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Print 3D objects in Photoshop

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Last updated on Nov 17, 2021 08:07:46 AM GMT

  1. Photoshop User Guide
  2. Introduction to Photoshop
    1. Dream it. Make it.
    2. What's new in Photoshop
    3. Edit your first photo
    4. Create documents
    5. Photoshop | Common Questions
    6. Photoshop system requirements
    7. Migrate presets, actions, and settings
    8. Get to know Photoshop
  3. Photoshop and other Adobe products and services
    1. Work with Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
    2. Work with Photoshop files in InDesign
    3. Substance 3D Materials for Photoshop
    4. Photoshop and Adobe Stock
    5. Use the Capture in-app extension in Photoshop
    6. Creative Cloud Libraries
    7. Creative Cloud Libraries in Photoshop
    8. Use the Touch Bar with Photoshop
    9. Grid and guides
    10. Creating actions
    11. Undo and history
  4. Photoshop on the iPad
    1. Photoshop on the iPad | Common questions
    2. Get to know the workspace
    3. System requirements | Photoshop on the iPad
    4. Create, open, and export documents
    5. Add photos
    6. Work with layers
    7. Draw and paint with brushes
    8. Make selections and add masks
    9. Retouch your composites
    10. Work with adjustment layers
    11. Adjust the tonality of your composite with Curves
    12. Apply transform operations
    13. Crop and rotate your composites
    14. Rotate, pan, zoom, and reset the canvas
    15. Work with Type layers
    16. Work with Photoshop and Lightroom
    17. Get missing fonts in Photoshop on the iPad
    18. Japanese Text in Photoshop on the iPad
    19. Manage app settings
    20. Touch shortcuts and gestures
    21. Keyboard shortcuts
    22. Edit your image size
    23. Livestream as you create in Photoshop on the iPad
    24. Correct imperfections with the Healing Brush
    25. Create brushes in Capture and use them in Photoshop
    26. Work with Camera Raw files
    27. Create and work with Smart Objects
    28. Adjust exposure in your images with Dodge and Burn
  5. Photoshop on the web beta
    1. Common questions | Photoshop on the web beta 
    2. Introduction to the workspace
    3. System requirements | Photoshop on the web beta
    4. Keyboard shortcuts | Photoshop on the web beta
    5. Supported file types | Photoshop on the web beta
    6. Open and work with cloud documents
    7. Apply limited edits to your cloud documents
    8. Collaborate with stakeholders
  6. Cloud documents
    1. Photoshop cloud documents | Common questions
    2. Photoshop cloud documents | Workflow questions
    3. Manage and work with cloud documents in Photoshop
    4. Upgrade cloud storage for Photoshop
    5. Unable to create or save a cloud document
    6. Solve Photoshop cloud document errors
    7. Collect cloud document sync logs
    8. Share access and edit your cloud documents
    9. Share files and comment in-app
  7. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Preferences
    3. Learn faster with the Photoshop Discover Panel
    4. Create documents
    5. Place files
    6. Default keyboard shortcuts
    7. Customize keyboard shortcuts
    8. Tool galleries
    9. Performance preferences
    10. Use tools
    11. Presets
    12. Grid and guides
    13. Touch gestures
    14. Use the Touch Bar with Photoshop
    15. Touch capabilities and customizable workspaces
    16. Technology previews
    17. Metadata and notes
    18. Touch capabilities and customizable workspaces
    19. Place Photoshop images in other applications
    20. Rulers
    21. Show or hide non-printing Extras
    22. Specify columns for an image
    23. Undo and history
    24. Panels and menus
    25. Position elements with snapping
    26. Position with the Ruler tool
  8. Web, screen, and app design
    1. Photoshop for design
    2. Artboards
    3. Device Preview
    4. Copy CSS from layers
    5. Slice web pages
    6. HTML options for slices
    7. Modify slice layout
    8. Work with web graphics
    9. Create web photo galleries
  9. Image and color basics
    1. How to resize images
    2. Work with raster and vector images
    3. Image size and resolution
    4. Acquire images from cameras and scanners
    5. Create, open, and import images
    6. View images
    7. Invalid JPEG Marker error | Opening images
    8. Viewing multiple images
    9. Customize color pickers and swatches
    10. High dynamic range images
    11. Match colors in your image
    12. Convert between color modes
    13. Color modes
    14. Erase parts of an image
    15. Blending modes
    16. Choose colors
    17. Customize indexed color tables
    18. Image information
    19. Distort filters are unavailable
    20. About color
    21. Color and monochrome adjustments using channels
    22. Choose colors in the Color and Swatches panels
    23. Sample
    24. Color mode or Image mode
    25. Color cast
    26. Add a conditional mode change to an action
    27. Add swatches from HTML CSS and SVG
    28. Bit depth and preferences
  10. Layers
    1. Layer basics
    2. Nondestructive editing
    3. Create and manage layers and groups
    4. Select, group, and link layers
    5. Place images into frames
    6. Layer opacity and blending
    7. Mask layers
    8. Apply Smart Filters
    9. Layer comps
    10. Move, stack, and lock layers
    11. Mask layers with vector masks
    12. Manage layers and groups
    13. Layer effects and styles
    14. Edit layer masks
    15. Extract assets
    16. Reveal layers with clipping masks
    17. Generate image assets from layers
    18. Work with Smart Objects
    19. Blending modes
    20. Combine multiple images into a group portrait
    21. Combine images with Auto-Blend Layers
    22. Align and distribute layers
    23. Copy CSS from layers
    24. Load selections from a layer or layer mask's boundaries
    25. Knockout to reveal content from other layers
  11. Selections
    1. Get started with selections
    2. Make selections in your composite
    3. Select and Mask workspace
    4. Select with the marquee tools
    5. Select with the lasso tools
    6. Adjust pixel selections
    7. Move, copy, and delete selected pixels
    8. Create a temporary quick mask
    9. Select a color range in an image
    10. Convert between paths and selection borders
    11. Channel basics
    12. Save selections and alpha channel masks
