STL is probably the most commonly used file format in 3D Printing.
But what is STL exactly?
To put it simply,
STL contains a limited number of triangular facets
which describe the surface geometry of a 3D object.
That means STL is basically a mesh made up by lots of triangles.
And Meshmixer is a 3D modeling software working with meshes.
With the help of Meshmixer,
we can edit STL files and accomplish:
Importing and Exporting 3D files,
Sculpting,
Hollowing out parts,
Cutting models apart and Preparing designs for 3D printing,
simple and quick.
Today, we'd like to show you how to customize a Snapmaker Capsule Toy
with these operations,
and share some ideas and tricks about editing an STL file.
All the links of the sample files,
software applications and tools are available in the Video Description below.
Now, let's go straight to the tutorial.
Open Meshmixer,
Import the egg.stl file, and append the machine.stl file to it.
For a better vision, you can hide the egg in the Objects Browser by clicking the eye icon.
Next, select Meshmix → Primitives on the sidebar,
and drag the cuboid to the workspace.
Double-click the cuboid in the Objects Browser,
so that you can rename it.
Here we would call it "cube".
Use the right and middle mouse buttons to change the camera,
and use the ViewCube on the top right corner to turn to some certain perspectives rapidly.
Now you may have found that the control rods in the cube are absent.
Don't worry, you can select Edit → Transform on the sidebar to bring them up
and adjust the size and position of the cube to make it roughly coincide with the machine.
Next, Select the machine in the Objects Browser,
and choose Actions → Set as Target in the menu to turn it translucent.
And it's now easier to adjust the size and the position of the cube.
Besides dragging with mouse,
you can also type in numbers in the pop-up menu to change the cube precisely.
Select Accept when the cube encases the machine perfectly.
Restore the view of the machine through Actions → Clear Target,
and hide the machine in the Objects Browser.
Set the egg as target to make it translucent.
Select the cube and choose Edit → Transform on the sidebar.
Rotate and move the cube to the center of the egg.
For a better printing result,
the angles of the cube should not go beyond or get too close to the shell of the egg,
as well as the hinge at the bottom.
Accept when the cube is in position.
Choose Actions → Clear Target and click on the eye icon to restore the view of the egg.
Select the egg in the Objects Browser,
hold “Ctrl” key, and check the cube.
A menu will pop up at the top left corner.
Select Boolean Difference in the popup menu.
And uncheck Preserve Group Borders and Auto-reduce Results
to avoid an automatic smoothing for the model.
Choose Accept to hollow out the egg.
You can now turn the egg translucent in the Objects Browser,
and check if the egg is properly hollowed.
Restore the view.
Select Meshmix → Letters on the sidebar, and drag a letter onto the egg.
Use the mouse to adjust the letter.
The center of the control button represents position,
while the ring is for orientation, and the arrow is for size.
When finished, choose Accept,
and keep on adding other letters.
You might wonder if there is a faster way to adding words,as we did.
Well...let's hope it will be realized by Meshmixer team in the near future. :-D
Select Stamp on the sidebar.
Choose the target pattern, left-click on the egg where you want to draw it on,
then drag to adjust the size of it.
Choose Select on the sidebar, double-click the pattern or patterns that you want to extrude.
Go to Edit → Extrude under Select menu.
Set the offset to make sunken patterns on the surface, and choose Accept when finished.
The next step is to separate models.
Hide the egg in the Objects Browser, and show the machine.
Click on the machine, and go to Select → Edit → Separate on the sidebar.
When you are done, choose the machine again and separate the remaining parts.
When separation completes,
select all the machine parts and choose Analysis → Layout/Packing
on the sidebar to align them horizontally.
Show the egg,
and move all the machine parts to a proper place through Edit → Transform.
And don't forget to click on Accept.
To export the model, just select it in the Objects Browser and go to Export on the sidebar.
You can also check the models all at once and export them into a single STL file.
But that means you won't be able to customize each part in slicer software.
So, let's just export them one by one.
The exported STL file can be sliced and printed with Snapmaker Luban software.
For detailed instructions,
you can refer to Snapmaker machine Quick Start Guide.
Before Starting, you need to rotate and position the models properly to avoid overhangs.
And you're suggested to use Normal Quality mode in Snapmaker Luban to print.
As everything is ready, you can click on the Run icon to start.
With a versatile Snapmaker 3N1 3D printer
and a useful 3D designing application,
you can make creation happen at any time.
We are expecting to share more tips and tricks on 3D Printing,
Laser Engraving and CNC Carving in future Snapmaker Academy.
If you like this video, please give a like and subscribe to let us know.
Have fun making!