Going back to SketchUp, we can see how these cylinders were designed: Change the number of segments on the curved surface to better approximate the contours. Solution: In SketchUp, if you select then check, you can see the approximation occurring for the curve. These two files are combined just for side-by-side comparison!) (Note that for actual printing, make sure to separate the parts into different files. The cylinder on the right is much smoother. The cylinder on the left has some tessellation, so during print the surface might not appear as smooth. Let’s compare two designs side by side in netfabb: While a contour may appear smooth in the CAD, depending on approximation settings, the surface might actually be approximated. And even if the surfaces appear closed and you are still having issues, go back through the design flow to double check! Issue #2: Tessellation The key takeaway here is to make sure all the surfaces are closed. Then follow the steps to repair.įor more detailed instructions, here’s a video that goes through the common watertightness issues and shows you how to fix them: You can also do this automatically in netfabb by clicking on the red plus-sign at the top to extend some ends for you. It’s best to go back to your CAD model and remove any free ends or extend it so that it connects with another free end. Also make sure the edges of each surface are connected-each edge should have 2 adjacent surfaces, no more, no less. Solution: Make sure every surface is enclosed so that the part is “watertight,” meaning the part won’t leak if theoretically filled with water. While they appear in the digital rendering, they can’t actually be printed and would not be present in the physical model. With surface modeling, parts sometimes have walls that are infinitesimally thin. 3 Common Issues + Solutions Issue #1: Zero Wall Thickness In netfabb, you can identify watertightness issues, spot surface tessellation, and apply auto-repair, so this is an excellent tool to help you check your models for any errors. How to Check Your Modelsįirst download netfabb Basic, a free program you can use to quickly verify designs. If you’re using a program like SketchUp that uses surface modeling, it can be tricky to make your 3D model printable, so I’m going to walk you through a few of the most common errors and show you how to fix them. Many of the errors we see stem from how the digital model was created and often the main problems come down to whether the design was modeled using solid bodies or surfaces. However, you get your part back to find out that it’s not printable! Also, the 1190×1050 is nice on my 27″ iMac, you may need to scale it down for your display.You’ve created a seamless design-structurally sound, sufficiently thick, and mindful of overhangs. If you’re using A4 or legal or whatever, adjust the proportions appropriately. Now, smashing ^⌥⌘L resizes the Sketchup window to letter-size so I can arrange the drawing appropriately and print. If SketchUp is running, it will appear in the list, if not choose from the “Other” menu. To limit it to SketchUp, choose SketchUp from the “in” drop down at the bottom.The actual drawing area will be just about letter-sized. It seems out of proportion for an 11″ x 8-½” box, but this includes the menubar and title bar. In the “ Scale Size By ” drop down, choose Resize To.Drag “ Manipulate a Window ” onto the No Action Box.Click in the dotted box that says “ No Action ” to get the action sheet.As you can see by the screenshot, I smash those three down for all my window actions. Choose “ Triggered by… ” Choose This hot key.Make a new macro by clicking the little “+” at the bottom.Actions are triggered by hotkeys, time, wifi connection, USB connect/disconnect, or just about anything else you can do to a computer.įor this fun bit, open the Keyboard Maestro editor and follow these steps: It does keyboard shortcuts, window management, it can run AppleScripts, run multiple clipboards, and more. It’s a Mac app that can do a metric crap load of stuff. What do I do when I have to do something more than once or twice?įor this, I use the ever-more-useful-to-me Keyboard Maestro. So, I always have to resize the window to be about the size of a sheet of paper in order to get the right proportions. You basically can set a scale, then print what’s in the window. The problem is, there are pretty terrible print layout options in SketchUp. I draw it up in Sketchup and get something like the picture above. I’m currently working on a playroom, and need a Tansu-inspired stair-step storage unit. Prelim SketchThis is a preliminary sketch, so no judgey-wudgy there, Picasso. In my “real job” as a carpenter, I use SketchUp pretty heavily to do quick and dirty drawings and 3D models to visualize complex pieces.
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