I would like to get advice if sketch up is the right program for my project and to get advice on how to approach my project
I would like to create 3D model of patterns found in traditional Bhutanese cloths that I can 3D print. The patterns are 2D block format, used for documenting textile patterns that looks like a crossword puzzle.
I was originally going try to digitize these directly, but the jagged edges would not be ascetically pleasing, and difficult to 3D Print.
I decided to manually trace the edges of the patterns to create a sketch what can then be extruded in 3D. I would then like to print these pattern on a 3d Printer, or laser cut into wood, and press mold or direct laser cut into plasticine.
Is Sketch up ( Free Web ) a good program to do this? Does my approach sound reasonable?
I attached some of the patterns
Are these six paterns representing six stamps that you wish to make? (among many others of course).
And what is the overall size of these stamps going to be?
There is a lot of symmetry and repeatative work which would allow you to reduce your work immensely if you decide to work with SketchUp. In fact you’ll better work with using components and layers to get inferencing points out of the way (turn layers off to make chunks of already drawn components invisible).
Work at a large scale to ultimately scale down to actual size.
Yes, it’s possible to create these sort of patterns in SketchUp.
Remember that vertices in the same drawing context (say your ultimate exdtruded SketchUp Solid) can’t be closer than 0.01" (0.0254mm) or they will merge. Probably much less than your 3D printer can handle.
Yes, these would be typical patterns. The overall size maybe 1-2in square. I don’t think I will need more than 25.5um resolution. I will get a tutorial on sketch up. Thanks for you help!
I’m not doing any specific pattern here, but showing an approach.
Make your square and divide into triangles. Make one a component and delete the rest. Copy that triangle around 3 times to remake the square. Shift+erase to hide the inner edges. The you can add designs to that component and it will populate all the others so you can see how the design will appear in its square form.
This can work for the fully symmetrical ones. The asymmetrical ones you can add unique items outside of the component and if necessary explode it all the make as one item.
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