I just asked over in this thread but how the hell do people make models for 3d printing for fictional space ships? Do they take a picture and somehow scan it in or do they build it from scratch in software? If I wanted to make a 3d model of The Liberator then how would I start?

My cousin has a 3d printer that I can use and sure, I could ask him but that would mean going into the basement and taking the ball gag out of his mouth, it's a whole thing.

Most I imagine start from scratch. I'd look into blender , its nice and free with a lot of good tutorials out there. Don't skimp on the very basic tutorials on the controls and such.

As far as making it ready for 3d printing, you'll need to find a guide on preparing your model for a printer. Mostly that comes down to being manifold (solid, with no holes) and all your normals (each face has a vector pointing which way is 'out') pointing the right way. Also you'll have to keep in mind the detail level of the printer.

And it is a process, don't expect instant results.