It's late, something like 2 a.m., and everyone in the house has almost simultaneously discovered the need for tacos. I hop into the passenger seat, throw my phone into the cupholder, and off we go. On the way back from this random taco run, a deer wanders out into the road and my friend slams on his brakes. Everyone's fine, but my phone has flown out of the cupholder and is now sliding around on the floor of the car just out of reach. Shortly after recovering the phone, I decide that an actual mount for my phone needs to happen. Rather than head to my usual retail site, I went to Thingiverse and took a quick look at what other folks have made already that fits this need. I see something that interests me, send the file to the 3D Printer in my office, and when I wake up the next morning my new car dock is ready to be used. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines This completely true story got me thinking about all of the possibilities that open up when you decide to just print your own accessories. While there are some serious caveats to what is actually possible here, the experience is impressive all the same.

One of the coolest things about 3D printing right now are the communities that have formed around sharing designs. Thingiverse user JinxTheRabbit, who is responsible for the dock you see above, is one of thousands who publish new designs for everything imaginable every day. This design is especially brilliant, as the back of it is built so you can snake a microUSB up into the bottom of the dock and power your Nexus 5. The sides are snug enough that the phone doesn't move around at all when docked, and it just plain looks nice when sitting in the cupholder. Between Thingiverse and YouMagine, another community of 3D design content, I found there was rarely a point where I couldn't just search for something that already existed to print. This is the best way to start, as it gives you a better idea of what your printer is capable of and how it will behave when you start creating your own designs. There's also a healthy sub-community that focused on "remixing" existing projects, which lends itself nicely to things like accessories for phones and tablets.