[awerby]

Take a look at Cubify Sculpt: Cubify Collections - Cubify Sculpt 3D design software 3D Systems felt the need to offer an inexpensive program for STL mesh creation and modification to go with their new line of consumer-level 3D printers; the result is Cubify Sculpt. It's a good complement to Cubify Desgn, which deals with more mechanical types of parts - Sculpt is for more organic ones. Sculpt is based on Claytools, a much more expensive program that works with the Sensable (now Geomagic Sensable) force-feedback arm device. It imports STL files and allows them to be modified in various ways; then it will export the results. There's a free download available that you can try out.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[revwarguy]

The best I've seen is kubotek key creator.
Hoss

$3000! Yikes. When you downloaded the models for the mills and modified them to add more detail, etc. Is that what you used to get them into Alibre? If not, what tools did you use? Did you just redraw everything in Alibre from scratch?

Andrew, is Cubify parametric? I mostly want something I can import an STL and modify, or import some 2d .dxf or whatever and extrude or whatever I need to make it 3d, but in any case, I need some good tools to specify exact sizes of shapes.

Thanks for the great responses, guys.

[hoss2006]

No I downloaded the models that were in either .step, .stp, .igs, .iges, .sldprt or .sldasm which alibre will import, edited them and exported as .stl for printing.
It'll import others but those are fairly common and some include them on thingiverse.
I've imported some of my drawings from autocad in dxf or dwg which I can use to make a 3D model.
I mostly just draw in alibre from the start for most of my custom parts.
A lot of people on thingiverse give parametric parts away drawn using the free Openscad, .scad.
http://www.openscad.org/index.html
for ex.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:53235
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:16627
Hoss

[awerby]

Andrew, is Cubify parametric? I mostly want something I can import an STL and modify, or import some 2d .dxf or whatever and extrude or whatever I need to make it 3d, but in any case, I need some good tools to specify exact sizes of shapes.

Thanks for the great responses, guys.

Cubify Design doesn't appear to be a parametric program, although the higher levels of Geomagic Design (which used to be Alibre Design) are. Cubify was intended to be a basic and easy-to-learn design tool to accompany the Cubify printer, and it accomplishes that pretty well. It is possible to specify the sizes of things in Cubify Design, though - you don't need parametrics for that. Where parametrics come in useful is when you're rescaling something, for instance, and you've specified a wall thickness of say 1/8" as a parameter. You can then increase the size of the whole object without increasing the wall thickness.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[manton]

Cubify Design is the same as the Geomagic Design products, but with a reduced feature set, and is fully parametric. You can definitely do what you are describing, i.e. define a wall thickness as a parameter, and base dimensions on that parameter.

Cubify Design, will not import .STL files however, so I think someone was referring to a different Cubify product that does.

[awerby]

Could you explain how to do that? I'm just getting started with the program, and I couldn't find the commands to add parameters. Where are they hidden?

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[manton]

Could you explain how to do that? I'm just getting started with the program, and I couldn't find the commands to add parameters. Where are they hidden?

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com ? Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

Go to the menu option "Tools/Equation Editor". You can also add them when editing a dimension if you hit the f(x) button when entering the dimension value.

[revwarguy]

Looks like the same "tower of Babel" we had with 2d file formats. So, if someone posts an .STL file in Thingiverse, they are letting others reproduce it, but if there isn't another format posted, modifications are discouraged?

[hoss2006]

Looks like the same "tower of Babel" we had with 2d file formats. So, if someone posts an .STL file in Thingiverse, they are letting others reproduce it, but if there isn't another format posted, modifications are discouraged?

Yes just because it's on thingiverse doesn't mean it's there to use any way you wish, there are licenses to be respected.
There are plenty of other sources for 3D models that are free in different formats, a few of my favs.
https://grabcad.com/
Free 3D Models 3DS Max Artist 3D Modeling Download
Free 3D Models, Free CAD Models
Hoss

[revwarguy]

Yes just because it's on thingiverse doesn't mean it's there to use any way you wish, there are licenses to be respected.
Hoss

Yep, the majority of designs on thingiverse are licensed under the creative commons scheme, which says:
"You are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
for any purpose, even commercially."

and you are required to attribute the design to the author, but yet many of these only provide an .stl file.

Thanks Hoss, for the link to the 3d Max Artist Models - hadn't seen that one.

[hoss2006]

The kneemill model by request.
Hoss

[Miata2k]

Hoss,

So how does the 1/4 scale Knee Mill compare to the real X2?

That is some great work you have done there to generate all of your machines. How long does it typically take to print them, what infill are you using?

-C

[hoss2006]

The 1/4 scale kneemill would be about 1/2 the size of a real x2.
Most were done with 25% infill, some parts 10%, printing length varies by size, the rf45 was the only one I totaled up which was 39 hours all together.
The kneemill I shelled so most of it is basically hollow.
Hoss

[hoss2006]

Did my first ABS vapor baths, came out pretty well.
Hoss

[Khalid]

wonderful.. Looks good

[tjb1]

Inventor can currently import STLs and conver them to base models that are usually workable. They are faceted but you can work with them. This is only with 2013 with Mesh Enabler which expires Jan 31, 2014 and it will be in maintenace for 2014 but I don't think student users can get that.

Hoss, you can do the acetone treatment cold. Just line a paint bucket with paper towels and hold them in with magnets, dump some acetone in and soak the paper towels and put your part in and put the lid on and it works just as good as the heated method. Just a little slower.

[hoss2006]

yeah I tried it cold, took too long for my patience, this way suits me.
Hoss

[revwarguy]

The vapor bath is very interesting, and quick! Is there any change in the overall dimensions of the part, either swelling or shrinking? I looked at Neil Underwood's post on this at 3Ders, but he doesn't mention anything about it. I realize it will round off corners to some degree (that is the desired effect, after all) but did you do any before/after measurements, like on a calibration cube type design?

[hoss2006]

Just checked, there was about .002-.003 shrinkage on the part, the bathed part was .002 dia smaller on the OD and .003 bigger on the ID for a 1.5 inch diameter part.
Not bad, still in spec.
Hoss

[revwarguy]

Wow! Thanks for checking. I was expecting some shrinking, but that is really small.