3D printing with SketchUp : real-world case studies to help you design models in SketchUp for 3D printing on anything ranging from the smallest desktop machines to the largest industrial 3D printers

About This Book

• Learn how to design beautiful architectural models that will print on any 3D printer
• Packed with clearly illustrated examples to show you just how to design for 3D printing
• Discover the essential extensions and companion programs for 3D printing your models

Who This Book Is For

If you are familiar with SketchUp and want to print the models you've designed, then this book is ideal for you. You don't need any experience in 3D printing; however, SketchUp beginners will require a companion book or video training series to teach them the basic SketchUp skills.

What You Will Learn

• Understand how 3D printing works, and why you may need to design your model differently for different printing processes
• Discover tips to make the modelling process easier, extensions to help you work faster, and how to make any model printable
• Find online models and expedite the modelling process by working from an existing modelAdapt architectural models built for rendering into full-color 3D printable models
• Import terrain data from Google Earth to SketchUp and work with terrain data to make it printable

In Detail

As 3D printing is becoming more accessible, it is important for designers and architects to know how to utilize the technology. SketchUp is a popular 3D modelling tool and is among the easiest programs to work with as a beginner. Whether printing on your desktop, or outsourcing to a commercial 3D print service, this is a skill you'll want in your portfolio.

Starting with an overview of 3D printing technologies, you will learn how to design SketchUp models for 3D printing, set up a template for 3D printing, explore the specific requirements for a 3D printable model, and look at the essential SketchUp extensions for 3D printing. You will start by printing a simple 3D model, progress to importing images that can be used to make 3D models, and move on to tweaking the model for specific 3D printers. This book delves into the most important concepts for designing 3D printable models, from wall thickness and modelling solids, to using available models and adapting them to your needs.

You will also learn where to access, and more importantly, how to adapt existing 3D models available online for your own use. Finally, this book will show how it's possible to use Google Earth terrain and modify existing architectural SketchUp models before printing.