There must be zillions and zillions of calibration blocks out there measuring exactly 20 x 20 x 10 mm! Or do they really have that dimension? 
Measuring the objects made by a 3D printer and calibrating the settings accordingly can be a tedious but fun task to do.
Most operators of 3D printers have spent considerable time adjusting hardware and software to make the objects print at the exact correct size.
To do so one usually creates or downloads different STL files with various measurable shapes, such as round and square holes, overhang surfaces at various angles, etc.
All these abstract parts are excellent calibration tools, but after they are printed they usually end up in the trashcan.
We therefore developed a slightly different 3D model with pre-defined features that can you can download and use to measure and calibrate your 3D printer. This part also strongly resembles the shape of a boat by the name of #3DBenchy. So after the part is printed and you used your caliper to gather all the necessary dimensions, don’t throw it away! Give it to a child to play with Or to an adult!
#3DBenchy is carefully designed to offer as many different measurable features as possible, all in one single part. It is just a tiny little boat but don’t let the small size fool you! This STL file is quite difficult to print perfectly since it has several hard-to-make surface features which clearly show the challenges for different kind of 3D printing technologies.
Its recognisable shape, symmetry and the smooth overhanging curved surface of the hull, make 3D-printed versions of #3DBenchy very revealing of what can be improved on a 3D printer or its slicing software.
Some of the features put into this boat are as follows:
Being a small object makes it fast and easy to print and will not cost you much to do so. You can easily 3D print one after the other and change software settings iteratively to achieve different results. In the end you have a large fleet of boats and a lot of happy smiling children who can play your own version of battleship on your desktop!
The #3DBenchy.stl file is released under a Creative Commons license that lets you print and sell as many as you want and spread the file freely.
We want to emphasise that even though we tried to make #3DBenchy into a kind of “Swiss Army Knife” for 3D print calibration, it does not replace all STL files out there. They should all be used according to best practices. #3DBenchy just offers a complement to the vast array of cleverly made STL files available for calibration and benchmarking purposes. Use it for what it can offer you and for the fun of it.
#3DBenchy has its own home-port at www.3DBenchy.com where you can download the file and read more about how this boat improve your prints and help you.
You can download the files from Thingiverse and Sketchfab.
