3D print from Blender: get a quote and order without exporting anything
The 3DPrint Barcelona add-on for Blender puts a tab in the 3D Viewport sidebar. Select your objects, pick a material, colour and quality, and a couple of seconds later you have the real price of 3D printing them, with a delivery date. If it works for you, order from the same panel — no STL export, no uploading files by hand, no leaving Blender.
Version 0.1.0 · 125 KB · Blender 4.2 or later · free
What the Blender 3D printing add-on does
An instant price, inside Blender
Material, colour, layer height, infill, finish, supports, quantity, lead time and shipping: change an option and update the price. You see the price per part, grams of material, print hours and the total including VAT.
All the heavy maths on your computer
Volume, surface area, size and the overhang and support analysis are computed on your machine by Blender’s core and NumPy. The website only receives a handful of numbers, so a two-million-triangle mesh is priced in under a second.
The same prices as the website
The add-on measures exactly as our online configurator does, and prices come from the same place. A model quoted in Blender costs the same as the same model uploaded on the website.
One-click ordering
When you confirm, the add-on uploads each object as a compressed 3MF, places the order and opens the order page, with how to pay, in your browser. The invoice also arrives by email, and we print it in our Barcelona workshop.
How to install the 3DPrint Barcelona add-on in Blender
It works in Blender 4.2 LTS and every later release, on Windows, macOS and Linux. Nothing else to install: it only uses what Blender already ships with.
- 1
Download the .zip
With the button above. Do not unzip it — Blender installs the .zip as it is.
- 2
Install it from Blender
Open Edit › Preferences › Get Extensions, click the ⌄ menu at the top right and choose “Install from Disk…”. Pick the .zip. You can also drag the .zip straight onto the Blender window.
- 3
Allow online access
Blender keeps add-ons offline until you say otherwise. Go to Preferences › System › Network and tick “Allow Online Access”. If you skip this, the panel will remind you.
- 4
Open the 3DPrint BCN tab
In the 3D Viewport press N to show the sidebar and open the “3DPrint BCN” tab. Click “Load materials and prices” and you are ready.
How to get a 3D printing quote for a model in Blender
- 1
Select what you want printed
Every selected object is one part of the order. The geometry is used as you see it, with modifiers applied (Mirror, Solidify, Boolean…), where it is and at its scale. The Z axis is the printer’s vertical.
- 2
Check the units
Scene units are used by default. If you model with 1 unit = 1 mm (usual for 3D printing even when the scene says metres), change it under “Units”. The panel shows the size in millimetres so there are no surprises.
- 3
Choose how to print it
Technology (FDM or resin), material, colour, quality, infill and finish. The options are the website’s own and update themselves: when something runs out, it drops off the menu.
- 4
Click “Get a price”
You get the price of each part, print hours and grams, and a warning where one is needed: an open mesh, a part too big for the printer, details too fine to print, or overhangs that need supports.
- 5
Place the order
Fill in your details once (they are kept in Blender’s preferences, on your computer), accept the privacy policy and click “Place the order”. The add-on uploads the models and opens your order page.
- 6
Pay, and we print it
The order page and the invoice that arrives by email show the amount and how to pay it. Once payment is in we print it in Barcelona and ship anywhere in Spain, or you can collect it from the workshop.
Tips for printing a Blender model well
- Close the mesh. An object with holes has no well-defined volume; the add-on warns you when it finds open edges. Blender’s 3D Print Toolbox extension helps find and fix them.
- Give surfaces thickness. A plane or a mesh with no thickness cannot be printed — use a Solidify modifier.
- Check the scale. The add-on uses the object’s scale, but a negative scale or a very different one on each axis is usually a modelling slip.
- Collection instances are not included yet: turn them into real objects first with Object › Apply › Make Instances Real.
- Orient the part the way you want it printed: the face touching the build plate is the bottom one in Blender, and it changes how much support is needed.
- For very dense meshes (sculpts with millions of faces), a Decimate modifier shrinks the file without any difference you could see in the print.
What is computed on your computer, and what we receive
To give you a price, the add-on measures the objects on your machine and sends only the measurements: volume, surface area, size and overhang data. The mesh does not leave your computer until you order.
When you order, only the selected objects are uploaded, as compressed 3MF files, together with your contact details. Your name, email and address are stored in Blender’s preferences on your computer, never inside the .blend file.
Supported Blender versions
| Blender | Python | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 4.2 LTS – 5.0 | 3.11 | Supported |
| 5.1 – 5.2 LTS | 3.13 | Supported |
| 4.1 or earlier | — | Not supported |
The add-on ships compiled for the Python each Blender bundles. If a future Blender moves to a new Python, the panel will tell you and point you back here for the new version.
Current release
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Requires
- Blender 4.2+
- Size
- 125 KB
- SHA-256
- 0ade21eeda1e593814fe13257d5d19b016a4ad5674e111214e97a01506a82c74
First public release: quotes with every option the website offers, support analysis on your computer, ordering with 3MF upload and a link to the order page.
Troubleshooting
The panel says online access is turned off
Enable Preferences › System › Network › Allow Online Access, then click “Load materials and prices” again.
The part comes out huge or tiny
It is the units. Change “Units” in the panel: if you modelled thinking in millimetres, choose “1 unit = 1 mm”. The sizes the panel shows are the sizes we will print.
Open-mesh warning
There are holes or loose faces. In Edit Mode, Select › Select All by Trait › Non Manifold highlights them. You still get a price, but the volume may be off.
The file is over the size limit
It happens with meshes of many millions of faces. Add a Decimate modifier to that part and try again, or write to us and we will send a link for large files.
The 3DPrint BCN tab does not appear
Check in Preferences › Add-ons that “3DPrint Barcelona: Quote and Order” is enabled, and press N in the 3D Viewport. On Blender 4.1 or earlier you need to update Blender.
Questions about 3D printing from Blender
Can you 3D print directly from Blender?
Yes. With this free add-on you get a price and order a 3D print without leaving Blender: select the objects, pick a material and click a button. We print it in Barcelona and ship it to you.
How much does the add-on cost?
Nothing. The add-on is free and the prices are exactly those of our online quote: you only pay for the print and the shipping.
Which materials can I choose from Blender?
The same as on the website: PLA, PETG and other engineering filaments on FDM, and resins for fine-detail parts, in every colour we have in stock. The list is downloaded from our shop each time, so it is always current.
Do I need to export an STL?
No. The add-on measures the objects directly and, when you order, writes a compressed 3MF of each one, which is much smaller than an STL and records its size in millimetres.
Does it work with modifiers and multiple parts?
Yes. What prints is what you see in the viewport, with modifiers applied. Every selected object is a separate part of the order, in the quantity you choose.
Are my models uploaded when I ask for a price?
No. A price only needs measurements (volume, surface area, size and overhangs). Files are uploaded only when you confirm the order.
Do you ship outside Barcelona?
Yes, anywhere in Spain, with the lead time and shipping price shown in the panel before you order. You can also collect from the workshop.
Rather do it on the website?
The online quote does the same with an STL, OBJ or 3MF dropped on the page. And if your project needs something special — long runs, materials not on the list, hand finishing — write to us.