    13. Select the image areas in focus
    14. Duplicate, split, and merge channels
    15. Channel calculations
  12. Image adjustments
    1. Replace object colors
    2. Perspective warp
    3. Reduce camera shake blurring
    4. Healing brush examples
    5. Export color lookup tables
    6. Adjust image sharpness and blur
    7. Understand color adjustments
    8. Apply a Brightness/Contrast adjustment
    9. Adjust shadow and highlight detail
    10. Levels adjustment
    11. Adjust hue and saturation
    12. Adjust vibrance
    13. Adjust color saturation in image areas
    14. Make quick tonal adjustments
    15. Apply special color effects to images
    16. Enhance your image with color balance adjustments
    17. High dynamic range images
    18. View histograms and pixel values
    19. Match colors in your image
    20. Crop and straighten photos
    21. Convert a color image to black and white
    22. Adjustment and fill layers
    23. Curves adjustment
    24. Blending modes
    25. Target images for press
    26. Adjust color and tone with Levels and Curves eyedroppers
    27. Adjust HDR exposure and toning
    28. Dodge or burn image areas
    29. Make selective color adjustments
  13. Adobe Camera Raw
    1. Camera Raw system requirements
    2. What's new in Camera Raw
    3. Introduction to Camera Raw
    4. Create panoramas
    5. Supported lenses
    6. Vignette, grain, and dehaze effects in Camera Raw
    7. Default keyboard shortcuts
    8. Automatic perspective correction in Camera Raw
    9. Radial Filter in Camera Raw
    10. Manage Camera Raw settings
    11. Open, process, and save images in Camera Raw
    12. Repair images with the Enhanced Spot Removal tool in Camera Raw
    13. Rotate, crop, and adjust images
    14. Adjust color rendering in Camera Raw
    15. Process versions in Camera Raw
    16. Make local adjustments in Camera Raw
  14. Image repair and restoration
    1. Remove objects from your photos with Content-Aware Fill
    2. Content-Aware Patch and Move
    3. Retouch and repair photos
    4. Correct image distortion and noise
    5. Basic troubleshooting steps to fix most issues
  15. Image enhancement and transformation
    1. Replace sky in your images
    2. Transform objects
    3. Adjust crop, rotation, and canvas size
    4. How to crop and straighten photos
    5. Create and edit panoramic images
    6. Warp images, shapes, and paths
    7. Vanishing Point
    8. Content-aware scaling
    9. Transform images, shapes, and paths
  16. Drawing and painting
    1. Paint symmetrical patterns
    2. Draw rectangles and modify stroke options
    3. About drawing
    4. Draw and edit shapes
    5. Painting tools
    6. Create and modify brushes
    7. Blending modes
    8. Add color to paths
    9. Edit paths
    10. Paint with the Mixer Brush
    11. Brush presets
    12. Gradients
    13. Gradient interpolation
    14. Fill and stroke selections, layers, and paths
    15. Draw with the Pen tools
    16. Create patterns
    17. Generate a pattern using the Pattern Maker
    18. Manage paths
    19. Manage pattern libraries and presets
    20. Draw or paint with a graphics tablet
    21. Create textured brushes
    22. Add dynamic elements to brushes
    23. Gradient
    24. Paint stylized strokes with the Art History Brush
    25. Paint with a pattern
    26. Sync presets on multiple devices
  17. Text
    1. Add and edit the text
    2. Unified Text Engine
    3. Work with OpenType SVG fonts
    4. Format characters
    5. Format paragraphs
    6. How to create type effects
    7. Edit text
    8. Line and character spacing
    9. Arabic and Hebrew type
    10. Fonts
    11. Troubleshoot fonts
    12. Asian type
    13. Create type
    14. Text Engine error using Type tool in Photoshop | Windows 8
  18. Filters and effects
    1. Use the Liquify filter
    2. Use the Blur Gallery
    3. Filter basics
    4. Filter effects reference
    5. Add Lighting Effects
    6. Use the Adaptive Wide Angle filter
    7. Use the Oil Paint filter
    8. Use the Liquify filter
    9. Layer effects and styles
    10. Apply specific filters
    11. Smudge image areas
  19. Saving and exporting
    1. Save your files in Photoshop
    2. Export your files in Photoshop
    3. Supported file formats
    4. Save files in graphics formats
    5. Move designs between Photoshop and Illustrator
    6. Save and export video and animations
    7. Save PDF files
    8. Digimarc copyright protection
  20. Color Management
    1. Understanding color management
    2. Keeping colors consistent
    3. Color settings
    4. Duotones
    5. Work with color profiles
    6. Color-managing documents for online viewing
    7. Color-managing documents when printing
    8. Color-managing imported images
    9. Proofing colors
  21. Web, screen, and app design
    1. Photoshop for design
    2. Artboards
    3. Device Preview
    4. Copy CSS from layers
    5. Slice web pages
    6. HTML options for slices
    7. Modify slice layout
    8. Work with web graphics
    9. Create web photo galleries
  22. Video and animation
    1. Video editing in Photoshop
    2. Edit video and animation layers
    3. Video and animation overview
    4. Preview video and animations
    5. Paint frames in video layers
    6. Import video files and image sequences
    7. Create frame animations
    8. Creative Cloud 3D Animation (Preview)
    9. Create timeline animations
    10. Create images for video
  23. Printing
    1. Print 3D objects
    2. Print from Photoshop
    3. Print with color management
    4. Contact Sheets and PDF Presentations
    5. Print photos in a picture package layout
    6. Print spot colors
    7. Print images to a commercial printing press
    8. Improve color prints from Photoshop
    9. Troubleshoot printing problems | Photoshop
  24. Automation
    1. Creating actions
    2. Create data-driven graphics
    3. Scripting
    4. Process a batch of files
    5. Play and manage actions
    6. Add conditional actions
    7. About actions and the Actions panel
    8. Record tools in actions
    9. Add a conditional mode change to an action
    10. Photoshop UI toolkit for plug-ins and scripts
  25. Content authenticity
    1. Learn about content credentials
    2. Identity and provenance for NFTs
    3. Connect accounts for creative attribution
  26. Photoshop 3D
    1. Photoshop 3D | Common questions around discontinued 3D features

