<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[SketchUp for 3D Printing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Get 3D Printing support, tips and tricks for SketchUp]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/category/80</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:53:59 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://community.sketchucation.com/category/80.rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 21:23:20 GMT</pubDate><ttl>60</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[Sketchup and Miniature Modelling STLs]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've been using blender as a catch all for 3d file formats.. a complicated mesh can get cleaned up in blender or simplified and export as a .dae into SU. I do this with OBJ's all the time
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164748/sketchup-and-miniature-modelling-stls</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164748/sketchup-and-miniature-modelling-stls</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Luke147ll]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 21:23:20 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Solids for 3D Printing]]></title><description><![CDATA[@Rich-O-Brien  thank you.
The bolts tighten up enough for what these need to do but I probably should have extended the that side so I could complete the hex recess. I expect then I could tighten the knob enough to break the clamp.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164634/solids-for-3d-printing</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164634/solids-for-3d-printing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:28:43 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Extend a rod with with screw thread]]></title><description><![CDATA[What version of SketchUp are you using? That will help us to know what tools you have available. What have you done so far?
These are all M6 for 3D printing.
[image: 1762271282620-screenshot-11_4_2025-9_47_02-am.png]
Here's an internal M6 thread.
[image: 1762278826049-screenshot-11_4_2025-11_52_53-am.png]
I modeled all of these using the method I showed in the video I posted here:
https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164552/help-with-a-thread/20?page=1
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164626/extend-a-rod-with-with-screw-thread</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164626/extend-a-rod-with-with-screw-thread</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:27:46 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Any good tutorials on BEVEL gear design in SU?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Spent the better part of  yesterday getting this gear right (I hope). It is a 24 tooth bevel gear 22.5 mm diam (drawn in centimetres).  Gear E in my diagram above.
SPGears created a fairly close model. I had to compare that model to my desired cross section and manipulate it into shape.
I had to get rid of the overhangs on each tooth to avoid any supports. That was the tedious part. (I'll show how later today)
Thankfully SPGears creates each tooth as a circular array of one tooth, so editing is relatively easy.
Then I had to make a single generic hub as the 5 gears, plus the other smaller gear (scaled down a bit) have different hubs. That part was far easier.
An SPGear is actually a group of 2 nested groups, the set of teeth, and the hub, done in a strange way, but hey, it works. I made it a component of the 2 nested groups.
To make sure the gears mesh correctly (fingers crossed) I duplicated the SPGear and turned it 90 deg. I drew an axial line to the vertex within the component for alignment purposes. I then turned it 90 degrees and mated them at the vertex. I also rotated the vertical gear 7.5 deg (24 teeth) to properly mesh the 2 gears. That resulted in a large gap between teeth.
By eye I moved the vertical gear along blue and red axis (equally) till I got a nice mesh with a bit of play. Then adjusted (shortened) the vertex end of the axial line accordingly.
There were tiny overlaps.
So I had to scale the 2 face ends of the teeth a bit to clean up the mesh. Only after all that was I able to redraw the large end to eliminate the overhangs.
[image: 1760119413639-24-tooth-bevel-gear.jpg]
I cannot yet print a pair to test as I do not yet have a printer (long story, and it's not the $$$)
Later.......
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164580/any-good-tutorials-on-bevel-gear-design-in-su</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164580/any-good-tutorials-on-bevel-gear-design-in-su</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[jgb]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 20:47:16 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Strange corners]]></title><description><![CDATA[Overhang is 45 so no support needed, support at ideamaker gave me a gcode for xy and it worked good
To be honest the raise 3d machines can’t compete with the bambus
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164470/strange-corners</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164470/strange-corners</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Leggy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 12 Jul 2025 16:27:54 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[infill in open tube]]></title><description><![CDATA[[image: 1748383936810-4b7ab5ae-f601-42af-a676-ccd076cf68b1-image-resized.jpeg]
This is what I’m trying to make in TPU
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164409/infill-in-open-tube</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164409/infill-in-open-tube</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Leggy]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2025 02:26:44 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[3D lamp designing tips]]></title><description><![CDATA[@Rich-O-Brien thanks
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164187/3d-lamp-designing-tips</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/164187/3d-lamp-designing-tips</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[algebram]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 16 Jan 2025 05:51:01 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Part not printed as drawn]]></title><description><![CDATA[@Dave-R Thank you!
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163939/part-not-printed-as-drawn</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163939/part-not-printed-as-drawn</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Alohaa]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Sep 2024 11:54:56 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fixing Stuff Around the House]]></title><description><![CDATA[@Rich-O-Brien yeah. I also wonder how long they will last. Actually we're replacing all the windows in our house this year so this one doesn't need to last a real long time. A neighbor down the street has the same kind of windows and has a number of broken ones so I'll print some for him, too.
I have no idea but my guess is they were used on another type of window, too.. And maybe in a different way that would make the the curves, notch, and second set of holes required. Those features certainly aren't used in the application on our windows.
I like the new version better, too.
Thanks.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163810/fixing-stuff-around-the-house</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163810/fixing-stuff-around-the-house</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 14:32:33 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Open areas and rounded surface]]></title><description><![CDATA[obviously not. mysterious!
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163806/open-areas-and-rounded-surface</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163806/open-areas-and-rounded-surface</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Alohaa]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jul 2024 14:08:08 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[All parts are exported as .stl instead of only the selected]]></title><description><![CDATA[@Rich:
that's exactly what I did, but it didn't prevent exporting everything!
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163451/all-parts-are-exported-as-stl-instead-of-only-the-selected</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163451/all-parts-are-exported-as-stl-instead-of-only-the-selected</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Alohaa]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 06 Feb 2024 10:37:05 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[No Screw Threads This Time]]></title><description><![CDATA[@rich o brien said:

