beveled corners are there to allow the model to fit on the printer bed. The drawer is 31 cm wide plus side lips, while the printer bed is 30×30 cm.
The moral of the story:
* always remember to print a skirt or brim for better bed adhesion;
* always keep an eye on your filament stock;
* and finally set up the filament runout sensor in Klipper—so you don’t have to babysit the printer the whole time.
I remember a time when I refused to print anything utilitarian if it seemed like it “used too much plastic” (say, 300 grams)—but now filament vanishes by the kilo. This model alone weighs about 800 grams.
P.S. I could watch bridges being printed forever.