I have a 3D printer. It's really awesome for some things, and really terrible for other things. It's also (often) a slow and iterative process.CAD is usually the first step, and that is an entire skill set unto itself. This is not to be trivialized. Learning CAD is a big step.Scanning parts is certainly possible, but not straightforward. As mentioned elsewhere, even if you can scan a part, you'll likely need to clean it up in CAD or a CAD-like tool.Alternatively, you can download parts from Thingiverse (and elsewhere) but you get what you get, and might not be able to customize.Slicing is pretty straightforward, but here again there is a lot of iteration, as you typically need to experiment with settings to find what works for your printer in your environment using the filament you are using. It's closer to voodoo than science.Printing is the final step, and yet again, iteration is the key. Getting the prints to stick to the bed is a challenge for many. Getting prints to release from the bed is sometimes also a challenge. There are techniques that make it better, or worse, or do nothing, depending on your setup and environment and printer and filament. Again, voodoo.So if you like to tinker, and have hours and hours to spend researching, printing, adjusting, and printing again, then 3D printing is a great hobby.You might even end up with some plastic trinkets of deformed yoda figurines as a reward for your troubles.
