Is there a way to allow people to pick and choose which parts they want to buy from a single file?

Discussion in 'Design and Modeling' started by echotransformer, Dec 10, 2012.

  1. Hello,

    I have a kit of 26 parts that I'd like to make modular, that is to allow customers to buy all the parts or specific parts in the kit.

    Right now I am using 'design configurations' in my CAD software, but creating all the sub-kits and variations is VERY labor intensive. Is there a way to create this on the Shapeways side?

    For reference, here is the kit:

    https://www.shapeways.com/model/820929/echo-herc-v5-the-full- monty.html?key=2d42e57ee60c947dc818eb04425659fa

    Any help is greatly appreciated...

    Thanks,

    Steve
     
  2. stonysmith
    stonysmith Well-Known Member Moderator
    No, you can't offer individual shells within a file for sale separately.
    You'll have to upload each of them as a separate file.
     
  3. bartv
    bartv Member
    Stony is right - we don't offer this functionality at this time.

    If you're looking to automate this, take a look at OpenSCAD: http://www.openscad.org/

    It's an open-source, scriptable tool. You should be able to create a script that loads the required parts (maybe even by parsing a simple configuration file), combining them and writing a new .STL file.

    That might save you some time?

    Bart
     
  4. @Stonysmith: Thanks for the fast reply!

    @Bart: Solidworks is automating the configuration nicely, but maybe this scriptable tool can help manage the STLs...breaking down a large multi-body file into individual kits that can be uploaded...thanks, I'll look into it. Still, I really wish Shapeways had a feature like what I described above (not that this isn't the coolest service on the web these days...you guys rawk!)
     
  5. woody64
    woody64 Well-Known Member
    I followed a similar problem for some time. Therefore I've started some investigations and created an experimental frontend.
    The intension was similar. Let the user choose from a subet of X items and create one new part out of it.

    https://stlcreator.mac-au.eu/indexb.html

    There's a php engine in the background which generates a new stl where all the parts were connected via a sprue.
    The system can be configured to deal with new items of my production.

    Unfortunately the upload interface stopped working after the first trials and I never got it running again.
    (currently it fails with another failure maybe the interface has been changed)
    [Correction: I get a Mail that i have uploaded a stl fiile but the model doesn't become visible in the my models page
    that could also be caused by a failure on my side. If I upload the stl file per hand it's normally ok]

    To be honest I think this topic is very difficult to solve on the shop owner side. There's a request in the shapeways' feedback platform to deal with this topic but so far the effort seems to high ...

    Woody64

     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2012
  6. Thanks Woody64...you have impressive know-how in this regard.

    Here's hoping there's a strong enough business case in the near future...I know my sales would increase!