Snapmaker Academy: How to Edit STL Files with Meshmixer – Snapmaker

Catalog

Overview

Tools & Materials

Overview

Design & Manufacture

Now that you are reading this guide about 3D Printing, we bet you know the word “STL”.

STL is short for Stereolithography. It’s a file format created by 3D Systems company who’s known as one of the pioneers in 3D Printing industry. Born in 1987, this “30+ years old” format is still widely used for Prototyping, 3D Printing and CAM. For 3D Printing, STL might be the most commonly used model format.

So, what is STL? To put it simply, STL contains a limited number of triangular facets which describe the surface geometry of a 3D object. Think about a football that is made up with several pentagons or hexagons, an STL file works the same way. One thing that makes STL model different from other common CAD model is that it has no attributes of color, texture, etc.

As long as you have an STL file downloaded online or shared by others, you can import it into a slicer software and then print it out, making it quite easy to use. But obviously, things would be far more interesting if we can edit an STL file creatively. So, can we? The good news is yes, we can. The better news is we can do it at no cost – with the help of the free Autodesk Meshmixer software.

In the debut of Snapmaker Academy, we’d like to show you how to customize a Snapmaker Original Egg Capsule Toy, and share some ideas and tricks about editing an STL file.

Tools & Materials

Tools

Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D Printer

Software

Material

1.75mm PLA

What You Will Learn

You are going to learn how to use Meshmixer to:

Transform the size, orientation, position and shape of an object;
Get a new object by calculating the Boolean difference between 2 or more objects;
Add text on an object;
Stamp the objects and make sunken patterns by extruding;
Separate parts of a model and export them as independent ones.

Sample Files

Workflow

5 steps are included in the guide: 

- Make a cuboid that hollows the egg;
- Hollow the egg;
- Decorate the surface of the egg;
- Separate the machine parts;
- Export models and print.

Tutorial

Step 1: Make a Cuboid

1._____.gif

Import the egg.stl file.
Select Import, and Append the machine.stl file.
Hide the egg in the Objects Browser for the convenience of later operation.

Notes

You can choose View - Objects Browser in the menu if the browser is absent.
When not satisfied with the operation result, you can undo it with “Ctrl+Z”.

2.______.gif

Select Meshmix -> Primitives on the sidebar, and drag the cuboid to the workspace. Rename the cuboid by double-clicking it in the Objects Browser, if necessary (e.g. cube).

3._______.gif

Use the mouse and the ViewCube (on the top right corner) to change the camera, and roughly adjust the size and position of the cube to make it coincide with the machine.

Notes

If the control rods in the cube are absent, select Edit -> Transform on the sidebar to bring them up.
Besides dragging with mouse, you can type in numbers in the popup menu to adjust the cube precisely.

4._______.gif

Select the machine in the Objects Browser, and choose Actions -> Set as Target in the menu to turn it translucent.

5._______.gif

Adjust the cube precisely until it encases the machine perfectly. Select Accept when finished.

Step 2: Hollow the Egg

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Choose Actions -> Clear Target to restore the view of the machine.
Hide the machine in the Objects Browser.
Select the egg and turn it translucent through Actions -> Set as Target.

7.____.gif

Select the cube and choose Edit -> Transform on the sidebar. Rotate and move the cube to the center of the egg.

Notes

For a better printing result, the angles of the cube should not go beyond or get too close to the shell of the egg.
Do not overlap the cube with the hinge of the egg, otherwise the printed egg would not work.

8.______.gif

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.

Note

Do not change the order when selecting the egg and the cube. Egg first, and cube afterwards.

9.____.gif

Select Boolean Difference in the popup menu.
Uncheck Preserve Group Borders and Auto-reduce Results to avoid an automatic smoothing for the model which may lead to damage or deformation. Choose accept when finished.

10.____.gif

Turn the egg translucent in the Objects Browser, and check if the egg is properly hollowed.

Step 3: Adding Text

11.____.gif

Restore the view. Select Meshmix -> Letters, and drag a letter onto the egg.

12.____.gif

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.

13.______.gif

Add all the letters needed.

Step 4: Adding Sunken Patterns

14.____.gif

Select Stamp on the sidebar. Left-click the target pattern, and left-click on the egg where you want to draw the pattern, then drag to adjust the size of the pattern.

15.__.gif

Choose Select on the sidebar, double click the pattern(s) that you want to extrude.
Choose Edit -> Extrude under Select. Set the offset to make sunken patterns on the surface. Choose Accept when finished.

Note

Do not extrude the patterns excessively otherwise the cavity or the hinge may be damaged.

Step 5: Separate and Lay the Machine Parts

16.____.gif

Hide the egg in the Objects Browser, and show the machine.
Click on the machine, and choose Select -> Edit -> Separate on the sidebar.

Note

Some machine parts may be further divided into several pieces. Notice to check all of them before separating.

17.____.gif

Select the machine in the Objects Browser again and continue separating the remaining parts.

18.____.gif

When separation completes, select all the machine parts and choose Analysis -> Layout/Packing on the sidebar for a horizontal alignment.
Show the egg and move all the machine parts to a proper place through Edit -> Transform. Accept when finished.

Step 6: Export the Models and Print

19.________.gif

Choose and Export the models one at a time.

Note

To export the models into a single STL file, check the models all at once and choose

Export. But it will not allow you to adjust solely one part of the model when you are slicing before printing.

The exported STL file can be sliced and printed with Snapmaker Luban software. For detailed instructions, you can refer to Chapter 3.3.1 to Chapter 3.3.3 of the Snapmaker 2.0 machine Quick Start Guide.

3D Printing

Before Starting, you need to rotate and position the models properly to avoid overhangs. See below:

It’s suggested to use Normal Quality mode in Snapmaker Luban to print.

The printing results using Snapmaker Original are as follows.

Remix & Share

Meshmixer is not the only option for editing STL files. Some tools that you might be more familiar with, let's say, Fusion 360, Recap and Zbrush are worth trying, too. You are welcome to share more useful applications with use if you’ve got some.

Well, what if I don’t want to put a machine into an egg? When you know how to use tools like Meshmixer, it’s up to you.

We are going to create a topic in Snapmaker Forum for each term of Snapmaker Academy. Why not come and meet other passionate makers to share some brilliant thoughts and designs?

Topic link: https://forum.snapmaker.com/c/snapmaker-showcase/……

Oh, and wish you happy making!

Comments

2 comments

John Fiott

May 03, 2020 20:57

Edited
Should we export STLs for Snapmaker 2 in an STL (ASCII) or an STL (Binary format)?
1
Potter

August 10, 2020 09:58

Edited
@John Fiott

Stl ASCII is a text format which has a better readability. You can check it in text editor or Windows Notepad. Binary format is relatively small-sized but not so easy to read. Anyway, both of them can be read by Snapmaker Luban. You can choose anyone of them to export.
0

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