SketchUp - How to make cylinder bottom print smooth

[AndyB]

In SketchUp I create a cylinder using the following method:

draw a line
put a circle at the end and use the Follow Me

In Simplify3D the FFF is set so the Infill Percentage is 0% so the pipe is printed with no infill. The Skirt/Brim and Raft are deselected.

The one issue is that the portion of the cylinder that sits on the MakerGear platform prints some sort of bottom which is not part of the design. This is what I'm referring to:

On other prints when I select 100% Infill the bottom that sits on the platform is perfectly smooth.

What can I do to get a perfectly smooth bottom? Perhaps make the first few layers 100% Infill? Is that possible?

[Jules]

First off.....I've never used Sketchup, so can't tell you how to fix it in that program - but that is not a skirt, brim, raft or infill - I think that is Support that the S3D program generated for you automatically because the bottom of the print does not sit flush with the bed plate. It's got a very slight grade to it.

The only part of that print that sits flat on the bed is the part I've highlighted below:

If you are certain that your pipe has a flat bottom as designed, then the only problem is that when you designed it in Sketchup, at some point it got rotated just a hair off horizontal, and when you placed it in S3D, it picked up that rotation. (Or maybe it was rotated a bit in S3d - easy to do accidentally.)

Easy fix.....There is a button in S3D that lets you place a designated surface flat on the bed.

First raise the print high up off the bed (on screen) by double clicking directly on the print itself. Change the Z-Offset number to 100 mm. Hit Enter.

Then click Edit > Place Surface on Bed. Hover the mouse over the bottom face of the print and click on one of the triangles there. That places that face on the bed and re-orients it if needed.

[Bratag]

You also might want to avoid sketchup in the future. Its not really a great product for designing 3d printable parts. Check out one of the other free design tools like fusion360 or perhaps 123d

[AndyB]

Hi Jules,

You nailed it. The problem was indeed the part was not laying flat on the platform. I did two things, first made sure the part in SketchUp is perfectly flat and second in the Simplify3D program I adjusted the following:

Layer -> First Layer Speed -> Default 50% now 25%

Here are the results:

Thank you for your wonderful help!

[Jules]

My pleasure! (I get lucky sometimes.)

[AndyB]

You also might want to avoid sketchup in the future. Its not really a great product for designing 3d printable parts. Check out one of the other free design tools like fusion360 or perhaps 123d

Thank you for your suggestion, Bratag.

So far I'm really enjoying SketchUp and is working very well for my simple projects.

[jimc]

the reason bratag was giving you other options is that your just headed down a dark path with sketchup. atleast for making models to 3d print. sketchup is probably one of the worst cad programs for 3d printing since is just a surface modeler and its extremely bad at stitching the surfaces together. 3d printing needs 100% solid watertight models.

[AndyB]

Thank you, Jim. I do appreciate the information and will certainly keep it in mind as my needs require a more robust modeling software. However for now my needs are simple and SketchUp is working perfectly.

[AndyB]

I just did a little research on 123D and it appears there are are real issues:

Known issues
Autodesk's Catch software is free and allows users to create 3D models with ease with only the use of a camera or smartphone. This convenience comes at cost however and means a lack of functionality pertaining to detail and reliability. Since catch processes the user’s images on an Autodesk server instead of locally on the user's computer an internet connection is required to use any of the functionality it offers. Users have also experienced issues with Autodesk servers being unresponsive at times, making it impossible to access their creations or work on new models. Just the data reaching the server does not ensure a good model. When creating a model, the Catch software can have trouble stitching together images that feature reflective or transparent surfaces, even with the user's assistance. Catch can also fail to properly create a model if the subject moves or changes during the photo taking process. Models featuring small parts or hair and fur can also cause problems for the Catch software because the mesh created does does not allow for the level of detail needed to model each individual piece.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodesk_123D

[jimc]

123d is another beginners cad software. better at making solid models for 3d printing but still very limited. i always found these entry level modeling programs to actually be harder because they just dont have the tools to do what you want to do. for a free software then fusion 360 gets some real good reviews but other than that your going to have to buy one of them. to clear up the quote you posted above....that is referring to 123d catch not 123d design. 123d is a series of beginner software all with a different functions. there are about 1/2 dozen of them. 123d design is the modeling/cad program. catch is the one that makes a model out of photos.