{"id":7853,"date":"2023-11-02T15:35:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T15:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/?p=7853"},"modified":"2023-11-02T15:35:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T15:35:03","slug":"3d-printing-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"3D Printing &#038; Blender &#8211; Scene Setup"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69fa0e7baeaba\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69fa0e7baeaba\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-scene\/#grid-settings\" >Grid Settings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-scene\/#object-measurement\" >Object Measurement<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-scene\/#object-volume\" >Object Volume<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-scene\/#build-volume\" >Build Volume<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: black; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 25px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;\"><center><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cshD47wlIOg?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/div>\n<p>Once the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-units\/\">unit of measurement and other scale related settings<\/a> have been determined, it&#8217;s time to set up the rest of Blenders working environment, notably <b>grid scale<\/b>, <b>camera clip<\/b> and so on, to make it easier to manage and build meshes for 3D printing.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"grid-settings\"><\/span>Grid Settings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Performing some basic tests it was determined that Blenders working Units can be set to <b>millimetres<\/b> [1] for 1:1 (one to one) correspondence [2] with the slicer being used to prep meshes, and the 3D printer itself.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Design note<\/b>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-units\/\">settings<\/a> may differ depending on software and hardware used, for example <i>Creality Slicer<\/i> is used for prepping meshes (slicer), and for printing, a <i>Creality Sermoon V1 Pro<\/i>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This presents a problem insomuch as Blenders default working environment is set to <b>metres<\/b>; without adjustment all the interface elements that aid construction are about one thousand times too big to be practicable, so need adjusting to compensate for the units being used. First, grid settings.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/scene-units.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/scene-units.jpg\" alt=\"Project units\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>For 3D printing, Blenders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/units\/\">Units<\/a> system can be set to <b>Millimeters<\/b> [1], which is then reflected by the dimensions used to describe object size [2] and\/or scaling.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>To adjust grid display appropriately to fit or match <b>millimetre<\/b> units of measurement; in <b>Viewport Overlays<\/b>, change <b>Scale<\/b> to <b>0.001<\/b> &#8211; <b>Scale: 0.001<\/b>; or for <b>centimetres<\/b>, <b>0.01<\/b> &#8211; <b>Scale: 0.01<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"background-color: #E7FAEA; color: #000; font-family:courier; font-size:0.9em;\"><p><b>Millimeters<\/b><br \/>\n &#8211; Scale: 0.001<\/p>\n<p><b>Centimeters<\/b><br \/>\n&#8211; Scale: 0.01<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><b>Design note<\/b>: as a baseline grid scale can be the same as used for the unit of measurement.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>When doing this for millimetres the 3D Viewport grid updates so each major subdivision represents 10 mm or 1 cm (green), and 1mm for each minor or smaller subdivision (orange). For centimetres the major subdivision represent 10 cm (green), and 1 cm for minor division (orange). In either case, objects can be snapped, moved or manipulated based on millimetre or centimetre increments even though the main <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-units\/\">unit of measurement<\/a> is set millimetres.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Design note<\/b>: grid <b>Scale<\/b> and the broader systems unit of measurement, <b>Units<\/b>, can be set independently of each other.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/viewport-overlays-scale-001.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/viewport-overlays-scale-001.jpg\" alt=\"Millimetre grid Scale\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>In <b>Viewport Overlays<\/b> [3] grid <b>Scale<\/b> is set to 0.001 [4] to match millimetres as the unit of measurement.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/viewport-overlays-scale-01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/viewport-overlays-scale-01.jpg\" alt=\"Centimetre grid Scale\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>For Centimeter increments set Scale to 0.01 [5].<\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"object-measurement\"><\/span>Object Measurement<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>To get a better sense of a selection dimensions or size, how big meshes might be in relation to the printer bed, a number of <b>Measurement<\/b> options are available that display different numerics in the 3D Viewport. To enable, while in <b>Edit Mode<\/b>, access <b>Viewport Overlays<\/b> [6]. Here, in the <b>Measurement<\/b> subsection, click the checkbox corresponding to enable <b>Edge Length<\/b> [7] &#8211; if any selections are active in the 3D Viewport they will display a numeric based on the unit of measurement set in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/3d-printing-units\/\">Units<\/a>, i.e. 2 m [8].