Please help me, I am losing my mind after 22 hours of trying to fix this model. First time poster, haven’t used sketchup in 10ish years. Trying to 3d print this (printing on Ender 3 V2), using Cleanup3 and Inspector2. I have fixed over 450 edges, was down to 50 and I scaled the model as recommended to help fix it. Went back to 260 edges and some other issues and I’m literally about to dropkick my laptop with this. Idk what to do, have read a bunch of posts and forums and tried 17 different (free) 3d modeling programs. I built the model as it would be when it’s together and closed, then grouped and separated the two halves for printing so the geometry would line up. I just need this %#$@ thing to be solid. This is what I have.
Mount.skp (350.7 KB)
I’ve spent about 30 minutes looking at the model and repairing some things (one of the three-prong buckles), but it’s kind of hopeless I’m afraid to say. When I opened the file, SketchUp 2018 (which I’m using) “repaired” it. I don’t know how much damage that actually caused, by deleting some points and merging others. But there are tons of not-quite-aligned edges, lots of internal faces, inconsistencies all over. With a few more hours of work it could be made solid in the SketchUp sense, but the geometry would have lots of irregularities and might not be what you want.
I opened your file in SU20 and I’m sorry to say it’s a hot mess. I don’t think this is fixable. The micro errors are so pervasive that I don’t think you would ever track them all down. Many of the edges are very slightly out of square and many faces are missing. This geometry shows the telltale signs of being imported from another format, was this file an .stl to begin with before you brought it into SketchUp? I know it can be very frustrating but I think you will only drive yourself crazier trying to fix this, you have chosen a Sisyphean (endless/impossible) task. This should not be that hard to recreate from scratch and you would be so much better off.
Here is a file to help start you out, It’s your original file scaled up by 1000. This is my 3D printing template (I have and ender 3 as well), it has the build area in lines and the units are set to Meters which you should treat as MM.
Mount start over.skp (429.0 KB)
I’ve spent some time looking at fixing your model and agree with the others, you are far better off starting from scratch.
Concentrate on making one catch in two parts, grouping/componenting each as you go so that you can work on them as separate solids. Then the hinge. Then the rest of the structure so you end up with separate solids that can be put together. With one catch and one hinge you just move copy to get the second one, far less work.
The crazy part is I actually CREATED this model IN Sketchup. I imported the clips from the 3d warehouse, but idk why there are so many issues in the main part of the shape. Thank you very much for that file and for your input.
You should be able to download the clips again then and scale them by 1000x. If they are well made. Many of the items in the warehouse are not well made. Can you post the web address for the clips?
I’m not sure how to post just a component but if you search the 3d warehouse under “models” for ‘1" (25mm webbing) Fastex Side Release Buckle’ it is the only option that pops up!
Find the model and post the address from the address bar into your reply.
It wasn’t hard to find.
One of the three objects is easily fixed with Solid Tools, the other two have issues.
You should get Solid Tools anyway, and can either fix things or see what you have to change in the model.
https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/aad4e5d9-7115-4cac-9b75-750ed0902732/solid-inspector
Easy or not it is better to learn how to share the file.
Yes, good point.
I’m using the software version, there is no URL that I can copy. but now I know that I can load up the browser version and share easier, thank you.
Go to the warehouse in a browser and find the item then copy the url like this.
Very strange, it shows in the preview but doesn’t seem to show in the post.
A few thoughts
I do not understand why you want to print these buckles. These are available in sorted shops and online - my wife order a lot of these in different sizes and colors for dog collars.
The rest of the model can made with separate groups of the frames and for hinges use a component and copy them to the right places.
For the buckles make a kind of case - then the buyed buckles will flush in and some small screws will hold the buckles in the cases.
When all stuff is designed and solid you can create 2 solid parts by using the outer shell function from the solid tools or you export each frame with all solid parts to a stl.file and use meshmixer to make a solid stl.file.
In your model some parts of the buckles are very thin - less or equal 1mm - that wont work well after printing.
I use single groups and components on my Porsche project ( Tengel07's wip project: 1970 Porsche 908/03 - #108 by tengel07 ) and export the group of parts in a stl.file and with meshmixer i got a printable stl.file - when i try to make all parts together in sketchup as single solid part - that wont work well for me and causes lots of extra edges and surfaces and makes the model to big in size and changes drives me crazy…