How to Create a 3D Part

The first question many people have is, “How do I create a 3D part?” Of course, you don’t have to create anything at all if you don’t want to. You can simply download thousands of pre-made designs from Thingiverse. But if you do want to create your own 3D parts it’s never been easier. Google Sketchup makes it fun & easy to create your own designs and it’s free for Windows and Mac. This tutorial shows you how to get started with Google Sketchup right away.

Step 1: Download & Install Google Sketchup
  1. Open a web browser and visit http://sketchup.google.com. Download the latest version of Sketchup for your Operating System.
  2. Run the Windows Installer file, in this case GoogleSketupWEN.exe, and follow the onscreen instructions to install Sketchup.
  3. Visit http://www.guitar-list.com/download-software/convert-sketchup-skp-files-dxf-or-stl and download the Google Sketchup .STL converter.
  4. Copy the file you just downloaded, in this case skp_to_dxf.rb, to the Google Sketchup Plugins folder on your computer, in our case:
    c:\Program Files\Google\Google Sketchup8\Plugins.
Step 2: Learn how to use Google Sketchup

Google has some great tutorials on how to use Google Sketchup. Here are four videos to watch. We recommend watching the first three videos first. Then, open Google Sketchup and follow along with the last video, creating the chair as you watch the tutorial.

1. Learn basic Google Sketchup concepts. This tutorial shows how to move around in Sketchup using the Pan, Zoom & Rotate tools, and introduces the process for creating simple 3D shapes.

2. Learn how to create 3D shapes using the four basic rules for creating edges.

3. Learn more tools for modifying parts including the Push/Pull and Move tools. This tutorial also shows how to create precise dimensions.

4. Make your first part! Open Sketchup and follow along with the tutorial to create the chair as you watch this video.

Step 3: Export your 3D file as an STL

After you’ve created your part, you’ll need to export it to .STL format, the universal file format which is understood by Skeinforge. You need to export your 3D file because Skeinforge doesn’t understand the native .skp Google Sketchup format. You already downloaded the required plugin when you installed Sketchup per the instructions above.

  1. In the Edit menu, click “Select All”.
  2. From the Tools menu, select “Export to DXF or STL”.
  3. Select Millimeters in the Export Units dialog box and click “OK”.
  4. Select “stl” from the Export to DXF options dialog box and click “OK”
  5. Enter an appropriate filename, being sure to give it a “.stl” extension, in the Save As dialog box and click “OK”.
Step 4: Continue Learning
After you’ve completed the above tutorials, you have enough knowledge to get started making parts. Go forth and create! If you run into a roadblock, you may want to consider going through further tutorials on Google’s site:

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