6/16/2023 0 Comments Sketchup make print to scale![]() Note: if you have not installed Sketchup Make, you can download and install the software here. (To check your model’s default units, select Window > Model Info and, in the Model Info window, click Units in the sidebar on the left.) You can change the units in the exported STL file to meters, centimeters, millimeters, feet, or inches.Ĭlick HERE to join millions of other SketchUp users if you aren’t already using SketchUp – or you just need to upgrade.In this article we will show you how to make and print 3D models with Sketchup Make, the free version of Sketchup, and how to fix the scale of your models and export to useful formats like STL in our old friend Blender 3D for use on online 3D printing services or from printing on your own 3D printer. STL Units: By default, the STL file is exported using the same units specified in the model.If you select it, the Y axis becomes the vertical axis instead of the Z axis. Swap YZ Coordinates: By default, this checkbox is cleared.The binary format is generally preferred because this format helps reduce the size of an STL file. File Format: By default, Binary is selected from the drop-down list.This option is helpful if you want to model several parts that fit together in one SketchUp model file, but export each part to a separate 3D-printable STL file. Export Only Current Selection: When you select this checkbox, SketchUp exports only the selected geometry to the STL file.The STL Export Options dialog box enables you to choose a few options for how SketchUp renders your exported file: SketchUp exports your model to the STL format and saves the file in the location you specified. Back in the Export Model dialog box, click Export.(See the following list for details about each option.) Click OK when you’re done. (Optional) Click the Options button, and in the STL Export Options dialog box, select your desired options for the exported STL file.From the Save As Type drop-down list, select STereolithography File (.stl).(Optional) In the appropriate text box, type a name for the exported STL file.Navigate to the location where you want to save your exported file.To export a SketchUp model to an STL file, first make sure that your model meets the basic recommendations for 3D printing. Your model needs to have a volume. For example, if you want to print a box that’s hollow in the middle, the faces along the outside of the box need to have a thickness, as shown in the following figure.Īfter you check that your model is ready to be 3D printed, you need to output your model to a format your 3D printer understands, also known as the STL format.If you use Solid Inspector 2, the extension can find and fix the reversed faces for you. To reverse a face, context-click it and select Reverse Faces. By default, the face fronts are white and face backs are dark gray. Check that the fronts of faces point outward. (And thus, the backs of faces need to face inward.) Technically, making sure all your faces are oriented the correct way is called checking the normals. To check that the face fronts point outward in SketchUp, select View > Face Style > Monochrome to see whether the back sides of a any faces point outward.For example, if your model contains internal geometry, then your model is not a solid. (In SketchUp, select Window > Extension Warehouse, search for the extension, and click the red Install button.) This extension helps you analyze why your model isn’t solid and repair and holes or issues. If your group or component isn’t solid, download and install the Solid Inspector 2 extension created by Thomas Thomassen and available via the Extension Warehouse. If your model is a solid group, the Entity Info window tells you so in the upper left, also shown in the following figure. Make sure your model is a solid group. With your group or component selected, choose Window > Entity Info.For example, if you want to 3D-print a gear, rather than orient the gear vertically, place the gear on its side, as shown in the following figure. If your model juts out at the top, the 3D printer has nothing to build upon. Orient your model so that the 3D printer has a base on which to build your model. Your 3D printer prints your model one layer at a time.Here’s a quick overview of how to set up your SketchUp model for 3D printing: How to 3D Print your SketchUp modelīefore you print a model on a 3D printer, you need to make sure your 3D printer can understand your model data. For a SketchUp model to become a successful 3D printout, the model needs to meet certain criteria, such as having a base and a volume and being a solid. In SketchUp, you can import and export STL files, which are used in 3D printing. Did you know that SketchUp is the perfect tool for 3D printing?!
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