Are the chairs known to fail over time when lifted by its intended bar?

I've seen broken backrest frames before although not specifically related to this model of lift. The welds and the hinge mechanisms are clearly not designed to support the about 13 Kg weight of the chair all the time, not to mention the added g-load when traveling over bumps on the roads.
@rich o brien said:

If you patent it I've the perfect name for it... Axle RoseUp

Very good. If I go that route I'll give you a cut of the profits. 
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163183/no-screw-threads-this-time</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163183/no-screw-threads-this-time</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2023 16:11:24 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[3d Printing Architectural models]]></title><description><![CDATA[@gullfo said:

if the imported objects are "solids" then you could use "outer shell".

This is exactly what I was looking for.  Thank you.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163174/3d-printing-architectural-models</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/163174/3d-printing-architectural-models</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[rspierenburg]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:21:20 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[A 3D &quot;Spacer&quot; to fill gap between shower wall and downspout?]]></title><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162773/a-3d-spacer-to-fill-gap-between-shower-wall-and-downspout</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162773/a-3d-spacer-to-fill-gap-between-shower-wall-and-downspout</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 May 2023 16:52:07 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[3D Printed Screw Threads]]></title><description><![CDATA[I would like to do something to smooth it out but it's fine as it is. The threads have a fit typical of metal ones but it won't whistle. I think because the PLA doesn't resonate like bronze, brass, or iron would.
I expect I could run steam through it. Once.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162759/3d-printed-screw-threads</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162759/3d-printed-screw-threads</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:08:58 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to convert STL to 3MF?]]></title><description><![CDATA[@involute said:

