MXD3D

Please refer to the notes below when getting 3D printing services help from the 3D printing companies on Maker6.

• Preparing Files for 3D Printing

Any 3D software can be used to create a 3D design: however the files need to be exported to .STL (monochrome parts) for accurate quoting. Also, if your print is going to be created in color, then include .WRL (multicolor/textured parts) as well. Other formats like .3DS, .STP or even .OBJ are optional, some 3D printers can, some cannot read them directly. When exporting colored/textured parts to .WRL format, auto created bitmap texture file needs to be uploaded next to the geometry .WRL file

• File Export Quality

When exporting to .STL format take care about export “quality”. STL (.WRL as well) are formats for storing triangulated mesh data meaning all created surfaces/solids will be polygonised – transferred from mathematical to the “physical” level of XXX connected triangles (for more info on polygonal mesh check this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygon_mesh or search Google). During the export process you can control size and number of these triangles – more triangles gives you better quality - needless to say, this will also affect your file size: more triangles, more in file size.

• Object Normals and Orientation

All object normals must be oriented “outside”. Think about this as if you would have a cardboard box in front of you – inside it’s just a plain brown cardboard box because nobody looks inside, but on the face(out)side you have that colorful print visible to everybody. It’s the same with 3D printing: if you want your 3D design to be visible to 3D printer, all your polygons need to be facing same direction - visible outside. More technical info on normals find here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_(geometry)

• Creating & Converting Files

When creating (or converting) a 3D file for 3D printing purposes the most important thing is achieving Water Tight Model (WTM) or Manifold. What is manifold? The easiest way to think about this is if you would fill your 3D model with water, would you have any leaks? If your model has non-manifold edges, water would leak out. Non-manifold edges are parts of the model where it has not been connected to create a perfect joint. This is a common occurrence during the design phase, when two components are “connected” in the software and on the screen, but in reality, the seams between the two objects have not been joined at all. Even the smallest gap (0.00000001 mm) would be sufficient to render model as non-manifold. In other cases, you may have components of the model that overlap one another, confusing the 3D printer slicing engine (algorithm that will slice any 3D part in to layers understandable to 3D printer). Generally all 3D printers require objects to be 2–manifold, meaning each edge should be connected to exactly two faces. 'Open' objects are typically 1-manifold, models containing unwanted and overlaping faces are 3- or more manifold. Anyhow, there are bunch of software that will check your part for manifoldness (Blender is free and fast) – the safest way to achieving manifoldness does not exist (maybe when working with MCAD tools such as SolidWorks or Catia) – it’s all on the designer and his capabilities to resolve this. This is not an easy topic to master but it’s necessary when working with 3D printers – please search a Youtube for more on how to do manifold models. As always, fin more on manifold at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifold

• Design with Support in Mind

When designing the part to be printed, think about support also. All 3D printing technologies require support of the printed parts - additional material which will hold everything in the place and support the models parts which cannot „stand“ by themselves. If we take an example from construction, if you are building a hut on water, you would need support structures to hold it above the water surface but not over complete surface – just on few strategicly (staticly) important spots. It's the same with 3D printing – in almost all case this support will be generated automatically, but designer needs to be aware that some geometries cannot be produced on some of the 3D printing technologies. The specifics will be covered in the section where we talk about individual 3D printing technologies. For more help with 3D printing, please refer to our support page as a resource. If you're looking for a 3D printer, please click to get an instant quote on local 3D printing services.