- Sketchup 17 boolean plugin how to#
- Sketchup 17 boolean plugin software#
- Sketchup 17 boolean plugin free#
(Example is extracted and adapted from my TT_Lib2 library.) I wrote a method to safely remove materials from a model. Hopefully it will be updated in the future as the current implementation is very prone cause some annoying model corruption. The reason for this behaviour is that the method exposed a low level C++ function – which didn’t clean up the model as one would expect. To avoid a corrupted model you need to manually remove the material from all entities before using Materials.remove(material). If you use the Fix Problems function in SketchUp it will complain about these invalid materials and remove it from the front side of faces – but not from the backside. So the result of using it is a model with invalid materials assigned to its entities. The material was only removed from the material list, but not from the entities in the model. Materials.remove, which M1 introduced, had some unexpected behaviour. The only workaround way was to ensure all other materials was assigned to some entity and purge the materials collection. I have for example a parameterized thread that I use to print parts that can be screwed together with printed threads or using standard M-thread screws directly in holes with printed threads.Before SketchUp 8 Maintenance Release 1 there was no API method to remove a material from a model. That makes it very easy to parameterize a design so it can be reused in various projects. Your design is very easy to redo in FreeCAD and if you are making many different enclosures, all dimensions can be put in a spread sheet inside the FreeCAD project and referenced wherever a numerical constraint/constant is used. I would recommend starting with some tutorials in using part design and the sketcher. It took me several months to get a good workflow with part design and the ability to write scripts/tools with Python opens up a lot of possibilities to automate various tasks, especially when interacting with 3D printing software.
Sketchup 17 boolean plugin how to#
That said, FreeCAD is extremely powerful when you learn how to use it. I actually use Prusa Slic3r whenever I need to edit STL files such as resize, cut or split and object. I have been down that road with FreeCAD and STL files and never ever succeeded. I'm not sure this is the case in FreeCAD, or if I'm already doing this?
I'm wondering if it's also required in these cases? Attempting to do the boolean operation in sketchup failed but did require having grouped components. I have an understanding that "grouping" parts of models is big when putting a model together from parts, so as to simplify life.
Sketchup 17 boolean plugin free#
Does exporting an STL from sketchup free not work for certain operations when importing to FreeCAD?
There is a different function that is used for "boring" threaded holes? My understanding of the boolean operation is wrong.
However, when I highlight both the part object and the screwtap and select the CUT boolean operation, what I expect to happen (the screwtap was "cut" or carved out of the part object) did not. Now, from most tutorials I've watched, removing one piece from another is a boolean operation, often a cut or an intersection. Once in FreeCAD, I switched to the fasteners workbench and created a screwtap of arbitrary length. To add this, I decided to export the file from Sketchup as STL and import it to FreeCAD. I decided to sketch out the main design for the housing in Sketchup, and am happy with it, though I am missing the holes in the four corners. Research into my use case revealed a plugin (Fasteners Workbench) which seemed purpose built for dealing with screws/threads, and I greatly prefer this approach due to being able to select standardized sizes.
Sketchup 17 boolean plugin software#
However as the open source alternative, I understand it's incredibly powerful and can/should be able to do what most 3D modeling software is capable of, if you know how to use it properly - and that's where my lack of understanding shines through. Unfortunately, FreeCAD felt like a confusing cross between early 2000s Microsoft Paint and Eclipse (Java). SketchUp Free proved to be a super intuitive, easy to understand 3D modeling software, tho is limited in functionality due to paid tiers. Due to the nature of 3D printing being less than ideal for bending/snapping locks, I've decided to use small screws to hold multiple layers of housing together. Hash: 9948ee4f1570df9216862a79705afb367b2c6ffbĮssentially, I have a need to design some housing for a small electornics board. Unfortunately, due to my being a noob with 3D modeling in general, I'm coming here for hopefully more direct help. Hoping to get some help with something I'm trying to accomplish.