<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Design note<\/b>: numerical display is available in Edit Mode only and is selection based, unselected elements remain unaffected. Additional options are available; <b>Edge Angle<\/b>, <b>Face Area<\/b> and <b>Face Angle<\/b>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/edge-length.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/edge-length.jpg\" alt=\"Edge Length\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>In <b>Viewport Overlays<\/b> [6], enabling <b>Edge Length<\/b> [7] to display selection metrics while in Edit Mode to help visualise element size and scale [8] &#8211; shown above the numerics show each edge as being &#8220;2 m&#8221;, the &#8216;unit&#8217; being the default.<\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"object-volume\"><\/span>Object Volume<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While <b>Measurement<\/b> provides a means to check a selections length (or other numeric), it&#8217;s also useful to be able to check an objects overall volume, how much space it occupies. For this <b>Bounds<\/b> can be used. To enable the option, with object selected, in <b>Object Properties<\/b> expand the <b>Viewport Display<\/b> options. Here, click the <b>Bounds<\/b> checkbox to enable and set <b>Box<\/b> [9] as the <b>Display Bounds Type<\/b> shown in the 3D Viewport surrounding the selected object. <\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Design note<\/b>: other bounding shapes are available but won&#8217;t be as useful for 3D printing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/bounding-box.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 98.5%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/bounding-box.jpg\" alt=\"Bounding box\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>Similarly, in <b>Object Properties<\/b> enabled <b>Bounds<\/b> [9] to display the volume an object occupies to help visualise how much space on the 3D printer bed an object will occupy.<\/i><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"build-volume\"><\/span>Build Volume<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Whilst modelling objects for 3D printing it&#8217;s useful to have a build volume reference, a visual aid that&#8217;s an ever-present reminder of the 3D printers available build space. A simple way to set this up is to use a cube scaled to the correct size, that&#8217;s then displayed as a <b>Bounds<\/b> object only. To do this, add a cube &#8211; <b><i>Add \u00bb Mesh \u00bb Cube<\/i><\/b> &#8211; to the scene and in the <b>Sidebar<\/b> &#8211; <b><i>View \u00bb Sidebar<\/i><\/b> &#8211; set the objects <b>Dimensions<\/b> to correspond with the 3D printers specifications, e.g. X: 175 mm, Y: 175 mm, Z: 165 mm (175 width x 175 depth x 165 height) [10]. Next, in <b>Object Properties<\/b> expand <b>Viewport Display<\/b> options and switch <b>Display As<\/b> to <b>Bounds<\/b> [11]. The object will show in the 3D Viewport as a wireframe object.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><b>Design note<\/b>: as an option the cube can be repositioned so the base sits on the grid, and its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/origin\/\">origin reset<\/a> to the same location to reduce the risk of meshes being misalignment as they are processed and 3D printed &#8211; doing this essentially resets the ground plain to the grid.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>For the build plate, similarly add a <b>Plain<\/b> &#8211; <b><i>Add \u00bb Mesh \u00bb Plain<\/i><\/b> &#8211; and resize it to fit the 3D printers specifications, e.g. X: 175 mm, Y 175 mm (Z: no necessary). This can then be subdivided, and wireframe displayed, to &#8216;grid&#8217; the mesh as an additional visual aid for building. Finally for both objects, while still in <b>Object Properties<\/b> expand the <b>Visibility<\/b> options and clear the checkmark for <b>Selectable<\/b> [12], this prevents the object being accidentally selected and moved, in essence &#8216;locking&#8217; the object(s) in place.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/build-volume-template.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/images\/tutorials\/3d-printing\/build-volume-template.jpg\" alt=\"Build platform template\" width=\"900px\" height=\"500px\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>To aid building meshes for 3D printing, use a build volume\/build plate proxy &#8211; set a cubes <b>Dimensions<\/b> [10], switch to <b>Bounds<\/b> [11] and optionally &#8216;lock&#8217; the items in place by disabling <b>Selectable<\/b> [12].<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1013,34,230],"tags":[1038,1031,1035,1050,401,1036,1032,269,208,286,393,1037],"class_list":["post-7853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3d-printing","category-blender","category-tutorials","tag-area","tag-centimeters","tag-dimensions","tag-edge-lemgth","tag-grid-scale","tag-length","tag-millimeters","tag-numerics","tag-scale","tag-units","tag-units-of-measurement","tag-volume"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7853"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7998,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7853\/revisions\/7998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.katsbits.com\/codex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}