Print 3D objects from Google SketchUp

Print 3D objects from Google SketchUp

Brad
Huh, this really big news – Make 3D printable STL files directly from a Google SketchUp model with CADspan’s plugin… via Fabbaloo.

Creating a 3D printing file from a Google SketchUp file has never been easy. Today a new class of 3D printing technology has slashed the time and expense it takes to create a physical model. Our friends at CADspan just released a plugin that allows for the generation of solid, 3D printable files directly from a Google SketchUp model. This software re-creates a model by “shrink-wrapping” it with one continuous mesh. The result is a single object, in STL file format, that is completely solid and ready-to-print.

3D printers create a physical object from a digital model by first dividing it into thin virtual “slices.” Then, the printers build the physical model, one layer at a time. These machines can typically build a shoe box sized object with almost any detail, overnight.

The new CADspan plugin makes 3D printing from Google SketchUp easier than ever. Install the plugin, and use the included tools to clean up and put some finishing touches on the model. When ready to export, click upload and let CADspan’s servers take care of the rest. Then, go right on to working on your next Google SketchUp project while the first model is being resurfaced. When it’s finished, simply download the STL file, review it, and the model is ready to print.

6 thoughts on “Print 3D objects from Google SketchUp

  1. Colecoman1982 says:

    I was a little confused at first and thought that this was a tool for uploading content to a fabbing service that CADspan was providing. While they do provide 3D printing services if you want to pay for them, the software mentioned in this post is a stand-alone plugin that can be used to produce an STL file which can be sent to any 3D modeling service or fabbed on your own if you are lucky enough to own you own 3D printer (or have built one ala the open source reprap project (www.reprap.org)). The plugin is available free for non-commercial use, though it’s not an open source licence if you’re serious about that stuff.

  2. Magic Model says:

    That’s amazing!!!

  3. Johan Andersson says:

    Totally worthless plugin as it allows so few triangles. Most models has much more than 10000 and then the service refuses to process it.

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