topic Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position in AutoCAD Forum

STL not exporting with appropriate position

masterenol — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 01:01:48 GMT

Hello everyone,

I am exporting two STL files as shown below, one in yellow and one in blue. When I import these STL files into 3D Builder or Simplify3D, the two parts are misaligned. Can someone please help me with this situation? I have auto arrange and auto center turned off for 3D Builder and Simplify 3D.

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

beyoungjr — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 01:17:22 GMT

I'd start by moving your solids so they are centered on WCS 0,0. Not sure if that's inducing a problem??

I also tend to keep my solids very stable prior to STLOUT by keeping them all on Layer 0 and all properties by layer. And I clean up the solids history in the file too.

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

beyoungjr — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 01:31:01 GMT

I looked up 3D Builder but I can't install it because it's a free app for Win8-Win10. I also see that its a 3D printing app. I also see that Simplify3D is a printing app.

If you are importing both of these models into one printer app you surely realize that when aligned as you want they have no clearance and therefore will not be printed separately... right? That said, why not export the pair as one STL and it comes into the app as one. I tried it with your model and it comes into 3DS Max beautifully as a single STL model.

I suppose that you would want to bring them in separately if you are printing in different colors or materials, but that would mean that you have a higher end 3D printer and should have MUCH better model assembly software included with that higher end unit.

Blaine

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

masterenol — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 01:35:50 GMT

I have a 3D Printer with dual extrudes capable of printing a part in two colors. Simplify 3D is the best slicer to use for 3D printing. I've dual printed before just fine. For dual printing, at least two seperate STLs are required so that an extruder can be assigned to each seperate STL. For some reason, AutoCAD is not exporting my STL files correctly.

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

beyoungjr — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 01:41:18 GMT

Good for you! I'd love to have a dual-extruder. So many fund things to make.

Not sure why Simplify doesn't want to bring them in aligned but maybe try to move the objects so that they are based upon the true WCS 0,0. Then export and try importing to the apps. It surely would be a little less translation involved in the export of the objects.

Actually just try the one I already played with...

Any luck?

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

masterenol — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 01:58:15 GMT

To move to WCS 0,0, do I move the UCS to a point near the object? Also, I appreciate the file but it seems like you may have used AutoCAD 2018; I'm using AutoCAD 2017.

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

beyoungjr — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 03:58:52 GMT

Oops! I usually save files backa version or two for folks. The 2013 format is attached now.

Also, to move the object to WCS 0,0 you should first set your UCS back to WCS. Click the list under the viewcube and select WCS. OR... use the 3D Modeling Workspace Home Ribbon on the Coordinates Panel and set the WCS as current.

Then the following 2 options:

1. Turn off Dynamic Input and mover your objects from their center to 0,0,0

2. Create a line from 0,0 to another point anywhere. Move your objects from their centerpoint to the 0,0 endpoint of the line.

Don't forget to turn Dynamic Input back on if you go that route.

Cheers,

Blaine

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

Alfred.NESWADBA — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 06:12:19 GMT

Hi,

>> When I import these STL files into 3D Builder or Simplify3D, the two parts are misaligned

>> AutoCAD is not exporting my STL files correctly

Am I correct that you import the STL's in 2 separate steps? If so it's not the position of AutoCAD that is important, Simplify3D automatically centers imported objects by first calculating the extents of the object and then position the object at the center of the printing bed.

Even if you set "don't center objects" in the options you'll get the objects placed close to 0,0, but based on the extents of each STL content.

Reason is quite simple: a lot of people would have issues with having the object far away from the printable area and so don't find the objects in the slicer software 😉

BTW: Autodesk PrintStudio as well as Cura do it all the same way!

~~I would suggest to create a small box outside your object and export this box with every of that 2 base objects.~~

~~This box can then be used to align the objects together after both stl's are imported in your slicer software.~~

[EDIT] place 2 little boxes at Z-level 0 (based on printing Z), so these boxes are the new extents (so one is at min-x/min-y, the other is placed at max-x/max-y) and so the extents calculation helps you to make them correctly aligned[/EDIT]

- alfred -

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

Alfred.NESWADBA — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 06:22:35 GMT

Hi,

well, that is now a screenshot showing the result from my last suggestion, the dwg-file with that modification is attached too.

You can then use Simplify3D's function "Mesh" ==> "Separate connected surfaces" to separate the mini-boxes from the base object so they will not be printed.

- alfred -

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

beyoungjr — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 14:47:52 GMT

Great ideas from @Alfred.NESWADBA! Makes so much sense.

I also found another solution that is probably too obvious.

You could have simply moved the two solids apart from one another in the ACAD drawing and exported them both as a single STL file. Then in Simplify 3D you have tools to break up the two mesh objects and manipulate each a bit.

The following link to a YouTube explanation should help.

Excellent Topic! All of this applies to most any good 3D printing App.

Cheers!

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

beyoungjr — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 15:26:19 GMT

Oops I forgot to paste the link to the video. There are lots of great Simplify3D videos at YouTube. I almost got stuck watching several

I might have to look into getting this app for the classroom!

Heres the link from my previous post...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1V-5aA03dQ

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

masterenol — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:56:51 GMT

blyoung and Alfred.NESWADBA, thank you so much for your replies!

So far what works for me is the method described by Alfred.NESWADBA by using two cubes as extends.

blyoung, I have not tried your methods yet, but I will experiment with them later today. Many thanks!

Re: STL not exporting with appropriate position

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 23:11:48 GMT

I've been having the same issue with autocad, but just found that if I export the drawing model to 3ds max then it will export each part to stl files retaining the 0,0,0 point for import into other programs. Why can't autocad do this with their translator? Although i am still using 2016 until January, so hopefuly 2020 will have this issue fixed for export STLs.