Today, we will show you how to make SketchUp models 3D-printable easily and comfortably.
You may have heard of a few SketchUp plugins related to 3D printing, some stuff like “Solid Inspector” or “Solid Solver”. Don’t get me wrong, those are excellent extensions and do quite well on their own. However, they are not exactly AI, and can’t really automatically fix a model – you still have to do it by hand.
Fortunately, there’s a solution from a SketchUp and iMaterialize joint venture, called “Printables for 3D Warehouse”. Let us see how it works!
Consider a model with an intersection of three shapes. Not that the shapes are intersected using the section tools either – they just jut out and into each other blatantly. Quite obscene to a 3D printer, right? Let’s make it worse. Remove one face from one of the solid objects, and put a hole in another object. Eww!
Normally, with an unknown model this solid (#sarcasm), you will have to get in the field with the Solid Inspector plugin, and fight for your life (or the model’s life, same difference really) for quite some time. However, now there is a much easier solution. You just upload it to the 3D warehouse and mark it as printable.
That’s insane, right? All that work done by a check box? Really?
Actually, yes. Just upload the model to 3D warehouse the normal way (a short guide follows) and make it printable.
- Go to File menu > 3D Warehouse > Share Model
- A dialog box appears, asking for many information.
- You have to give a name to the model here. The rest is purely optional, but good practice to write something here.
- There is a privacy setting near the top, you have to choose either Public or Private here.
- Now comes the real deal. Look at the bottom of the dialog box. There will be a new option called named “I want this to be 3D printable.” Beside there is the logo of Materialize. Check that box!
- Click Update and wait a bit.
Published By
Arka Roy
www.sketchup4architect.com
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