3D MODELING

AND 3D PRINTING
Lesson 11

Preparing
a Model for
3D Printing

2
 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

Preparing a Model
for 3D Printing

L
et's practice a little to prepare a model for 3D printing.
First, follow the link in parentheses to download
a model of a turtle from the 3D archive.
Run SketchUp, add a model, and download it in .stl
(Fig. 1).

Figure 1
Run Meshlab. In fact, it is a software system for process-
ing 3D meshes. If you want to print your 3D projects, you
cannot do without this software! Open this software and click
File=>Import Mesh (Fig. 2).

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Lesson 11

Figure 2
Browse for the required file and add it to the software
(Fig. 3).

Figure 3

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 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

Click Ok in the Post-Open Processing window that ap-

pears (Fig.4).

Figure 4
The model appears on the scene. In order to see the object’s
mesh better, switch to the Faces mode ( ) (Fig. 5).

Figure 5
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Lesson 11

Duplicate the mesh by double-clicking in the Project_1

window. Go to the layer with the copied mesh and let's get to
work (Fig. 6).

Figure 6
First of all, we should study the object's mesh. If you have
problems or inaccuracies in the mesh, you can fix them right
here. Let's simplify the mesh by applying a filter to the cop-
ied layer. Select Filters => Remeshering, Simplification and
Reconstruction => Simplification: Quadric Edge Collaps
Decimation (Fig. 7).
The Simplification: Quadric Edge Collaps Decimation
window appears (Fig. 8).

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 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

Figure 7

Figure 8

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Lesson 11

Click Help here, and you will see a parameter list and
short explanation to each parameter (Fig. 9).

Figure 9
Change Target number of Faces in this window. It has half
of the initial number of Faces by default. You can learn the ini-
tial number by clicking on the drop-down list in the Project_1
(Fig. 10).
Set Target number of Faces = 3000 and check Planar
Simplification so that this algorithm is applied to the sections,
where faces are in plane. Press Apply (Fig. 11).
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 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

Figure 10

Figure 11

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Lesson 11

As you can see, the mesh has changed, it is bigger and

more even now (Figures 12 and 13).

Figure 12

Figure 13
After this, clean the complicated parts of the model. Go
to Render => Show Non Manifold Egdes. This displays tricky
parts highlighted in pink (Fig. 14).

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 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

Figure 14
After this apply a filter. Filters => Cleaning and Repair-
ing => Remove Faces from Non Manifold Edges (Fig. 15).

Figure 15
After the filter is applied, there is a hole in the tricky part
(Fig. 16).

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Lesson 11

Figure 16
Next, select Fill Hole ( ) on the Tools panel. The appeared
window contains information on the number of holes in our
mesh. Check all the elements to be filled, then check Trivial,
click Fill and Accept (Fig. 17).

Figure 17

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 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

Your mesh is read (Fig. 18).

Figure 18
Now you can export the model for 3D printing. Press
File => Export Mesh As. Choose where you want to save
the file. It's ready (Fig. 19)!

Figure 19

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Lesson 11

You can go to Thingiverse (www.thingiverse.com) to see

other examples. Here you will find many 3D models and their
printed variants. For example, Pikachu (Figures 20 and 21).

Figure 20

Figure 21

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 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

Look at the models you can print using a 3D printer:

1. Yoda Bust (Fig. 22).

Figure 22

2. Millenium Falcon cufflinks (Fig. 23).

Figure 23

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Lesson 11

3. Groot (Fig. 24).

Figure 24

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 Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

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Lesson 11
Preparing a Model for 3D Printing

© Vladislav Buchkovskiy
© STEP IT Academy, www.itstep.org

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