With Photoshop, you can print any compatible 3D model without worrying about 3D printer limitations. In preparation for printing, Photoshop automatically makes 3D models watertight. Photoshop also generates the necessary support structures—scaffolding and rafts—to ensure that your 3D prints are successful.

Preparing to print 3D objects

  1. Select Window > Workspace > 3D to switch to the 3D workspace.
  2. Open the 3D model in Photoshop. If necessary, customize the size of the 3D model while opening it.
  3. Select 3D > 3D Print Settings.
3D Print Settings
  1. In the 3D Print Settings panel, choose whether you want to print to a printer connected to your computer through a USB port (local printer) or use an online 3D printing service, such as Shapeways.com or Sculpteo.

You can now print 3D models as 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) files. While specifying the 3D Print Settings, select Print To: Local and Printer: 3MF File. When you print the 3D object, Photoshop generates the 3MF file. On computers running Windows, Photoshop also launches Microsoft 3D Builder for you to work further on the 3MF file.

To refresh the list of supported printers or online profiles, select Get Latest Printers from the Print To pop-up menu.

  1. Select a local printer or a Shapeways.com printer profile.

To view estimated prices for printing the 3D model using available Shapeways.com profiles, select Printer > Estimate Price.

  1. Select a unit for the printer volume—inch, centimeter, millimeter, or pixel. The unit is reflected in the Printer Volume dimensions as well as the print plate measurements.

A. 3D model B. Print plate C. Printer volume overlay 

  1. Select a Detail Level—Low, Medium, or High—for the 3D print. The time required to print the 3D object depends on the detail level that you choose.
  2. If you don't want to see the 3D printer volume overlaid on the 3D model, deselect Show Printer Volume Overlay.
  1. Adjust the Scene Volume dimensions to specify the desired size of the printed 3D object. When you change a value (X, Y, or Z), the other two values are scaled proportionately. As you modify the Scene Volume dimensions, notice that the print plate under the 3D model scales in proportion.

You can scrub the value of a Scene Volume dimension by clicking the dimension label (X, Y, or Z) and then dragging the mouse left or right. Hold down the Shift key to make the value scrub faster.

  1. Choose Scale To Print Volume if you want Photoshop to auto-scale your 3D model, such that it fills up the available print volume of the selected printer.
  2. If the 3D model has normal maps, bump maps, or opacity maps; you can choose to ignore one of more types of these maps while printing the model. You'll notice that the 3D model updates in real time when you change these Surface Detail settings.
  3. You may choose to not print the support structures (scaffolds or rafts) required for the 3D object. Use this option with caution, since the printing of the 3D model may fail if you don't print a necessary support structure.
  4. If your printer supports multiple materials, choose the material that you want to use for printing the 3D object.

(Experimental) Enable multitone printing for MakerBot Replicator 2x


You can enable an experimental feature that lets you print continuous tones using your MakerBot Replicator 2x 3D printer.

Prerequisite: Enable experimental features

As a prerequisite to multitone printing, you must enable experimental features in Photoshop:

  1. Select Preferences > Experimental Features.
  2. Select Enable Multitone Printing.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Restart Photoshop.

Experimental features are not yet production-ready. Use these features with discretion.

Select the multitone surface material

  1. Select the MakerBot Replicator 2x printer in the 3D Print Settings panel.
  2. Under Material, select Multitone Surface. If this option is not available for selection, ensure that the Multitone 3D Printing experimental feature is already enabled.
  1. Select other options relevant to the 3D object that you're printing.
  2. Select 3D > 3D Print to preview and print the 3D object.

Previewing and printing the 3D object

Once you're done specifying the 3D print settings, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Start Print icon () or select 3D > 3D Print. Photoshop unifies the 3D scene and prepares it for the printing process.
  2. If you chose to print using a Shapeways.com profile, Photoshop prompts you that the actual cost of printing may differ from the displayed estimates. Click OK.
  3. In the preview window that appears, use the 3D camera tools to rotate, zoom, or move the 3D object.

       Rotate the 3D camera

       Roll the 3D camera

       Pan the 3D camera

       Slide the 3D camera

       Reset the 3D camera to its original location

3D print preview; notice the support structures
  1. If necessary, select Show Repair. Photoshop displays the Original Mesh, Wall Thickness, and Closed Hole repairs using appropriate color coding:
Preview with the Show Repair option enabled
  1. Optionally, enable Raytrace Preview. Raytrace previews represent the printed output more accurately.
A raytrace preview
  1. If you want to export the 3D print settings to an STL file, click Export and save the file to an appropriate location on your computer. You can upload the STL file to an online service or put it on an SD card for local printing.
  2. Review the 3D print summary and click Print.

You can cancel an in-progress 3D print by selecting 3D > Cancel 3D Print.

3D print utilities

Photoshop provides interactive wizard-based utilities that you can use for configuring, calibrating, and maintaining your 3D printer. You can use these utilities only when the 3D printer is powered on and connected to your computer.

  1. Select 3D > 3D Printer Utilities.
  2. Select the utility that you want to launch.

Calibrate Print Plate

Helps level the print plate. This utility performs the following broad steps:

  • Prompts you to remove any leftover printing material from the 3D printer
  • Initializes the print head
  • Lets you adjust/finetune the gap between the print plate and the print head for nine nozzle positions

You can use this utility in the wizard mode or in the manual mode.

Load Filament

Helps load a filament into a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer. Photoshop initiates the head-heating process and the filament-loading mechanism for easy filament loading.

Remove Filament

Helps remove a filament from an FDM 3D printer. Photoshop initiates the head-heating process and the filament-loading mechanism for easy filament removal.

Change Filament

Helps replace the filament of an FDM 3D printer with a new filament. Photoshop initiates the head-heating process and the filament-loading mechanism for easy filament changing.

  1. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Pack objects on the ground plane

At times, you may want to print multiple instances of the same object on the same build plate. Follow these steps:

  1. Select the required objects in the 3D Panel.
  2. Select 3D > Pack Objects On Ground Plane.
  3. Proceed with printing the objects.

Photoshop currently supports the following local 3D printers:

  • MakerBot Replicator 2
  • MakerBot Replicator 2x
  • ZCorp Full Color
  • Mcor Iris
  • MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation

Additionally, Photoshop supports several Shapeways.com and Sculpteo profiles.

Direct USB printing with the MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation printer profile is not supported yet. You can export the files you want to print to a USB stick and then print them locally.

Yes. You can define cross sections to slice away parts of a 3D model before printing. Follow these broad steps:

  1. Select Window > Workspace > 3D to switch to the 3D workspace.
  2. Open the 3D object you want to print.
  3. Select Scene in the 3D panel.
  4. In the Properties panel, select Cross Section.
  5. Specify settings for the cross section in the Properties panel.
  6. Select 3D > Apply Cross Section To Scene.
  7. Print the 3D scene.

Before printing, you must bake the cross section you've defined.

Slicing away a cross section of a sphere before printing

Yes. Follow these broad steps:

  1. Select a material in the Scene panel.
  2. In the Properties panel, click the folder icon () next to Bump/Opacity/Normal and load a texture. You can also define a new texture that you want to apply to the 3D model.
  3. If you're defining a new texture, save the texture. The texture is applied to the 3D model as a bump/opacity map.
  4. Print the 3D model.
Applying a bump map to a 3D model before printing Applying an opacity map to a 3D model before printing

If your 3D printer is equipped with two heads, you can print 3D models in two colors. The Print Properties panel displays pop-up options for the additional heads available. The 3D workspace and the 3D print preview display the model in two colors.

