Having a solid 3D model of an electronic component you are looking to use is great for more than just renders — you can use a model like this to check for mounting and fit in a virtual model of your project, and then produce your parts by 3D printing, milling, or laser-cutting when you are ready.

If you need to convert this to an .STL, .OBJ, or similar model, there are a number of free CAD programs (FreeCAD and HeeksCAD) that have STEP/IGES import functionality that can export what you need. This project is by Jamie, shared on Thingiverse as Thing 39981:

This is a solid model of Adafruit’s 12mm Thin RGB LED Pixels.

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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!