Hello there, I'm somewhat familiar with Vectorworks (2010 Mac), and the export options don't seem to be compatible with what is accepted at shapeways. Anyone can assist/make a suggestion of what I can do to make the two work together? Thank you in advance! Lito
I don't know Vectorworks at all, but a quick google reveals this knowledgebase about file export options - STL is at the bottom of the list... Shapeways accepts STL Any good? Paul
Great catch! It reads: "Export Stereo Lithography Exports all visible 3D surfaces and solids in the current layer into an STL-formatted file..." I guess I should give that a try. Thank you!
On doing a quick test, exporting in that way gives several options: First: ASCII or Binary Second: Quality Option The resulting files (I tried both at different settings of "quality") are wildly different in size. I'm not sure what that means, but I am concern because I am creating something with significant detail and precise measurements, plus rounded smooth surfaces. I don't know if these formats will help. However, I send a DXF file to a friend who has told me "it renders fine in AutoCAD"... Maybe I'll have him export from AutoCAD instead? PS. Please understand I am a noob... Sorry in advance for the luck of understanding of the technical vocabulary.
Shapeways max filesize upload limit is 64MB file size and 1,000,000 triangles, but you can zip or even double zip a file and usually Binary STL is a saller file size than ASCII STL. I'd say go with the higher quality option and see what happens. MeshLab is available for Mac and has some good mesh reduction filters to bring the file size or triangle back within limits if needs be.
Thanks again! I think I will give both options (STL high res as well as export from AutoCAD) a try, and see what works best. Cheers!