sketchup to shapeways

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earthwormjim
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sketchup to shapeways

Post by earthwormjim »

Anyone got any simple solutions??
Found a couple of tutorials that mean downloading 2 other programs and passing the file down the line and eventually ending up with a workable file,but I was just wondering if anyone had a simple reliable way?
Thanks alot.
Big Jim. :)
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josh
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by josh »

export as collada .dae, or if sketchup is being useless, download meshlab for free, export as .dae, open in meshlab and save as .stl. Note that meshlab probably will be in inches so when you upload to shapeways as an .stl it will ask for the units. easy enough to verify if you note the width of your piece in sketchup and the quoted width on shapeways.

*edit. I forgot all forms of punctuation the first time round... :roll:
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earthwormjim
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by earthwormjim »

LOL.
Thanks Josh,thats great. :)
I have just designed a wheel,is 1mm wall thickness ok??
I would appreciate it if you would take a look and let me know if I have made any obvious mistakes.Here is a link to it...
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ ... f31b845398
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josh
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by josh »

You may find that the endface is a bit weak, I would change those from circular holes to spokes. the minimum production wall thickness in the nylon material I believe is 0.7mm so it should be fine. I'm just downloading sketchup on this computer (blown a 4th psu on mine...) and I'll have a look properly.
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by josh »

was it for a gearmotor? the axles are 2.5mm across where the cut out is, that makes for a tight push fit, makes mounting the wheels easier and doesn't require glue.
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earthwormjim
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by earthwormjim »

Thanks. :)
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Andrew_Hibberd
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by Andrew_Hibberd »

I used wheels with 1mm thick walls for ALBOF with no problems. The end caps are thicker to support the load and a D slot helps as you can avoid using a grub screw.
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earthwormjim
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by earthwormjim »

Stoopid shapeways.
I have tried this twice now.
The .stl file looks fine in meshlab,but once uploaded to shapeways,I get this...
http://www.shapeways.com/model/305165/l ... ml?mode=3d
What am I doing wrong???
Cheers Jim.
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by josh »

looks fine to me? do you mean the jagged curves? that's just how sketchup seems to work there's supposed to be a way to turn up the entity so that it exports smoother curves but i've never managed it, it's not so obvious when it's all printed and the same colour with no exaggerated shadow render.
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Re: sketchup to shapeways

Post by earthwormjim »

The wheel should be solid,with 5 holes in the face.To me it looks like I have an outer rim,a center hub,and 5 small plastic discs????
Is that just me??? :o
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