The Google SketchUp Thread

[Bill Gill]

All hail...  wait, Watsup, Sup?

[lab-dad]

So taking everything Professor Ed Sup has taught me.......
I spent about 45 minutes creating the fireman's side truck box covers.
Somehow when I copied the last two i didnt keep it on the same axis as the others.
I dont thin this is a big deal for these parts. I will practice this.
Anyway here it is!
Marty

[mabloodhound]

Ed helped me tremendously for my latest creation which is now in the mail to me.

Another way to get multiple copies if your item(s) are greater than the 12mm size is to use Mesh Lab to create an array.
Like now that you have created that 6 piece group on a sprue, you can now use Mesh lab to create an array and you won't need a sprue.
That's what we did with my latest item and supposedly it printed fine.

Ed also has a tutorial on how to use MeshLab to create the array.  Just go to his website for all his 3D tutorials.

[finescalerr]

In case anybody has forgotten, Marc spent a lot of time putting together the beginner's tutorial at the beginning of this thread to get us started. Of course that was before he adopted his alter ego ... The Shadow! -- Russ

[mabloodhound]

Thanks for the reminder Russ.  I just went back and refreshed my memory (if I had one). 

[eTraxx]

Thanks for the reminder Russ.  I just went back and refreshed my memory (if I had one). 

Well that WAS posted 5 years ago. That is something in the order of 1800 days .. more then enough time to have read-write errors!

[finescalerr]

They're only errors if you don't read 'em right .... -- ssuR

[lab-dad]

Still need to run it through the plug ins but after that I "think" i am ready for the next step(s) to send it to be printed....

I could not get the circle to stay on plane and line up with all six.
I basically wimped out and did a square sprue.

-Marty

[finescalerr]

What's wrong with a rectangular sprue? It will do the job. The drawing looks wonderful and I can hardly wait to see the print. -- Russ

[eTraxx]

For me it is usually easier to pull out a short round shape (mini-sprue?) then use a square sprue to connect everything together. Just easier.  Remember a round 'wire .. as Shapeways calls it) that intersects a square sprue is a circle on a flat plane. If you put a round sprue then that circle is instead a cylinder intersecting another cylinder which can cause all kinds of problems. We are working with triangles here after all.)

[lab-dad]

Ed,
I got the two part sprues scaled to 1/16th (.0625")
I ran them both through the Meshlab and Netfab.

1. After i repair and apply and remove old part the error triangle still remains?

2. Also when I export do I "optimize"?

Marty - getting excited to print!

I pulled the trigger!
Sent the parts to be printed.
Funny, the more complicated one went (mostly)fine (I lost the center depressed hole).
The simpler one had a weird issue. (see image) Shapeways kept catching it and could not fix it but I went ahead and ordered anyways. i only need 4 and made 6.
The third from the right had all kinds of errors.
Even though i copied all 5 from the first one all the way to the right (I added to the left as i kept copying).

I'll post when they arrive.

[mabloodhound]

Marty, what Ed found on the one I just did was I had all sorts of internal errors and NetFab couldn't fix that.
Ed actually fixed it up for me.  Some of the errors were in the sprues themselves where they connected together.

[marc_reusser]

FWIW. Using square or rectangular sprues makes them much easier and quicker to build and connect. There is really no reason to use round sprue....this is not an injection molding process...where we need proper flow/fill, and need to eject them from die halves (where we would need a draught angle)....which is why we are used to seeing round. The tiny bit more build resin needed for rectilinear vs round is inconsequential. So many more problems can arise using round sprue, from incorrectly extruding (non parallel to x/y/z axis), and poor sprue intersection, to an increase in polygons/file size.

Part placement, alignment and orientation is also far easier, and more accurate.

[marc_reusser]

.....even if you you just can't get over the idea of not having round connector sprues come off your part....it is still easier and more accurate to, extrude or attach those from/to a rectilinear main/connector sprue.

[Chuck Doan]

It is great to see more people learning this. Thanks to the mentors among us!