Z Corporation (Zcorp) 450 3D Printer and Frustrations with Workflow

[jbaflyer]

This is a call to anyone who has a zcorp 450 printer or other as I am curious about your workflow to print an architectural model.  

What is your workflow to get a model done in Autocad or Autocad Architecture into Zedit to print?

Google sketchup is absolute garbage, where it is only meant to be viewed in 3d, never printed.  The plugins are worthless, and work only partially, which is a true shame given the ease of the program. The plugins for autocad are sporadic at best also and I am beginning to resign to totally retrain into 3ds Max or box up the printer for 10 more years until there is a better workflow.  

3ds Max seems to be the only program which works, but the model must be built ground up from within 3d max. You have to extrude from your floorplan.  If I have a completed house from Architectural Desktop or Revit, there is no easy way to watertight it and export it ready for color and print.  

I feel like I am in 2012 on my Autocad Software and 1973 when dealing with the issues of file conversion to print.  It appears there is no simple way to create a house in full color in one single program, then click to print with minimal print. 3ds Max has some basic AEC tools, but it is frustrating having to do more.  

Any ideas or directions would be nice.  Thanks for listenting to my venting. 

[phil.keenan]

Dear Jbaflyer,

I have just come back from a visit to Call Print, East London, UK.

Their main business is a bureau for the production of architectural models. I know they have integrated Magics into their workflow, so that they can generate predictable file output for their 3D printers (Z Corp 510 and 650 machine).

The production manager there is Mr. George Lee. 

Hope this helps.
Phil. 

[jbaflyer]

Thank you.  I will be in the UK in a couple of months and look him up.  

[jbaflyer]

I forgot to ask do you have an email or know which specific office he is in?

[phil.keenan]

George's Office is:
Callprint

Docklands, E14

90/92 Westferry Studios
Milligan Street
London
E14 8AS

Opening Hours

Mon - Fri: 09:00 - 18:00
Weekends: Closed

Telephone
            020 7536 3870      

Fax
020 7536 3864

Email us at
docklands@callprint.co.uk

Phil.

[TravisNave]

I agree that using Magics is very helpful with fixing STL issues, especially for poorly designed 3D models (such as Google Sketch-Up as you mentioned.)  I've taken some pretty bad models and printed them just fine on my Stratasys Dimension and Fortus machines.  Good Luck!

[jbaflyer]

Travis, which program is Magics, you refer to?  Thanks Brian

[TravisNave]

See here:

http://www.materialise.com/Magics

[jbaflyer]

Travis, can you explain your workflow to import a sketchup model, as when I do it is only a few points and nothing like what is seen in Sketchup.  Thanks. I also tried a .dwg (dxf)with no success. 

[TravisNave]

What I did was add a plugin to Sketchup that allows export to STL. From there I use Magics to clean up the STL so that I can print to the rapid prototype machine. You'll have to google the plugin. I had to.