Manual

made by you

i.materialise Google SketchUp Plugin - V2.0

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Contents

Introduction - 3

The Wizard - 5

3D Print your Design - 7

3D Print your Architectural Model - 13

Instructions for Mac - 24

3D Printing - 25

Design by OzBoz

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i.materialise is a 3D printing service for everybody with an eye for design and a head full of ideas.

We want you to focus on the creation of designs made by you that add value to peoples lives, while we do the manufacturing.

We want to be the power behind your design.

Theres something special about physically holding a design

youve spent so many hours on.

Your own design?Create a work of art of your own and make something truly unique.

This is useful when you want to offer a very personal gift, customize your inte-rior, bring a 3D characher to life, or just show off your design skills... the only limit is your imagination.

Design by Mika de Bruijn

Design by Niko Wauters

Your own architectural model?Create a scale model of the new house youve just moved into or the interior

youve recently redecorated. The possibilities are endless!

This is useful for architects reviewing their designs or communicating with their customers, for urban planners creating volume studies, the list goes on,...

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1 Install Google SketchUp (free)

2 Design your model

3 Install the i.materialise 3D print wizard (free)

5 Order

The workflowIt only takes a few steps to turn your design into a reality

Get a 3D modelInstall Google sketchUp its free and easy to design something from scratch.

If you want a scale model of your house, your architect probably already made a digital 3D model and can help you out.

The wizardOnce you are happy with your model or design, the wizard will help you prepare it for 3D printing.

6 Receive your scale model

4 Use the wizard to upload your model

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InstallationFirst, go to the i.materialise website and download the installer. Run this file, press Next, then press Install. The wizard is now installed and available in SketchUp.

NOTE The wizard is only available for Microsoft Windows.

We wont bother you with technical details about solids, nor-mals, ... or how to create a file for 3D Printing. Make your de-

sign and we will print it, without a fixing cost.

Open the wizardOpen Google SketchUp and look for the new buttons in the menu bar:

Open the i.materialise 3D print wizard

Open the manual

If the buttons are not shown, you can access the plugin through

Menu Plugins i.materialise 3D Print Service Open Wizard

Create your design and open the wizard. It will appear on your screen and immediately take you to the introduction page. From that point, just follow the steps weve laid out for you!

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3D Print an Architectural ModelIf you want to print an achitectural model, we have made a wizard especially for this. It guides you through the steps required to bring your architectural model to life. Your model will be placed on a baseplate, then you can choose between 3 different sizes, position your model on the base-plate, and decide whether you want a monochrome or a full color scale model; all for a fixed price.

3D print your DesignAlmost anything drawn in SketchUp can be turned into a 3D print. You just have to set the desired size of your design with our wizard. To give you a notion of the size and an indication of the price you can expect, we have provided 3 reference objects. You can set the size of your design in two different ways: rescale to one of the reference objects. or a percentage rescale. Once uploaded and after material and color have been selected, a price will be given and you can place your order.

How does it work?Its simple. We now offer you two ways of uploading your design.

The first one works for almost anything that youve drawn in SketchUp.The second possiblity is a wizard dedicated to Architectural models.

Once the plugin is launched, the first step is to select the appropriate wizard. Below you can see the main differences between the 2 options.

Design by Gino LomeliDesign by Mika de Bruijn

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3D Print your Design

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Once the size is determined, you can upload your design to our 3D print-Lab. Once the design is uploaded a browser window will open.

In our 3D print Lab you can set the material and color you would like your design to have. With this information, we will provide you with a price quotation.

If you re happy with our offer, you can place the order by pressing the checkout button.

Determine Size You can choose the size you would like to have your design 3D printed. This can be done either by rescaling to one of the reference sizes, or by entering a percentage.

How does it work?Its simple. Once youve designed something you can go to the plugins menu and select the i.materialise plugin or push the i.materialise button

Select the 3D Print your design button and push start.

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Reference sizesUse our reference objects in order to get an idea about the size and price of your design. We offer three refer-ence objects to choose from: a ring, a cup, and a ball. Their dimensions can be found below.

Step 1 - Model Size

Choose Model SizeYou can now set the size of your design either by selecting one of the reference sizes or by scaling with a percentage value. The reference ob-ject gives you an indication of the price you can expext. A final price will depend on the material, and color selected.

Show reference objectsWe have chosen easily recognizable reference objects in order to allow you to choose the correct scale for your design. View these objects and choose the scale that is right for your design.