Printing a 3D model in two colors

From a printing standpoint, each layer in the 3D model is treated as a 3D object. If necessary, you can merge two or more layers (3D > Merge 3D Layers).

More like this

  • How to print a 3D object in Photoshop
  • 3D painting
  • 3D panel enhancements | Photoshop
  • Photoshop 3D documentation

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Old Tech, New Tech: 3D Printing with Adobe in the San Luis Valley

State of the State

Eric Peterson,

Approaching 600 years in age in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the oldest house in the U. S. is made of adobe.

Outside Antonito, Colorado, and likewise made of adobe, Casa Covida is just a couple of years old. The construction materials may be the same old tech, but the method is cutting-edge: A robotic arm 3D-printed Casa Covida from the soil of the San Luis Valley — just add water.

The structure is the brainchild of Ronald Rael of Rael San Fratello, an architecture firm in Oakland, California, and professor of architecture at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design.

Rael grew up in the Antonito area, and Casa Covida is located on his family’s land. “I’m indigenous to the Rio Grande watershed,” he says. “My family has been there for thousands of years, in Colorado and New Mexico. My family has always lived in buildings made of earth, so I’m very familiar with it.”

And adobe runs in the family: “My father was a builder who built adobe homes and renovated adobe houses for locals in the area. I grew up knowing quite a bit of it, its history and context.

This knowledge of adobe led Rael to write the 2008 book, “Earth Architecture.” “It looks at the modern history of building with earth,” he says. “I proposed that maybe 3D printing was the future for earthen architecture.”

Rael later partnered with Florida-based 3D Potter to create a robot that could print adobe as he envisioned. “They were making small-scale clay printers, but I saw that they had the capacity and the know-how to build larger printers, and I proposed something very different than what they were making at the time,” he explains. “Everything is relatively simple and low-cost. One person can pick up a robot and move it, and the robot can print objects much larger than itself. Mobility is a big part of this for me: Often, you see 3D printers and they’re larger than the building they’re going to make.”

Rael founded a company, Emerging Objects, to develop software to drive the robot, and describes Casa Covida as “a test case for this technology.” 3D Potter’s system printed the structure over the course of eight days with the robot arm climbing a mast to print the house, which is made up of three spaces designed to accommodate two people each, with openings to the sky, horizon, and ground.

“The mud was sourced right there onsite,” Rael says. “It’s sifted down to a particle size that the pump can handle, it has chopped straw in it, and that’s it, really. Because it’s alluvial soil — soil that washes down from the mountains along the river — it has a combination of clays and sands and silt particles and gravel particles that make it ideal for making adobes.”

And adobe is an ideal building material: “In a desert climate like Antonito in the San Luis Valley where it only rains nine inches a year, it can last for a really long time, but in any climate, with a roof and a good foundation, can also last forever.”

In 2021, Rael started a larger project at the Frontier Drive-In in Center, Colorado, about 50 miles due north of Antonito in the San Luis Valley. He plans to finish the structure — with eight chambers open-roofed featuring aquifer-fed soaking pools — in summer 2022.

The Frontier is the first project for Continuud, a new branch of Denver-based developer Continuum Partners, and is slated to open in summer 2022. “It’s an old 1950s drive-in movie theater that we are looking to revitalize and program in some new and interesting ways for that part of the world,” says Luke Falcone, project manager, noting the project includes lodging as well as a renovated snack bar, movie screen and sound system.

Rael’s work will fit right in at the development, adds Adam Gildar, program director at the Frontier. “It was just such a no-brainer for us to reach out to him,” Gildar says. “I think of him very much as an artist.”

Gildar likens Rael’s eight-chambered spa to a stepping stone to bigger projects. “In some ways, our project ends up being this interesting space between art and architecture,” Gildar says. “In that way, we also get to be an incubator between the aesthetic and the functional.”

Rael has additional projects in the pipeline in Colorado and New Mexico and continues with R&D at the family land outside Antonito, refining staircases and domes and other concepts as part of his Mud Frontiers project that encompasses Casa Covida.

“I’m a full-time professor, but I’m beginning to speculate if this isn’t a real viable way to build buildings,” he says. “I think that it is a viable solution to the global housing crisis. In the United States, there might be a lack of understanding of the role earth had in the making of buildings over the last 10,000 years. There are places where that’s more familiar, like in the Southwest, but in every part of the country, buildings are made out of earth. The oldest house in Boston, which is Paul Revere’s house, is an adobe house.”

3D printing with dirt “reduces the cost of construction of the walls dramatically,” he adds with an intentional pun. “It’s dirt cheap. It costs nothing. Once I scale, it becomes even less expensive, and I have very good plans to scale in the coming year.”

Earthen construction is nothing new, Rael notes, but it fell out of favor “because you can’t make a lot of money building with earth.” He shares the story of François Cointeraux, the French architect who wanted to take earthen construction methods north from southern France in the late 1700s and early 1800s: “The brickmasons and the carpenters basically ran him out of town and burned all his drawings and destroyed his models.

Online:
www.rael-sanfratello.com
www.emergingobjects.com
www.frontierdrivein.com

Categories: Culture, Industry Trends, Magazine Articles

Tags: 3D Printing, Adobe Art, New Mexico, San Luis Valley, Southern Colorado

Printing 3D Objects in Photoshop

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Last update Dec 13, 2021 08:23:10 PM GMT

