Last week I provided some Revit Architecture Training for Z-Corp. Z-Corp is a company that makes 3D Printers and does 3D printing. Most of the training involved how to get your Revit model to print out thick enough so that it could be printed. I am actually working on a sample project (not finished yet) I build in Revit and trying to see how difficult it is to thicken.
A major part of the process is using the STL Exporter for the Revit 2009 platform (any Revit 2009 product) that is available from Autodesk labs to try out. STL is a file format that most 3D printing software can use to print models.
STL Exporter for Revit Platform 2009
As I suspected, the hardest part in thickening your model is getting component families thick enough to print. This involves having to edit the family and stretch extrusions and geometry so that it would print out correctly or this is a good place for different family types. If you’re doing a lot of 3D printing, you could create types for every size of window and door in your model for your 3D Print. This would make the swapping out process easier, could be time consuming to create all the types, but if you use the same families a lot, maybe you would only have to create them once.
The next hardest part has been around thickening curtain walls. It’s pretty easy to thicken the curtain wall panels, but difficult to thicken the mullions because changing their type requires unpinning all of them. This is a little time consuming. Instead, I just decided to create a new curtain wall type that had the thickness I needed and then replace the entire wall instead of a piece at a time.
As part of my research I looked into a website called CADspan. CADspan has a free tool called the 3D Print Thickness Calculator. This helps you to understand how thick things need to be in your model for you to print correctly at the scale of the print. It has helped me out in getting my model in good shape for printing.
The last thing I wanted to mention about 3D Printing is controlling the visibility of what prints. Revit is very nice for this because of Visibility and Graphics. You can use visibility and graphics to easily turn off any geometry that you do not want to see print. To further limit geometry you can use a Section Box. This limits what is exported via the STL Exporter (and a good way to create interior prints).
I’d be interested to hear about any experiences you have had with 3D printing and the challenges you have had with getting Revit models to print.
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The worst thing is to make all objects became one. I dont understand why this is a requirement for 3d printing.
Posted by: Ultraseven | March 03, 2009 at 08:22 AM
thx nice article
Posted by: cheap brochure printing | March 06, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Ultra, The 3d print calculator noted above is a free tool to help prep.
>all objects became one.
Our CADspan software will create a merge of all the parts. The main software is a "Shrinkwrap" tool and it is what is implied in the Revit STL export plugin notes. It works very well to create an exterior model from a Revit drawing or a complex model from many shells.
A lot of "Online" "instant" quoting engines will not give you a quote though for multiple shells. However a competent Service Bureau that specializes in Architecture should be able to quote you from the native Revit or other geometry.
We 3d print from BIM data all the time with great success.
Posted by: Charles Overy | April 03, 2009 at 04:29 PM
When you said, 3D printing, twas like, how was that possible? LOL, silly me... I was thinking of a real-life 3 dimensional object, not a paper with a 3D image printed on it. Great post, by the way.
Posted by: printing services | June 11, 2009 at 04:34 PM
Department of Admissions
United States Coast Guard Academy
15 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320
Phone: (860) 444-8503
Email: Joshua.R.Surgeon@uscga.edu
Email: Kathleen.W.Parker@uscga.edu
1000
28 2009 SEP
From: J. R. Surgeon, 3/c
Reply to
Attn of: 3/c Surgeon
CC: Ms. Parker
To: Sales Specialist/Agent
Subj: Quote for 3D Block lettering
To whom it may concern,
o My name is Joshua Surgeon and I attend the United States Coast Guard Academy. I have been assigned the task of getting bids for 3D lettering that will be used for the admissions department. Admissions wants:
o 3D BLACK blocks.
o Approximately 3.5 inches tall, 2.75-3.0 inches wide, and approximately .25 inches think.
o The sentence that the letters shall represent is as follows (include quotations and punctuations) “Shaping and enriching future Coast Guard leadership one cadet at a time.” Please note that we would like all the letters in caps., but the size of the beginning letter for the sentence shall be larger (4-5 inches tall) to add emphasis on the quote.
o Please respond with a bid on not only the cost, but also the time frame that it would take to process and deliver the blocks.
Very Respectfully,
Josh Surgeon__3/c Cadet
Enclosures: (0)
Posted by: Josh Surgeon | September 29, 2009 at 10:29 AM
nice post
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