How To Print / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page How To Print.

Free Clay Modeling Tool- CB Model Pro

groundbound 27 Oct 2009 17:43

Another free clay modeling tool is CB Model Pro. It's features seem to be poping up in other Dassault/ Solidworks products, but I personally find this to the best free tool for digital clay.

CB Model Pro (Beta for Mac & PC.)
Clay modeling software with STL export.
http://www.cbmodelpro.com/

My first print went horribly wrong!!!

dataman 28 Jun 2010 08:39

Positioned the head as instructed, hit go, and the head went crashed down -10 into the build platform! What had a I done wrong! Wriong cable hookup? Could I have hooked up a stepper motor backwards? That's impossible? Right?

Turns out there's some known problems in the Z setup and some configuration is required. Most people do miss this. Refer to the configuration page under the build page, especially the part about flipping the Z connector, adjusting the potentiometer, and/or configuring Invert Z in ReplicatorG configuration.

Last edited on 28 Jun 2010 15:45 by dataman Show more

Can Autodesk Inventor files be used?

quinnrj 06 Jul 2010 05:22

I currently teach Autodesk Inventor, and have used ProDesktop before. Can Inventor or ProDesktop files be used or converted to work with Makerbot? Your Wiki doesn't list them.

Thanks.

-Bob

Re: Can Autodesk Inventor files be used?

clothbot 06 Jul 2010 09:49

If either of those programs can export STL then the answer is probably yes. I say 'probably' because not all STL format files are 3D printable - they need to pass basic criteria like being manifold, no null faces, etc.

If not STL, check if any of the 3D formats they are able to export can be read by MeshLab. Then you'll at least have a way to Save As STL and use the resulting file in Skeinforge.

Andrew.

ViaCAD by Punch!

Captain Kirk 12 Mar 2011 16:53

I just purchased the Pro version ($150 with $100 discount). There's also a $100 version. I found the learning curve very easy. After about half an hour I started printing my first design (a nameplate for my nephew). The only gotcha was that I exported the STL while it was in inch units and it appears that MakerBot uses millimeters, so the scale was off by 25.4. Changed the units in ViaCAD to mm and all was good.

It has plenty of power tools (primitives, boolean operators, fillet, chamfer, vertex blend, snap to edge/center/vertex/hole center/fillet center…, lathe, extrude, sweep shape along curve, skin, pipe, branch, heal gap, tolerant edges, holes, counterbore/countersunk holes, bosses, protrusions, shell, bend, lofted faces, deform faces…

Imports Adobe Illustrator, DWG/DXF, Rhino 3DM, SketchUp, STEP, STL, Wavefront OBJ & many others.
Exports DXF, Adobe Illustrator, STEP, STL, Wavefront OBJ & many others.

Available for Mac & PC. I'm very happy with it.

http://www.punchcad.com/c-12-consumer-cad.aspx

Last edited on 12 Mar 2011 16:55 by Captain Kirk Show more

Request for Better Help in Getting Started

Graywriter 13 Jul 2011 23:13

While I appreciate all the work someone has done on this page, it's not the kind of help a beginner needs. I've just finished making and calibrating my Cupcake, and it works okay using the control panel. Makes nice piles of plastic poop. But now I want to learn how to print.

Since there are beginners and beginners, I'd suggest breaking this into three pages

1. How to download a ready-made project, suitable for the Cupcake, from thingiverse. (where I'm at)
2. How and where to get other ready-made projects and make them printable.
3. Designing your own print project.

That first project needs to be something quick and easy that will help check the calibration and operation of my cupcake, and will help me learn to understand the code, and troubleshoot any printing problems I may encounter.

Since I'm a teacher and professional writer, I guess I'll volunteer to fix it as I think best. Okay with y'all?