  1. Photoshop
  2. User Guide
  3. Introduction to Photoshop
    1. Dream about it. Do it.
    2. What's New in Photoshop
    3. Editing the first photo
    4. Create documents
    5. Photoshop | FAQ
    6. Photoshop
    7. system requirements
    8. Transferring presets, operations and settings
    9. Introduction to Photoshop
  4. Photoshop and other Adobe products and services
    1. Working with Illustrator artwork in Photoshop
    2. Working with Photoshop files in InDesign
    3. Substance 3D Materials for Photoshop
    4. Photoshop and Adobe Stock
    5. Working with the built-in Capture extension in Photoshop
    6. Creative Cloud Libraries
    7. Creative Cloud Libraries in Photoshop
    8. Working in Photoshop using the Touch Bar
    9. Net and guides
    10. Create transactions
    11. Cancellation and transaction history
  5. Photoshop on iPad
    1. Photoshop on iPad | General questions
    2. Introduction to the working environment
    3. System requirements | Photoshop on iPad
    4. Create, open and export documents
    5. Adding photos
    6. Working with layers
    7. Drawing and painting with brushes
    8. Selecting areas and adding masks
    9. Retouch compositions
    10. Working with Adjustment Layers
    11. Adjusting the key of a composition using the Curves layer
    12. Applying transform operations
    13. Trim and rotate compositions
    14. Rotate, pan, zoom and restore canvas
    15. Working with text layers
    16. Working with Photoshop and Lightroom
    17. Getting missing fonts in Photoshop on iPad
    18. Japanese text in Photoshop on iPad
    19. Application parameter management
    20. Touch shortcuts and gestures
    21. Key combinations
    22. Image resizing
    23. Live stream your creative process in Photoshop on iPad
    24. Fix imperfections with Healing Brush
    25. Creating brushes in Capture and using them in Photoshop
    26. Working with Camera Raw files
    27. Creating and using smart objects
    28. Adjusting the exposure of images with the Dodge and Burn tools
  6. Photoshop Web Application Beta
    1. Frequently Asked Questions | Photoshop Web App Beta
    2. Working environment overview
    3. System requirements | Photoshop 9 Web App Beta0010
    4. Keyboard shortcuts | Photoshop Web Application Beta
    5. Supported file formats | Photoshop Web Application Beta
    6. Opening and working with cloud documents
    7. Collaboration with stakeholders
    8. Limited editing options for cloud documents
  7. Cloud Documents
    1. Photoshop Cloud Documents | Frequently Asked Questions
    2. Photoshop Cloud Documents | Workflow Questions
    3. Work with and manage cloud documents in Photoshop
    4. Cloud storage update for Photoshop
    5. Unable to create or save cloud document
    6. Troubleshooting Photoshop cloud documents
    7. Collection of cloud document synchronization logs
    8. Sharing and editing cloud documents
    9. File sharing and commenting in the application
  8. Working environment
    1. Working environment basics
    2. Learn faster with the What's New panel in Photoshop
    3. Create documents
    4. Working in Photoshop using the Touch Bar
    5. Tool gallery
    6. Performance settings
    7. Using tools
    8. Touch gestures
    9. Touch gestures and customizable workspaces
    10. Technology overview versions
    11. Metadata and comments
    12. Default key combinations
    13. Touch gestures and customizable workspaces
    14. Putting Photoshop images into other applications
    15. Installations
    16. Default key combinations
    17. Rulers
    18. Show or hide non-printing auxiliaries
    19. Specifying columns for the image
    20. Cancellation and transaction history
    21. Panels and menus
    22. File storage
    23. Positioning of elements with referencing
    24. Positioning with the ruler tool
    25. Setting sets
    26. Customizing keyboard shortcuts
    27. Net and guides
  9. Web, screen and application content development
    1. Photoshop for design
    2. Artboards
    3. View on device
    4. Copy CSS from layers
    5. Splitting web pages into fragments
    6. HTML options for snippets
    7. Changing the arrangement of fragments
    8. Working with web graphics
    9. Create web photo galleries
  10. Understanding images and working with color
    1. Resizing images
    2. Working with raster and vector images
    3. Image size and resolution
    4. Importing images from cameras and scanners
    5. Creating, opening and importing images
    6. Image viewer
    7. "Invalid JPEG marker" error | Opening images
    8. Viewing multiple images
    9. Customize color palettes and color swatches
    10. HDR images
    11. Image color matching
    12. Converting between color modes
    13. Color modes
    14. Erase sub-images
    15. Blend Modes
    16. Choice of colors
    17. Making changes to indexed color tables
    18. Image information
    19. Distortion filters not available
    20. Color details
    21. Color and monochrome corrections with channels
    22. Selecting colors in the Color and Swatches panels
    23. Sample
    24. Color mode (or picture mode)
    25. Shade
    26. Add color mode change to operation
    27. Add swatches from HTML CSS and SVG files
    28. Bit depth and settings
  11. Layers
    1. Understanding Layers
    2. Reversible editing
    3. Create and manage layers and groups
    4. Selecting, grouping and linking layers
    5. Putting images into frames
    6. Opacity and layering
    7. Layer masks
    8. Application of smart filters
    9. Layer compositions
    10. Move, arrange and lock layers
    11. Layer masking with vector masks
    12. Manage layers and groups
    13. Effects and Layer Styles
    14. Editing layer masks
    15. Extract resources
    16. Display layers with clipping masks
    17. Generation of graphic resources from layers
    18. Working with Smart Objects
    19. Blend Modes
    20. Combining several fragments into one image
    21. Combining images with Auto Layer
    22. Alignment and distribution of layers
    23. Copy CSS from layers
    24. Load selections based on layer boundaries or layer masks
    25. See-through to show the contents of other layers
    26. Layer
    27. Mixing
    28. Composite images
    29. Background
  12. Selections
    1. Select and Mask workspace
    2. Quick area selection
    3. Getting Started with Selections
    4. Selecting with the Marquee Toolbox
    5. Selection with the Lasso tools
    6. Selecting a color range in the image
    7. Pixel highlight setting
    8. Convert between contours and selection boundaries
    9. Channel Basics
    10. Moving, copying and deleting selected pixels
    11. Creating a temporary quick mask
    12. Save selections and alpha channel masks
    13. Selecting focus areas in an image
    14. Duplication, splitting and merging of channels
    15. Channel calculation
    16. Extraction
    17. Bounding box
  13. Image corrections
