Soar Overhead Smoothly: Deck Out Your Drone With This 3D Printed Camera Mount/Dampener

Barlowski prepares the 3D printed mount with anti-vibration fittings, pre-flight.

Outdoor enthusiasts love their cameras. We’ve noted this perhaps a time or two (or plenty more), whether users are wearing their devices, swinging them wildly while skiing, or holding them in their mouths while surfing. But when it comes to a drone, a camera really is necessary to get the comprehensive experience—and especially when you’ve gone to so much trouble to create or purchase one of these fun models.

Recently, drone hobbyist Bartosz Barlowski filled us in on a project triumph. We’ve seen work before from Barlowski in regards to virtual reality devices but here the designer and innovator from Poland has completed something he wasn’t sure was possible, in mounting a 360 camera onto a consumer drone. Not sure if he would be able to see sufficient lift from the Xiro drone in using Kodak SP360 4K dual cameras, Barlowski persisted in his cause and was able to 3D print a mount, which he then accentuated for eliminating vibration.

“Design was done in Autodesk 123D free modeling software,” says Barlowski. “I first looked at some other 3D printed drone dampers and remixed for using the Kodak 360 4K mount.”

The 3D printed parts are quite simple but obviously very well made, and a perfect fit. At the site where Barlowski plans to fly the drone, we see quite a simple preliminary process as he readies the drone for flight, snapping the mount and camera together, including the spongey anti-vibration pieces—items which many might take away as a great idea for any mount or dampener, whether making this particular project or not.

The camera attached to the 3D printed mount.

While his drone is actually already equipped with a standard HD camera, Barlowski was obviously more interested in seeing how his specific project would fair in the sky. The results are pretty dreamy (see video below) from up on high as we see folks out strolling, skateboarding and breathing in the fresh air on a lovely day. This looks like a pretty idyllic way to spend an afternoon and also offers a great snapshot for why so many enjoy drones—and their cameras—as a hobby.

This should be a fairly easy project at any experience level, resulting in a great-looking mount all around, and offering you better viewing from your drone as the camera is held steady thanks to Barlowski’s resourcefulness. If this 3D printed mount is something you are interested in taking on, Barlowski invites you to let him know in the comments section on the project page.

As the drone flies over.

As the drone flies over Barlowski.

One of the founders and co-owner of Mepi (headquartered in Poland), Barlowski is obviously passionate about innovating and offering accessibility, whether it’s through design and 3D printing and sharing, virtual reality, or teaching; in fact, his company is centered around an English language website offering courses and tutorials. They specialize in game design (with a range of six courses), 3D graphics (fourteen courses), and even social media (four courses).

360 Camera is also a company well worth checking out as they offer a host of interesting and futuristic devices related to creative photography, virtual reality, and more. As they state, some of the products are released to the public and others remain in research and development limbo, ‘never seeing the light of day.’ This is a great website to peruse if you have an active interest in the future of camera equipment. Are you a drone enthusiast with an interest in photography? Let discuss further over in the 3D Printed Drone Camera Mount forum at 3DPB.com.