3D Model to 3D Printing
Building 3D Model in Beetle Blocks is one thing, printing it out on a 3D printing machine is another. When it comes to actual printing, there is certain things need to be considered with regard to affordances and limitations of the printing machine. In order to understand that, one needs first know how the machine works.
The machine usually creates a raft first, upon which the model is printed. It has to be on a horizontal plane. I didn’t know that before the first time I tried, so my first attempt turned out to be a weirdo (see the photo below). Only the right corner seems to have the raft, which means, as I figured out later, the model in my software is not placed horizontally on the plate.
The original model I built with Beetle Blocks looks like this:
Then I export the 3D model as STL file, and import it into MakerBot Print which is the software related to the printing machine. As I re-examined the model in MakerBot, I realized it was tilting on one corner. That explains why the first tryout was a total failure.
I find it hard to adjust the angle to the bottom, so I re-import the model and flip it 90 degrees around X-axis. Only this time, it works!
Another thing you might want to know is that if the top side is too big than the bottom, it may collapse at the rim. You can either flip the model in MakerBot to lay the bigger facet at the plate or use some support when printing.