3D printing is the process of successively layering materials to create a three-dimensional object from a digital file.
The 3D objects are created by adding materials in contrast to techniques that remove materials to create the object. For example, painting a scene or portrait can be thought of as an additive technique. Paint is applied to a surface to create the image. Carving, lathes, milling, sawing and cutting are subtractive techniques in that material is taken away to create the object.
One of the unique features of 3D printing is the ability to create objects that you would not be able to do by any other means.
Mary Visser, the late Emerita Professor of Art at Southwestern University, is one of the pioneers in 3D printed art and one of the first women in the field.
Snowflake Lattice - FormLabs Form 2 - Resin SLA