The slicer is the software you’ll use to convert the .stl file you create from the 3D model into the Gcode for your 3D printer.
I built my copy of your board entirely from scratch. I used yours to get an idea of the dimensions you were trying to achieve but most of yours went many places past the decimal and I didn’t want to work that hard. Later yesterday I ended up completing my version of your board.
As for the speed of creating the model, it takes practice of course. I also think that you have to have a very clear idea of what you want to end up with and how to use the tools to get there. Doing a lot of modeling helps you get familiar with the tools. That is the same with anything, though. The other thing that helps is breaking things down into small sections. That’s particularly easy with your chessboard because there are so many repated elements.
When I created the block with the pattern I kind approached it the way the 3D printer would print it. I didn’t create the pattern until after I’d drawn the square and then extruded it to height. In this case I pulled the block to full height, outlined the pattern and used Push/Pull to push faces down to create the grooves and the shorter cylinders. Not quite the same as the printer would do for those last steps but it’s fewer mouse clicks.
I would suggest you keep practicing. Model anything and everything for practice. Train yourself to use keyboard shortcuts if you aren’t and try to get in the habit of planning your “moves” just as if you were playing chess. Also plan your modeling with the idea that things are likely to change later. Make it as easy as possible to make those changes quick and simple. For example, dividing the chessboard into small tiles makes changing or adding features very quick and easy.
I love that you’ve been having fun with it! Obviously you are very talented at this, and also at making giphy’s ;P. I don’t even know what tool you’re using there to make a full cirkle! (I just use the circle tool…).
I will indeed keep practicing! Unfortunately I don’t have the skills of thinking ahead like a chess player. This is actually supposed to be a gift for a friend ;).
Last question! (I hope). So I sent this file to my family member who owns the 3D printer, but he says that he gets the error: “The file contains polygons with more than 4 vertices.
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The file does not contain any geometry data.”
So… I did something wrong. I sent him an OBJ file as he can also use that. Can you take a quick look and see what I should do with the model before exporting it as an OBJ or STL? Schaakbord beton 3d print - solid - numbers.skp (1.7 MB)
I used the Arc tool for those. Since the blank squares are divided into quarters in my version and those quarters are instances of the same component, I can create circle by drawing a 90° arc on one of them.
That’s a skill you just have to develop. I bet you have it in other things you do.
Hmmm… What application are they seeing that error message in? I don’t see any errors in your model that would prevent it from printing. Have you tried sending to your family member a .stl file for the model? It will take quite a while to print as it is. It’ll practically fill the bed on my printer and take half a week to print.
Okay, so, I’ve send the file as an STL and now it an indeed be read. My family member uses Fusion 360 by the way, do you know it? He does say that with my stl file, when splitting it, it needs repairing. I don’t know what that means, though.
Anyways, looks like it’ll work out in the end but my family member thinks that just building this in fusion 360 would be better :P. I would, of course, prefer to keep using SU for everything I make and just be able to export it in a way that is immediately printable.
I tried to use it a few years ago. I found it exceedingly clumsy and slow to use.
Just that it needs repairing doesn’t tell us anything useful, unfortunately. Does SketchUp identify your objects (groups and components) as solids? In my version of your chess board everything was solid and no repairs were needed. Why is he opening the .stl file in F360? If your objects are solids in SketchUp and you sent him the exported .stl file, he shouldn’t need F360 at all. He should be able to open the .stl file in Cura or whatever slicer software he uses and generate the gcode file for his printer.
Better how?
Certainly that is possible and there’s no reason you should need to change to a different application to model for 3D printing.
Edit to add:
The following is just to show that SketchUp is entirely capable of creating models that are suitable for 3D printing. No reason to use a different application. And anyone can learn to do this kind of thing. None of what I’ve done is special or beyond your capability. You just need to learn how to use the software.
Woah that’s awesome! I need to learn to model like that!!
Hahaha okay so steer clear from Fusion, got it .
Okay so I’m mistaken and he didn’t open in Fusion360, he actually opened my model in the slicer. I don’t know which software.
How can I make sure or tell if my model are solid objects? I just turn things into groups and/or components… And then I turned the whole board when finished also into a group. Is there something else I need to do or adjust?
Oh and by the way, I did send both your version of my chessboard, and also the one that I tried to build after that (I made blocks this time). So he had choice…
For a model to be considdered solid it has to meet some requirements:
1 the model must be watertight, so no holes in the “skin”
2 the model must be a single group or component, so no nested groups or components.
3 every edge in the model must meet 2 faces, no more and no less!
4 there should not be any exposed backfaces. (although SketchUp doesn’t care about that…)
5 there should be no internal faces. (any internal faces don’t conform to requirement no 3)
When your model is selected, entity info tells you whether it’s solid or not.
So for your model you have to explode all nested groups and components and it should report as solid as long as the model meets all the other requirements.
Solid Inspector2 is a very helpfull extension for identifying problems that prevent solidness…
Thanks that’s very helpful! What do you mean by 2 no nested groups? I could build with separate groups and components and then group them all together as one group or component, or can’t I do that?
Multiple complex solids are generally recognised by slicer software these days. It is quite some time since things needed to be ‘exploded into one group’. Or even use outer shell.
Okay thanks! I’m gonna watch some video’s on solid tools :P.
I do only have SketchUP Pro (2023), no plugins so far. Anything that I would need for this as a plugin? I would also like some extra tools to start experimenting with shaping thinks such as organic shaped vases, chairs and couches. Any recommendations are welcome!
I’m not telling you to steer clear of it specifically. Just that you can do your modeling for 3D printing in SketchUp. You don’t need Fusion 360 to do that.
I wonder what errors his slicer software gave him. What printer does he have? Your chessboard might be larger than his printer can handle.
Looks like @tweenulzeven has given you some good information about solid objects.
No! This is wrong. You do not need to do what @francisquitof wrote. In my screenshots from the slicer software of my version of the chessboard, the sub-components I made were left as sub-components. They were not joined together with the Solid Tools or Outer Shell. In fact they are still nested components in the SketchUp model.
As for nesting, it needs to be done in a thoughtful way. Every bottom level group or component needs to be a solid meeting the requirements @tweenulzeven gave you.
Okay thanks so much, Dave! Any tools you would recommend to make sure every group or component is indeed solid? (I think someone mentioned a solid inspector, i’m gonna look into that - but maybe there is also a handy tool to be used during modelling?). Btw I made the chessbord anew quite like you described me how to do it. I just did the border differently because I thought that was easier and faster. I’ll upload the model here so you can see and explain to me if I indeed have solid groups or not and how to check that I do. Schaakbord 3D 3 - bouwstenen.skp (484.7 KB)
Solid Inspector and Solid Inspector2 from the Extension Warehouse can help you find problems but simply selecting a group or component and looking at Entity Info will tell you. It will identify it as a Solid Component or group and there’ll be a volume.
The problem is that since you made that a group instead of a component you have 31 more of them to fix after the first one. If you’d been using components, like you did for the tiny cylinders, it would be much faster to fix.
Remember what I wrote back on the 15th.
That will make your model easier to work with when it comes to small details. Also turn off Length Snapping in Model Info>Units.
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