    1. Perspective distortion
    2. Blur reduction due to camera movement
    3. Healing Brush Tool Examples
    4. Export color lookup tables
    5. Image sharpening and blurring
    6. Introduction to color grading
    7. Applying the Brightness/Contrast setting
    8. Shadow and Highlight Detail Correction
    9. "Levels" correction
    10. Hue and saturation correction
    11. Juiciness correction
    12. Adjusting the color saturation in image areas
    13. Quick tone correction
    14. Applying special color effects to images
    15. Image enhancement with color balance correction
    16. HDR images
    17. View histograms and pixel values ​​
    18. Image color matching
    19. Crop and straighten photographs
    20. Converting a color image to black and white
    21. Adjustment and fill layers
    22. Curves correction
    23. Blend Modes
    24. Target Imaging for Press
    25. Color and tone correction with Levels and Curves eyedroppers
    26. HDR Exposure and Toning Compensation
    27. Filter
    28. Blur
    29. Lighten or darken image areas
    30. Selective color correction
    31. Changing object colors
  14. Adobe Camera Raw
    1. Camera Raw
    2. system requirements
    3. What's New in Camera Raw
    4. Introduction to Camera Raw
    5. Creating panoramas
    6. Supported lenses
    7. Camera Raw 9 Vignetting, Grain, and Haze Removal0010
    8. Default key combinations
    9. Automatic perspective correction in Camera Raw
    10. Reversible editing in Camera Raw
    11. Camera Raw Radial Filter Tool
    12. Manage Camera Raw Settings
    13. Processing, saving and opening images in Camera Raw
    14. Improving Images with Camera Raw's Improved Spot Remover
    15. Rotating, cropping and modifying images
    16. Camera Raw color correction
    17. Function overview | Adobe Camera Raw | Issues for 2018
    18. Overview of new features
    19. Processing versions in Camera Raw
    20. Making local adjustments in Camera Raw
  15. Fixing and restoring images
    1. Removing objects from photos using Content-Aware Fill
    2. Content-aware patching and relocation
    3. Retouching and fixing photos
    4. Image Distortion and Noise Correction
    5. Basic troubleshooting steps to solve most problems
  16. Image transformation
    1. Object transformation
    2. Crop, rotate and canvas adjustment
    3. Crop and straighten photographs
    4. Creating and editing panoramic images
    5. Deforming images, shapes and contours
    6. Perspective
    7. Using the Liquify filter
    8. Content-aware scale
    9. Transforming images, shapes and paths
    10. Deformation
    11. Transformation
    12. Panorama
  17. Drawing and painting
    1. Drawing symmetrical ornaments
    2. Options for drawing a rectangle and changing the stroke
    3. Drawing details
    4. Drawing and editing shapes
    5. Paint tools
    6. Creating and modifying brushes
    7. Blend Modes
    8. Adding color to contours
    9. Edit contours
    10. Painting with mix brush
    11. Brush Presets
    12. Gradients
    13. Gradient interpolation
    14. Fill and stroke selections, layers, and paths
    15. Drawing with the pen tool group
    16. Making patterns
    17. Creating a pattern with the Pattern Builder filter
    18. Loop control
    19. Managing pattern libraries and presets
    20. Drawing with pen tablet
    21. Creating textured brushes
    22. Adding dynamic elements to brushes
    23. Gradient
    24. Draw stylized strokes with the Artistic Archive Brush
    25. Drawing with pattern
    26. Synchronizing presets across multiple devices
  18. Text
    1. Adding and editing text
    2. Universal text editor
    3. Working with OpenType SVG Fonts
    4. Character formatting
    5. Paragraph formatting
    6. Creating text effects
    7. Text editing
    8. Leading and letter spacing
    9. Font for Arabic and Hebrew
    10. Fonts
    11. Troubleshooting fonts
    12. Asian text
    13. Create text
    14. Text Engine error when using Photoshop's Type tool | Windows 8
  19. Video and animation
    1. Video editing in Photoshop
    2. Editing video and animation layers
    3. Introduction to video and animation
    4. Video and animation preview
    5. Drawing frames in video layers
    6. Import video files and image sequences
    7. Create frame animations
    8. Creative Cloud 3D Animation (Preview)
    9. Create timeline animations
    10. Creating images for videos
  20. Filters and effects
    1. Using the Liquify filter
    2. Using Blur Gallery group effects
    3. Filter basics
    4. Filter effects guide
    5. Adding lighting effects
    6. Using the Adaptive Wide Angle filter
    7. Oil Paint Filter
    8. Effects and Layer Styles
    9. Application of specific filters
    10. Image area feathering
  21. Saving and exporting
    1. Saving files in Photoshop
    2. Export files to Photoshop
    3. Supported file formats
    4. Saving files in other graphic formats
    5. Moving projects between Photoshop and Illustrator
    6. Saving and exporting video and animation
    7. Saving PDF files
    8. Digimarc copyright protection
  22. Printing
    1. Printing 3D objects
    2. Printing with Photoshop
    3. Printing and color management
    4. Checklists and PDF presentations
    5. Print photos in a new image layout
    6. Spot color printing
    7. Duplexes
    8. Printing images on a printing press
    9. Photoshop Color Enhancement
    10. Printing troubleshooting | Photoshop
  23. Automation
    1. Create activities
    2. Creation of data-driven images
    3. Scenarios
    4. File batch processing
    5. Operation playback and management
    6. Adding conditional operations
    7. About actions and the Actions panel
    8. Recording tools in operations
    9. Add color mode change to operation
    10. Photoshop UI Development Kit for Plugins and Scripts
  24. Color Management
    1. Understanding Color Management
    2. Accurate color assurance
    3. Color settings
    4. Working with color profiles
    5. Color management of documents for viewing on the web
    6. Color management for printing documents
    7. Color management of imported images
    8. Perform proofing
  25. Content authenticity
    1. Learn more about content credentials
    2. Identity and origin of NFT tokens
    3. Connecting accounts for creative attribution
  26. 3D objects and technical images
    1. 3D in Photoshop | Common questions about deprecated 3D features
    2. Creative Cloud 3D Animation (Preview)
    3. Printing 3D objects
    4. 3D drawing
    5. 3D Panel Enhancement | Photoshop
    6. 3D Concepts and Tools
    7. Rendering and saving 3D objects
    8. Creating 3D objects and animations
    9. Image stacks
    10. 3D graphics workflow
    11. Measurements
    12. DICOM files
    13. Photoshop and MATLAB
    14. Image object count
    15. Combining and transforming 3D objects
    16. Editing 3D textures
    17. HDR Exposure and Toning Compensation
    18. 3D panel settings

