This Amazing Motion Control Camera Rig Is Almost Completely 3D-Printable

Infuriating shaky cam aside, there are certainly situations when it is appropriate to get handheld camera shots. But handheld shots should only be used sparingly unless you’re going for a very specific vibe. That’s especially true for makers, who should be more concerned with capturing smooth, clear video than anything particularly artistic or edgy. To get those silky smooth dynamic shots, you’ll need some sort of motorized rig for your camera. The most basic motion systems aren’t much more than linear rails, but YouTuber Do It Whenever? Took things several steps further with this amazing motion control camera rig that is almost completely 3D-printable.

This motorized camera rig is absolutely massive, with a height reaching 11 feet when the tripod is fully extended. It has a total of six motorized axes, which allow for an incredibly amount of versatility and the ability to capture a wide range of dynamic video shots. It can be programmed to swoop, sweep, pan, tilt, and rotate to your heart’s content. It even has motorized focus and zoom rings, so those can be adjusted automatically without the need for an expensive lens. And, best of all, the custom mechanical parts are all 3D-printed. Those parts were modeled in Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD and have been published on Thingiverse along with the STL files, so you can print them or even modify them to fit your specific needs.

On the software side, all of the rig’s axes are controlled via G-code commands just like a 3D printer or a CNC mill. There isn’t, unfortunately, any fancy frontend interface with key frame support or anything like that, so you will have to enter those G-code commands manually. But they can be entered or adjusted on-the-fly wirelessly, so you can alter the motions as you’re working. Those G-code commands are stored on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and are sent to a controller made up of an Arduino Mega board paired with a 6-axis GRBLDuino CNC shield. Awesome slip ring electrical connectors are used for every axis so they can spin indefinitely. LiPo batteries can be used to make the entire rig portable. The arm beams are made from affordable aluminum extrusion to keep the overall cost of the build down. We think this would benefit a lot from a user-friendly frontend, but it’s already an excellent option for the hobbyist videographer looking to capture more dynamic video.