making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?
 
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PrintingD
(@printingd)
Active Member
making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

Hi all,

Suppose I am comfy using TinkerCAD and not yet comfy in Fusion360. Is there a straightforward way to make 3D multicolor objects that correctly import into PrusaSlicer?

Say for example I have 2 cubes attached together on one face. I want each a different color and want to print this in Prusa. So far, I learned I would need to expert each cube separately. That is silly. There must be a better way, no?

I've seen that they suggest using F360 or meshmixer, but both are not simple monsters.

Posted : 01/07/2021 1:29 am
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

So far, I learned I would need to expert each cube separately.

Export the one file then split to parts (or objects) in the slicer.

heerio,

Posted : 01/07/2021 11:36 am
PrintingD
(@printingd)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

For some reason when I do that it does not seem to allow for the splitting of objects can you walk me through the specific steps maybe I missed something obvious

Posted : 01/07/2021 1:17 pm
Neophyl
(@neophyl)
Illustrious Member
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

It all depends on the output from Tinkercad.  Why dont you post (zipped up for the forum to accept it) one or more of your test objects from Tinkercad.  That way we can see what we have to work with.

Posted : 01/07/2021 2:46 pm
PrintingD
(@printingd)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

Ok. I build the simplest tinkercad I could - 2 blocks next to each other.

Here is the tinkercad link

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/7wORd5Fevle/edit?sharecode=lD3TCUST1bhXopBG8Qpvvj_jeuqVjms-ptbcGZydFcc

I am also attaching several versions - 1 where I selected all, grouped them, and selected multicolor, 1 where I did not, and one saved as obj.

When I import any of these files in Slicer 2.3.1 x64 on Mac OS X (in i3 MKS+ MMU2s mode), they open as a single color object. If I right click on the object name on the right side of the screen, SPLIT TO PARTS is shaded out.

What do I need to do?

Attachment removed
Posted : 01/07/2021 6:02 pm
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

Those are not exported as two blocks; it is a single object, twice as long as it is high or wide with no differentiation.  Does Tinkercad have another output format that preserves the elements?

The best you can do with something like this is to right click on it in the slicer, add modifier, arrange the modifier to cover half the object and select change extruder.

Attached is a file containing a multipart object; two cuboids and a print in place penetration, which you can split to objects or parts and experiment with.

Cheerio,

Attachment removed
Posted : 01/07/2021 7:17 pm
Neophyl
(@neophyl)
Illustrious Member
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

@printingd

Thanks for the zip file.  The reason you cant split it is that Tinkercad is exporting it as a single shell.  Its not 2 cubes, its one big cuboid. Both of the stl versions you included are identical.  Same with the obj file.  Its a single object.

I don't use Tinkercad and don't want an account so unfortunately I'm not going to be looking at the app but from a quick google search it looks like the most used option is to export separate stl files.  Arranging them again in PS for almost any model except your simple demo would be a real pain in the rear.  Not worth the effort.  If the objects dont touch then you could export them and use other software to separate them afterwards.  Something like Meshmixer or Blender. If they touch though it looks like Tinkercad just merges them and so doing that would be problematic too.  Even that though seems like a lot of effort. 

Would be easier to model stuff in some software that actually will export as separate shells (like Blender can) and then use the split to parts in PS which will keep the positioning and then just assign extruders to the parts as normal.

Basically I think you are going to have to learn something more than Tinkercad.

Posted : 01/07/2021 7:18 pm
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

Here is an example of a pair of files made to fit together, select both and load them together, slicer will offer to treat them as parts of a whole and you can allocate extruders accordingly.

Cheerio,

Attachment removed
Posted : 01/07/2021 7:38 pm
PrintingD
(@printingd)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: making color designs in tinkercad for PrusaSlicer?

Hi, after messing around a little, I have concluded this:

If parts do not TOUCH, then it is possible to split them up via PrusaSlicer. If they touch, then the export will not make them into split-able parts, so I am out of luck with TinkerCAD.

So Fusion360 or Blender it is I guess.

Posted : 08/07/2021 4:22 pm
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