I spent about 20 hours prepping my mesh model files for print over the weekend...and I am wondering if there is a better way to make the "waterproof". Basically I spent all that time dealing with naked edges, etc.
I hear that majics, or geomagics can work sometimes.. Anyone use these?
...any advice, software, or comments on good 3d print file preparation?
i always offset my single mesh surface (or multiple surafces) - that always worked for me. maybe your model is too complex for that, but its often better to err on the side of less detail. i always found it took me less time to make two models - one being a detailed section, than it did to make a complex single model.
the best way to ensure watertightness is to be thinking about it from the start. and cleaning up the gaps is just sometimes a long slow process. there's no magic bullet.
actually, 95% of the people i ask this questions to,..tell me the same thing.."there is no magic bullet." really pisses me off,...but the truth hurts..and yes, rhino is such a chore for 3d print jobs
you'll never get watertight in rhino...If you have geomagic you can "fix" holes from an imported rhino model, however, don't to the auto fix all holes, it will zaha hadid your project (crazy curvy surfaces). you have to individually click on each hole.
you can get water tight in rhino - you just have to deal with thickness by offsetting. it's a surface modeler, use it as such and thicken at the very end.
hmmm... i just finished a "watertight" model in Rhino and 3D printed it. Granted, it was a pain in the ass tracking down all the naked edges, figuring out why they weren't joined, redrawing stuff, etc. But, in the end, it worked perfectly.
I can definitely second what agfa8x said, you've got to be thinking (and modeling) with watertight in mind every step of the way.
Feb 28, 09 4:50 pm ·
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Tips for Clean 3d Print Files
I spent about 20 hours prepping my mesh model files for print over the weekend...and I am wondering if there is a better way to make the "waterproof". Basically I spent all that time dealing with naked edges, etc.
I hear that majics, or geomagics can work sometimes.. Anyone use these?
...any advice, software, or comments on good 3d print file preparation?
i always offset my single mesh surface (or multiple surafces) - that always worked for me. maybe your model is too complex for that, but its often better to err on the side of less detail. i always found it took me less time to make two models - one being a detailed section, than it did to make a complex single model.
That helps,..thx man
So I wonder if there is a script or something that allows you to extrude multiple polygons, perpendicular to their normals?
So I coudl basically "thicken" my planes , and then boolean the extrusions...without the need for all the triangulation
would the T-Splines convert work?
Has you tried the "shell" function in 3dMax ? --- Yu can allways export in the format you want.
the best way to ensure watertightness is to be thinking about it from the start. and cleaning up the gaps is just sometimes a long slow process. there's no magic bullet.
STOP USING RHINO!!!!!!
actually, 95% of the people i ask this questions to,..tell me the same thing.."there is no magic bullet." really pisses me off,...but the truth hurts..and yes, rhino is such a chore for 3d print jobs
you'll never get watertight in rhino...If you have geomagic you can "fix" holes from an imported rhino model, however, don't to the auto fix all holes, it will zaha hadid your project (crazy curvy surfaces). you have to individually click on each hole.
you can get water tight in rhino - you just have to deal with thickness by offsetting. it's a surface modeler, use it as such and thicken at the very end.
there is a free program called "magic" (i'm not kidding) and it does 99% of the work for making an obj file 3D print ready...google it.
hmmm... i just finished a "watertight" model in Rhino and 3D printed it. Granted, it was a pain in the ass tracking down all the naked edges, figuring out why they weren't joined, redrawing stuff, etc. But, in the end, it worked perfectly.
I can definitely second what agfa8x said, you've got to be thinking (and modeling) with watertight in mind every step of the way.
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