1 Topic by Rocketman

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Topic: Orienting Objects, etc.

I have an object I created using Autodesk 123D based on photos, and had it sent to someone with an Object printer to print it and that turned out well, but now that I have a 3D printer I'd like to try printing it also. When I created the object I gave it a perfectly flat backing. However for whatever reason the file displays the object at an odd orientation and i don't know how to make it lay flat on the flat side. Can this be done in the solidoodle print software or must the file be altered in something else to make it lay flat? I can change the degree orientation, but I have no way of knowing when I have turned it to the perfect placement that the flat backing lays flat on the platform.

Also for other objects found online how does one know what characteristics they have, and how they need to be altered to be printable in .stl format?

2 Reply by DePartedPrinter

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

you sort of learn with time what works and what does not work in terms of how to orient objects when printing.

SD2 with E3D, SD Press, Form 1+
Filastruder
NYLON (taulman): http://www.soliforum.com/topic/466/nylon/

3 Reply by nickythegreek

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

The stock solidoodle 2/3 are going to have issues printing overhangs greater then 45 degrees without support turned on.  Browse thru thingiverse.com 'Recently Made' section. Look at the designs people have put up and look at the "Made" section to see the kind of quality and objects that people are getting out of their various 3d printers.

Repetier-Host allows you to rotate the STL on each access by putting in the degree to offset on each axis on the 'Object Placement' tab.

If you load the STL into tinkercad, hit the 'W' key and click on the face that you want to be the base.  This should re-orient your model.  Save and download the object to load into RH.  If it happens to be upside down, use Rotate section in RH 'Object Placement' and put in the value 180 in the Rotate: Y input box.

4 Reply by Rocketman

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

nickythegreek wrote:

The stock solidoodle 2/3 are going to have issues printing overhangs greater then 45 degrees without support turned on.  Browse thru thingiverse.com 'Recently Made' section. Look at the designs people have put up and look at the "Made" section to see the kind of quality and objects that people are getting out of their various 3d printers.

Repetier-Host allows you to rotate the STL on each access by putting in the degree to offset on each axis on the 'Object Placement' tab.

If you load the STL into tinkercad, hit the 'W' key and click on the face that you want to be the base.  This should re-orient your model.  Save and download the object to load into RH.  If it happens to be upside down, use Rotate section in RH 'Object Placement' and put in the value 180 in the Rotate: Y input box.

tinkercad is a website or a software I can download? As for objects not made by me how do I determine if the object is a solid object and doesn't have holes or is nothing more than lines? In other programs other than the solidoodle print software many objects at least appear to be complete.

5 Reply by Skyblue (edited by Skyblue 2013-02-27 00:37:07)

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

I use Netfab Studio, it shows orientation on menu bar : top down,bottom, left, right etc.  I always select top down view to export as stl. It all depends on how your object requires placeing to print best.  You can rotate your object on x,y, or z to get it to the proper perspective.   Rotate your model from the top down view, and rotate it to top down, then export.

6 Reply by Rocketman

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

Skyblue wrote:

I use Netfab Studio, it shows orientation on menu bar : top down,bottom, left, right etc.  I always select top down view to export as stl. It all depends on how your object requires placeing to print best.  You can rotate your object on x,y, or z to get it to the proper perspective.   Rotate your model from the top down view, and rotate it to top down, then export.

I signed up for tinkercad and can't image how it could be used to make this work. Actually my 3D model is a face of someone I know. I gave it a flat backing with I think Meshmixer. I just don't know how to make the back lay flat on the ground. I wish there was an artifical gravity mode that just pulls it down until it no longer moves. lol.

7 Reply by jon_bondy

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

I ran into something similar earlier this week.  If you load the object into Repetier Host, you can adjust the orientation of the object using the three rotation edit boxes, by entering values in degrees.  When you  get the thing pretty close to the orientation that you like, by trial and error, you can then slice it and view each of the first few layers, before you even print it.  You can tell pretty clearly when the object is correctly oriented.  It is laborious trial and error, but you should be able to do it in 10-15 minutes (if the part is not so complex that the slicing takes forever).

8 Reply by jooshs

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

Rep G has a function that lays the model flat on an axis. You may have to rotate it a few times but it will get any object flat on the build platform. Netfabb also has a function that allows you to pick a surface and rotate it such that surface is the bottom of the piece.

9 Reply by nickythegreek

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

web-based solid cad app: www.tinkercad.com
the free version would be all you need.

you can use the free service from netfabb to repair holes in objects
http://cloud.netfabb.com

10 Reply by nickythegreek

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

ah, here is great work flow video for going from scan to print:
http://vimeo.com/38764290

11 Reply by Rocketman

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

Didn't really find that video helpful. I need to make a certain flat surface on my object stick flat to the ground so I can print it.

12 Reply by Skyblue (edited by Skyblue 2013-03-01 23:57:09)

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

Load your object into Netfab Studio.  Cut back even, or flat, then cut bottom flat, use the repair function (red cross) to repair all holes.  This will leave a clean flat surface, and a closed mesh (manifold).  Then re-orient your object, from top down view, to looking at top down and export.  It is confusing, bu you will eventually understand whats required.

13 Reply by Rocketman

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Re: Orienting Objects, etc.

Skyblue wrote:

Load your object into Netfab Studio.  Cut back even, or flat, then cut bottom flat, use the repair function (red cross) to repair all holes.  This will leave a clean flat surface, and a closed mesh (manifold).  Then re-orient your object, from top down view, to looking at top down and export.  It is confusing, bu you will eventually understand whats required.

My object is already completely waterproof and has a perfectly flat bottom I cut with mesh mixer. It has been printed before by a professional, and now I would like to print it. The model itself doesn't need to be changed. Just the orientation of the object in the file so the flat backing I gave the object will be 'perfectly' on the printing plane. I have no idea what degrees off any of the dimensional angles are.