Hello, I am a first time 3D designer and printer. I have a teacup I designed in Google Sketchup (see attached file). The teacup, when exported to a DAE file, is accepted by Shapeways when I upload it. However, before I print it in white glossy ceramic I wanted to get some feedback. Do you see any issues with the model that might lead to unexpected results upon printing? Thanks in advance for your help!
Check the 'Design rules on this page especially 'curve your edges' and the minimum wall thickness https://www.shapeways.com/materials/ceramics-design-guideline s I would suggest uploading your file to https://cloud.netfabb.com/ in STL format. They will union the two shells together i.e. where the handle goes inside the cup. You can import the DAE into Meshlab and export it as an STL. https://meshlab.sourceforge.net/ Once it is unioned together properly import the fixed STL into Meshlab. Export as DAE so you can import it back into Sketchup to round the corners.
Thank you for the quick reply. A couple follow-up questions as I am still learning. First, why do you suggest I unite together the shell of the cup and the shell of the handle? And if by unite you mean to make those two internal spaces continuous between each other, could I do that more simply just in Sketchup by deleting the walls of the handle that are inside the cup (thus making one continuous internal space)? Second, the thinnest part of this teacup is the upper lip which is 2mm thick and Shapeways requires a minimal wall thickness of 3mm for ceramics. Is there any other company that can print ceramics with a smaller minimum wall requirement? Thanks again for your help.
I suggested you union the shells together to make it easier to produce a fillet to the sharp edges where the two shells meet. If you can do it in Sketchup, all the better. I have only ever dealt with Shapeways. So I do not know personally of any other company that would do this for you.
I just realised. Ceramic is based on the surface area cm². So, by making the walls 3mm, you will actually be using less material.