Model in inches, export STL in mm

That's not what I was telling you to do but if it works for you, great.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162756/how-to-convert-stl-to-3mf</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162756/how-to-convert-stl-to-3mf</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 22 Apr 2023 19:10:28 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make a barely visible frame that matches my 3D print frame?]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you want to try going with guides route, one easy way of making a fixed length guide is to start on the origin, then pull out on green and make it the length of your build plate. Now you easily see the cpoint but the tail is hard to see when it's on axis, so just move the guide off axis a bit for visibility. Now array 3 more copies. But since you can't inference to the tails, easier to array in a 2 x 2 grid that is sized to your build plate. Anyway, get the cpoints in place first any way you can, then rotate the tails in place later, just my opinion, there would be 50 ways of doing this. Then make them a group and move the corner back to the origin. Just a thought.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162675/make-a-barely-visible-frame-that-matches-my-3d-print-frame</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162675/make-a-barely-visible-frame-that-matches-my-3d-print-frame</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[[[global:former-user]]]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 12 Mar 2023 05:11:56 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[MakePrintable closing shop]]></title><description><![CDATA[Just curious if you tried any of the suggestions above?  Perhaps once you have the form you are looking to do a print of you can re-create a clean solid version in a new sketchup instance with the intent of 3d Printing it.
I would think most "Design Architects" would agree with the previous comments posted above regarding workflow.
Any chance you can post an example of a model you created so we could take a look at what your needs are?
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162191/makeprintable-closing-shop</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162191/makeprintable-closing-shop</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[rspierenburg]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 05 Nov 2022 03:30:50 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ideas why my design dimension is different then print?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Creativeeyeadv is top digital printing press company in Dubai, UAE. We are best company for Digital Printing Services in Dubai having 100s of satisfied clients. We have years of experience in Digital Printing in Dubai and consider top rated company in providing innovative Digital Designs and printing at affordable prices.REad More about printing https://creativeeyeadv.com/digital-printing-press-services-dubai

[image: 8r8g_digitalprintingindubai.png]
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162130/ideas-why-my-design-dimension-is-different-then-print</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/162130/ideas-why-my-design-dimension-is-different-then-print</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Digital Printing in Dubai]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 15 Oct 2022 21:24:56 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can some one make this jpg a skp for 2016 Sketchup]]></title><description><![CDATA[You asked for help with this exact thing over on the SketchUp Community Forum and I gave you assistance there. This is the sort of thing you said you wanted.
[image: eniw_Screenshot-8_11_20228_53_37AM.png]
You claimed that helped. If you can't do it yourself, you can hire me to do it.
You are still using SketchUp Make for your business which violates the terms of use.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161907/can-some-one-make-this-jpg-a-skp-for-2016-sketchup</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161907/can-some-one-make-this-jpg-a-skp-for-2016-sketchup</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 24 Jul 2022 12:53:29 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Groups and STL exports]]></title><description><![CDATA[What are you doing with the section planes in your model. Section planes don't actually cut through the model. It's more like an X-ray imaging of a body.
What do you mean by "I don't seem to be able to export a section view of my model that has multiple groups with any accuracy"?
It would help if you'd upload an example SketchUp model file so we can see what you are working with.
What version of SketchUp are you using? Your profile says 2018 Free/Make which is impossible as there never has been a version like that.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161411/groups-and-stl-exports</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161411/groups-and-stl-exports</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave R]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jan 2022 20:02:39 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Extrude between two custom shapes]]></title><description><![CDATA[I had the same problem as you 1 week ago.
idle breakout
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161317/extrude-between-two-custom-shapes</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161317/extrude-between-two-custom-shapes</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[universitysurgery]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 26 Nov 2021 03:33:17 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[File Output for 5-Axis CNC Machining?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Only one I knew is SketchUcam. Sorry, not much else to add.
SketchUp is a poly modeller so TRUE curves aren't possible. You will always fight against segments causing facetting.
I believe SketchUcam's extport to g-code was quite adequate on flat sheet cuts. But 5-axis stuff could be a bit of a stretch.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161095/file-output-for-5-axis-cnc-machining</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/161095/file-output-for-5-axis-cnc-machining</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Rich O Brien]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2021 16:38:54 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Help with ifc export]]></title><description><![CDATA[Just a quick tip without trying the file.
If I am not able to solve the "solid problem" with Solid inspector I always quickly export the STL and open it with 3D Builder (Microsoft Windows free app). When you import the model into this app it says that the object is not a solid and there is single click option to make it solid. Then just Save it as STL or 3MF.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/3d-builder/9wzdncrfj3t6?activetab=pivot;overviewtab
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/160707/help-with-ifc-export</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/160707/help-with-ifc-export</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[miikka1978]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:00:24 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[What versions of SU have .STL file export?]]></title><description><![CDATA[You were created a few years before that and you appear to still function.
I don't understand what you want to know. The extension works and is compatible with older and newer versions of sketchup.
]]></description><link>https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/160574/what-versions-of-su-have-stl-file-export</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://community.sketchucation.com/topic/160574/what-versions-of-su-have-stl-file-export</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Box]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 07 Mar 2021 20:53:55 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>