Circle and arc segment amount for 3D printing

cotty

So can I assume that having too many segments in a smaller circle would not be a negative issue with 3D printing?

I would agree.

jaxcoffee

This is quite interesting and right along the same lines as we are talking about.

I just had the president of a 3D output company called Build Parts tell me that 99.9% of the files they get from objects modeled with SketchUp don't work.

Can someone elaborate on why that may be true? I don't want to have to learn Solidworks, which seems to be the standard for 3D print output companies.

Has anyone really looked into what needs to be improved within SketchUp to bring things up to speed for this technology?

cotty

Most of the modellers don't care about solid object, maybe he is referring to "bad" modeled warehouse models?
For me 100% percent of my printed parts were printable on the first try.

jaxcoffee

I thought that items did not have to be solid objects? Am I misunderstanding your comment? Modeling in solids means the purchase of the pro version if I understand that correctly. I'm really just trying to learn how to model the best for 3D output, so getting these answers are important to developing a workflow for our project.

And of course if we have to be making a purchase of the Pro version of SketchUp, I would like to know before getting to deep into our work. Thanks

cotty

You don't need the PRO version to make solid objects!
A simple rule for solid objects (groups or components): every edge touchs exactly 2 faces (no groups/components inside)

cotty

@cotty said:

You don't need the PRO version to make solid objects!
A simple rule for solid objects (groups or components): every edge touchs exactly 2 faces (no groups/components inside)

Here are some more hints by Aidan Chorpa: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/understanding-solid-objects-in-google-sketchup-8.html

(Hint: making solid objects deson't need solid tools, which are 'editors' in the PRO version)

d12dozr

@jaxcoffee said:

I just had the president of a 3D output company called Build Parts tell me that 99.9% of the files they get from objects modeled with SketchUp don't work.

Can someone elaborate on why that may be true? I don't want to have to learn Solidworks, which seems to be the standard for 3D print output companies.

Carsten is quite right - most modelers don't care, or more importantly don't know how to make solid objects.

Your reaction is a perfect example - you are a good modeler and as long as you have been using Sketchup to make models, you didn't know what solid models are. I think this is a result of poor marketing and inadequate education from the Sketchup team.

Part of the problem also lies with Sketchup itself, where punching a circle in a face can turn a seemingly perfect model into a mess of intersecting faces and 'bad edges'.

mac1

FYI; some interesting info https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4NDKB_enUS554US555&q=jay+leno+3d+printing

mac1

And this http://www.stratasys.com/~/media/Main/Secure/White%20Papers/Rebranded/SSYS-WP-AccuracyMyth-03-13.ashx
copy and paste link

d12dozr

Mac, I couldn't get your link to work, but changing the filetype to PDF worked...like this (PDF download): http://www.stratasys.com/~/media/Main/Secure/White%20Papers/Rebranded/SSYS-WP-AccuracyMyth-03-13.pdf