Photoshop allows you to print any compatible 3D model without worrying about the limitations of a 3D printer. When preparing to print, Photoshop automatically renders 3D models impenetrable. Photoshop also generates the necessary support structures—platforms and bases—to help you achieve successful 3D printing results.

Preparing 3D objects for printing

  1. Select the menu item Window > Workspace > 3D to switch to 3D mode.
  2. Open the 3D model in Photoshop. If necessary, resize the 3D model while opening the file.
  3. Select menu item 3D > 3D Print Settings.
3D Printing Preferences
  1. In the 3D Printing Preferences panel, choose whether to use a printer connected to your computer via USB (local printer) or online 3D printing services such as Shapeways.com or Sculpteo.

You can now print 3D models as 3MF (3D Manufacturing Format) files. When specifying 3D printing options, select 9 for option0848 Print to is set to Local and Printer is set to 3MF File. When you send a 3D object to print, Photoshop creates a 3MF file. On Windows computers, Photoshop also launches the Microsoft 3D Builder application to further process the 3MF file.

To update the list of supported printers or online profiles, select Get Latest Printers from the Send to Print To pop-up menu.

  1. Select a local printer or Shapeways.com print profile.

View estimated prices for printing 3D models using available Shapeways.com profiles by selecting Printer > Estimated Price.

  1. Select the print volume units from inches, centimeters, millimeters, or pixels. This unit will serve to measure the dimensions of the volume of the printer as well as the dimensions of the printing plate.

A. 3D model B. Printing plate C. Printer volume overlay

  1. Select the 3D Printing Detail Level—Low, Medium, or Fine. The time it takes to print a 3D object depends on the level of detail selected.
  2. If you do not want to see the bounds of the 3D model's print volume, clear the Show Printer Volume Overlay check box.
  1. Set the Scene Size options to the appropriate size for the 3D printed object. When you change one value (X, Y, or Z), the other two values ​​are scaled proportionally. When resizing the Stage Volume, notice that the print plate under the 3D model resizes accordingly.

You can scroll through the Scene Volume settings by clicking the size label (X, Y, or Z) and dragging the cursor left or right. By holding down the Shift key, you can scroll through the values ​​faster.

  1. Select Scale by printer volume if you want to automatically resize the 3D model so that it takes up the entire available printer volume on the selected printer.
  2. If the 3D model includes normal maps, bump maps, or transparency maps, you can ignore these types of maps when printing the model. Notice how the 3D model changes in real time as you change the Surface Detail settings.
  3. Optionally, you can exclude the support structures of the 3D object (platforms and bases) from printing. Use this option with caution as printing a 3D model without the necessary support structures may produce unsatisfactory results.
  4. If your printer supports multiple materials, select the material you want to use to print this 3D object.

(Experimental) Enable multitone printing for the MakerBot Replicator 2x 9 printer0036

You can enable an experimental feature that allows you to print continuous tones with your MakerBot Replicator 2x 3D printer.

Requirement: Enable experimental Photoshop features

Experimental features must be enabled in Photoshop before using multitone printing:

  1. Select Preferences > Experimental Features.
  2. Select the Enable multitone printing check box.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Restart Photoshop.

Experimental features not yet fully tested. They should be used with caution.

Choose a multi-tone surface material

  1. Select the MakerBot Replicator 2x printer in the 3D Printing Settings panel.
  2. In the Material field, select Multitone Surface. If you don't see this option, make sure the experimental Multitone 3D Printing feature is enabled.
  1. Set other parameters according to the generated 3D model.
  2. To view and print a 3D object, select 3D > 3D Print.

Preview and print 3D object

After setting the 3D printing options, follow these steps.

  1. Click the Start Print icon () or select the menu item 3D > 3D Print. Photoshop will combine the 3D elements of the scene and prepare it for the printing process.
  2. If you choose to print with a Shapeways.com profile, Photoshop will display a message that the actual print cost may differ from the estimated cost displayed. Click OK.
  3. In the preview window that opens, you can use the 3D camera tools to rotate, scale, or move the 3D object.

    Rotate the 3D camera.

    3D camera rotation.

    Move the 3D camera.

    3D camera slide.

    Return to the home position of the 3D camera.

3D print preview; pay attention to the support structures
  1. If necessary, select the Show restoration check box. Photoshop displays various restoration colors such as Original mesh, Thickened walls, and Hole closed.
Preview with "Show Repair" setting
  1. You can also turn on Ray Tracing Preview. Viewing ray tracing allows you to more accurately reproduce the printed material.
Ray Tracing Preview
  1. If you want to export the 3D printing settings to an STL file, click the Export button and save the file to the desired folder on your computer. This STL file can be sent to a network service server or moved to an SD card for printing with your own printer.
  2. View a summary of the 3D print object and click the Print button.

You can cancel the current 3D printing process using the menu item 3D > Cancel 3D printing.

3D printing utilities

Photoshop provides interactive step-by-step utilities that you can use to set up, calibrate, and maintain your 3D printer. These utilities can only be used when the 3D printer is turned on and connected to a computer.

  1. Select the menu item 3D > 3D Printer Utilities.
  2. Select the utilities you want to run.

Print plate calibration

Helps in leveling the printing plate. This utility includes the following general steps:

  • Requires you to remove all residual print materials from the 3D printer.
  • Initializes the print head.
  • Allows you to adjust the amount of gap between the platen and the printhead at nine nozzle positions.

You can use this utility in wizard mode or manual mode.

Download Thread

Helps load filament into a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printer. To facilitate filament loading, Photoshop starts the head heating process and the filament loading mechanism.

Remove thread

Helps remove the filament from the FDM 3D printer. To facilitate the removal of the filament, Photoshop starts the head heating process and the filament loading mechanism.

Replace thread

Helps to replace the old filament in the FDM 3D printer with a new one. To make changing filament easier, Photoshop starts the head heating process and the filament loading mechanism.

  1. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Pack objects on the base plane

Sometimes you may want to print multiple instances of an object on the same panel. Do the following.

  1. Select the required objects in the 3D panel.
  2. Select 3D > Pack Objects on Ground Plane.
  3. Start printing objects.

FAQ

Photoshop currently supports the following 3D printers:

  • MakerBot Replicator 2
  • MakerBot Replicator 2x
  • ZCorp Full Color
  • Mcor Iris
  • MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation

Photoshop also supports several Shapeways.com and Sculpteo profiles.

The MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation Printer Profile does not yet support USB direct printing. You can export files to a USB drive and print them to a local printer.

Yes. Before printing, you can set a cross section to cut off part of the 3D model. Follow these general steps.

  1. Select the menu item Window > Workspace > 3D to switch to 3D mode.
  2. Open the 3D object you want to print.
  3. Select Scene in the 3D panel.
  4. On the Properties panel, select Cross Section.
  5. Specify the cross section parameters in the Properties panel.
  6. Select the menu item 3D > Apply Cross Section to Scene.
  7. Print the 3D scene.

The desired cross section must be dried before printing.

Clipping off a portion of a sphere before printing.

Yes. Follow these general steps.

  1. Select a material in the Stage panel.
  2. In the Properties panel, click the folder icon () next to Emboss/Transparency/Normals and load the texture. You can also specify a new texture to apply to the 3D model.
  3. When specifying a new texture, save this texture. The texture is applied to the 3D model as a bump map or transparency.
  4. Print a 3D model.
Applying a bump map to a 3D model before printing Applying a transparency map to a 3D model before printing.

If your 3D printer has two heads, you can print 3D models in two colors. Pop-up menus for additional available heads are displayed in the Print Properties panel. In the 3D workspace and in the 3D Print Preview window, the model appears in two colors.

