Originally Posted by naveenrajan:
John
Well, redrawing or correcting might depend on the level of detail in the original file, used to print the 3-D model. Also, if you only have the output file as a .STL file that most of these 3-D printers use, then it is not easy to reverse engineer the files to increase the level of detail as .STL files just contain faceted data (a lot of tiny triangles), not geometric shapes (cubes or cylinders). I have reverse engineered faceted CAD models for complicated parts like turbocharger turbines at a prior job but it is very time consuming & if I had a choice I would have preferred to work with other CAD file formats. Ideally, you could ask the creator if they are willing to share the models they created in better universal CAD format like IGES or STEP that are compatible with many CAD programs & also allow you to modify the original file or to enhance the level of detail when you write out the faceted files for the 3-D printer. Just remember that rewriting the faceted CAD files to get more triangles to get better quality in the printed parts will increase the file size, increase the time to print, assuming the printer you have access to is able to achieve finer resolution.
I have been using CAD for a living since 1999, earlier for Toyota & now for Caterpillar.
These are just my opinion,
Thanks,
Naveen Rajan
Well, redrawing or correcting might depend on the level of detail in the original file, used to print the 3-D model. Also, if you only have the output file as a .STL file that most of these 3-D printers use, then it is not easy to reverse engineer the files to increase the level of detail as .STL files just contain faceted data (a lot of tiny triangles), not geometric shapes (cubes or cylinders). I have reverse engineered faceted CAD models for complicated parts like turbocharger turbines at a prior job but it is very time consuming & if I had a choice I would have preferred to work with other CAD file formats. Ideally, you could ask the creator if they are willing to share the models they created in better universal CAD format like IGES or STEP that are compatible with many CAD programs & also allow you to modify the original file or to enhance the level of detail when you write out the faceted files for the 3-D printer. Just remember that rewriting the faceted CAD files to get more triangles to get better quality in the printed parts will increase the file size, increase the time to print, assuming the printer you have access to is able to achieve finer resolution.
I have been using CAD for a living since 1999, earlier for Toyota & now for Caterpillar.
These are just my opinion,
Thanks,
Naveen Rajan
Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:
How do you "redraw" it and have the correct output files to print the 3D part?
Naveen,
Thank you for that input. Do you know what would be the file type you would typically create by scanning the incorrect part that you intend to modify?
