Hardware:
For a start I would recommend a fully assembled device or at least a partially assembled 3d printer.
- What filaments you like to print? => hotend / heated bed temperature
- How big/small you like to print? => built area / printer type FDM/LCD
- Do you need more than one color/filament? => amount of extruders/nozzles
- Do you like to remove your print easy? => removable coated steel plate
- Do you like to see your printing process? => camera
Software:
- Blender 3D, OpenSCAD, FreeCAD, ...
- Slicer (convert STL to G-Code)
Tips/Hints:
- Meshmixer has tree supports
- A good leveling and a heated bed with a coated steel plate are the most important things
- With no heated bed and/or a smooth plate a brim ist always a good choice for better adhesion and hairspray makes it even better
Blender 3.x Settings:
- Scene Properties => Units => Unit System: Metric, Unit Scale: 0.001, Rotation: Degrees, Length: Millimeters
- Edit => Preferences... =>
- Interface: "Splash Screen"
- Add-ons: "3D View: MeasureIt", "Mesh: 3D-Print Toolbox", "Mesh: LoopTools", "Mesh: Edit Mesh Tools"
- Navigation: "Orbit Around Selection", "Zoom To Mouse Position"
- System: Cycles Render Device: CUDA if available
- 3 Lines => Save Preferences
- In Edit Mode > N > Item > Transform > Vertices: Global
- N > 3D-Print > Analyze > Check All
- N > 3D-Print > Clean Up > Make Manifold
- File > Defaults > Save Startup File