Printing a 3D model in two colors

From a printing point of view, each layer of a 3D model is treated as a separate 3D object. You can optionally merge two or more layers (3D > Merge 3D Layers).

Related topics

  • How to print a 3D object in Photoshop
  • 3D painting
  • 3D panel enhancements | Photoshop
  • Photoshop 3D Documentation

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Photoshop CS6 Modeling and 3D Printing Tutorial

Independent creation of a model does not necessarily imply the use of special 3D or CAD programs. To do this, you can use Photoshop CS6 Extended and two other free cross-platform tools: the Cura 3D printing utility and the MeshLab model validation and processing tool.


The 3D modeling options have been greatly improved in Photoshop CS6 and now include more intuitive on-screen controls that let even the least tech-savvy of designers create 3D models from flat images, photographs, or their own imagination.

Photoshop may have very limited modeling capabilities compared to professional CAD programs, but it's much easier to use than learning NURBS and SDS surfaces. Also, once you master Adobe's 3D tool, it will be much easier for you to switch to more professional 3D programs like Cinema 4D or Maya.

Here we'll show you how you can use Photoshop to create a model of a human figure and then print the physical version of it. You will learn about the creative and technical side of this process, as well as some of the limitations that you must consider when modeling for the subsequent 3D printing. This figurine was printed using an Ultimaker 2 3D printer. However, the preparation and printing process is almost identical to any desktop 3D printer.

How long will it take to complete this project:
2 hours for modeling and file preparation and up to 4 hours for printing.

Tools:
Photoshop CS6 Extended, Cura, MeshLab

Download
The files for this lesson can be downloaded here.

  • 1 Step 1 - new document
  • 2 Step 2 - creating a 3D object
  • 3 Step 3 - object depth
  • 4 Step 4 - Build Model
  • 5 Step 5 - model volume
  • 6 step 6 - stability
  • 7 step 7 - sole
  • 8 Step 8 - detailing
  • 9 step 9 - layers
  • 10 Step 10 - Location
  • 11 Step 11 - forming stl
  • 12 Step 12 - export to stl
  • 13 Step 13 - Preparing to Print
  • 14 Step 14 - print options
  • 15 Step 15 - Printing
  • 16 Step 16 - print

Step 1 - New Document

First, create a new document in Photoshop - a 2000px square will suffice - and draw your design on a new layer.

Since the model will be printed layer by layer from the bottom up, it is important that there are no places where the machine will print in the air: because of this limitation, we cannot create a figure of a man with his hands down.

Step 2 - forming the 3D object

From the menu 3D select New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer . The form will instantly become three-dimensional due to the “push back”, this will be the beginning of the formation of a 3D object.

Step 3 - Object Depth

You can use the Move tool in Photoshop CS6 to view an object from different angles: simply move the tool outside the object you are creating to look at it from a different angle.

Make sure you don't move the object itself, as you want it to stay upright.

Select an object and you will see its depth in the Extrusion Depth indicator in the Properties panel . Drag the slider for this indicator to zero so that the object has no depth.

Step 4 - Modeling

In the Cap section of the Properties panel, set the value Inflate Angle to 90 degrees so that the model inflates at right angles on both sides.

Then with slider Strength set to a value that makes the object look round and three-dimensional.

You can also inflate an object by pressing the V key and dragging the controls on the object itself.

Step 5 - volume of the model

By default, only the front side of the object is inflated.

In the Properties panel find the pop-up menu Sides and change the value to Front and Back .

The magnification of the object will now be mirrored.

The thicker the original drawing, the more "inflated" the object will be, so the body and head are thicker than the arms and legs.

Step 6 - stability

Now you need to make some voluminous shoes for your figure.

And in order for the figurine to be stable, it is important to create a large enough area that will be attached to the print platform.

Just like with the little man, start by drawing the outline of the shoe on a new layer.

Step 7 - sole

Just as before, make the figure three-dimensional using menu 3D .

However, this time you don't need to nullify Extrusion Depth , by setting it to a small value, say 20, we will make a flat sole for this shoe.

Rotate the shoe 90 degrees in the X direction using the Co-ordinates tab in the Properties panel so that it lies flat on the base.

Step 8 - Detail

Use the controls Inflate to make the shoe look more real.

This time you want only the front side to increase.

Step 9 - Layers

Make a copy of the 3D shoe layer, then select all three layers and choose Merge 3D Layers from the menu 3D .

They will all be connected, and you may end up with the same bad orientation as in the picture below. This is a matter of chance.

Step 10 - Location

You can select each of the shoes on the panel 3D or by clicking on them.

Select the 3D menu option Snap Object to Ground Plane and move the shoe to the side so that it is exactly under one of the legs of the main figure.

Repeat for the other shoe.

Then select Export 3D Layer from the pop-up menu in the 3D panel and select the .obj file type.

Step 11 - generating stl

Then convert the .obj file to a .stl file so that the printer knows what to do with it.

The free software MeshLab is great for this.

Open the 3D file you created and you will see a couple of warnings like the one shown in the picture.

Click the OK button because they are not important - for example, this is a warning that the program is looking for missing textures.

Step 12 - export to stl

You can rotate the model in MeshLab if you want.

But our main task here is to export the file: select Export Mesh and select STL as the file type.

Step 13 - Preparing to Print

Before sending the .stl file for printing, it must be cut. And for this we need the Cura program, although its installation will have to be tricky, especially for Mac owners.

But don't be alarmed, the instructions for the program are quite detailed, and the program's website provides user support.

Select Load Model to place the figurine on the platform.

It may seem too big: here we have scaled it to 0.05 of its original size in order to fit on the platform.

Step 14 - print settings

Next, you need to set the values ​​for all the necessary parameters: layer height (height of each print cycle), wall thickness, print temperature and other parameters.

You will have to install a lot of this by trial and error, although you can find some pretty good advice on this in the user forums of your 3D printer model.

When all values ​​are set, select command Slice to GCode .

Step 15 - Printing

GCode is a file that your printer understands.

When this file is ready, you can send it for printing directly from your computer, but we recommend that you copy this file to an SD card and insert it into your printer.

Step 16 - Printing

The object is printed from bottom to top, layer by layer. And you'll see why we couldn't make the figure's arms point downwards, because that would mean that the printing of the arms would start without support underneath them.

However, if absolutely necessary, there are several ways to get around this limitation.

You can either provide support structures for your model during the modeling process, which you will later need to cut and discard (which can take quite a long time), or you can install perfectly sized blocks as support (which are quite not easy and inconvenient to install).


Learn more