Show reference objects

mm X Y Z

ring 20 20 20

cup 100 100 100

ball 250 250 250

inch X Y Z

ring 0,79 0,79 0,79

cup 3,94 3,94 3,94

ball 9,84 9,84 9,84

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Step 2 - UploadAfter a final check to make sure the completed design matches your specifications, press the upload button. It may take a few minutes to upload your file to our servers, so be patient. The i.materialise website will open when the upload is finished. At that point you can select the mate-rial and color and then place your order.

PercentageIf you are unsatisfied with the sug-gested reference sizes, it is also possible to use percentages to scale your design. Simply enter a percent-age and press Apply.

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And now, place the order!

3ColorThe color can be se-lected once the material is set. The choice of colors will depend on the material selected.

7Checkout

If you are happy with our proposal, you can proceed to the check out. In the next steps youll be asked for payment and shipment details.

2MaterialYou can now select the material

you would like your design printed in. Each material has its own char-achteristics like price, strength and level of detail. More information can be found under the More info button and different materials can be com-pared to aid with the selection of the material.

4Scale

If the size of your design is still too small or too big, you can adjust the size by moving the slider, entering a percentage, or by entering the dimensions.

5Quantity

If you want more than one model, change the quantity with the plus and minus buttons.

6Price

Once material, color, scale and quantity are set a price quota-tion will be generated.

1Preview

Once your design is up-loaded, our 3D print lab will analyze your design and gen-erate a preview.

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Example: Mikas Fruit Bowl

1 Mika was inspired by a pattern and decided to turn it into a fruitbowl

2 Mika wanted the fruit bowl printed with the dimensions of a ball, so by choosing that reference object was able to have his design instantly rescaled to the desired size.

3 Mika uploaded his design to the 3D print Lab. Here, he selected the material and color.

4 Mika ordered the fruit bowl in Polyamide and is very happy with the result. The bowl was put to use the moment it was removed from the box.

Design by Mika de Bruijn

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3D Print your Architectural Model

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alThe Bottom PlateLocated below the building volume is a bottom plate, a necessity for a successful print. Since the plate is part of the 3D print, its important that everything is attached securely to it.

The Building VolumeWe offer you a building volume with fixed dimensions at a fixed price, no matter what kind of design goes in that box You will be able to choose a building volume that fits your needs. The presented building volume is a portion of the 3D printer. Place your design in it however you want to.

How does it work?Its simple. Once youve designed something you can go to the plugins menu and select the i.materialise plugin or push the i.materialise button

Select the 3D Print your Architectural Model button and push start

Nobody likes complex quoting, thats why theres a fixed price

for an architectural model.+

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Step 1 - Model Size

Choose Model SizeYou can choose from a set of model sizes, each with a fixed price. Pick the one that fits your needs and it will be drawn in your workspace. When you advance to the next step, SketchUp will zoom in to that box and indicate it, so youll know where its located.

Show boundariesAnything that lies outside the building volume will not be printed. The sides of the building volume function as cut planes and crop off everything that extends beyond them. For a better view of the points where the model is going to be cut, enable the boundaries. Youll see the sides of the building volume in the viewport, allowing easy placement of your model.

Show boundaries OFF Show boundaries ON

TIP Drag a window to select objects when the boundaries are enabled.

Show deskIts hard to work on a small version of your model on a PC because the feeling with reality is easily lost. Enabling this option shows your desk and gives you a notion of scale, by comparing it to well-known objects.

Show desk ON

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Scale to fitThe fastest way to position your model is by using the Scale to fit button. It automatically scales your model and fits it into the building volume.

Scale ratioUse this command when a model needs to be printed at a certain scale: first fill in the scale, then press the button.

This intelligent scale tool remembers the original size of the model, so that the scale you enter is always in respect to the real size.

Center on plateThis tool will shift your model until it is on the center of the bottom plate and the bottom of your model is on top of the bottom plate. This is particularly handy when youve scaled your model manually but its in the wrong place.

Step 2 - Position ModelThe second step is all about making sure your model is in the right scale and at the right location. You can do this manually with the tools provided by Google SketchUp or speed up the process with the following automated tools.

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Step 3 - Modify modelThe final step before uploading allows you to add a variety of enhancements to your file.

Color bottom plateAfter doing some tests, we picked some colors that are ideally suited for the bottom plate. You are not limited to these colors, though. You can also create geometry on top of the bottom plate to print your garden, street and more.

Go to collection

A fully furnished, occupied house looks much nicer than an empty one. Add furniture, people, cars, trees and more to your design. The protocols of 3D printing dictate that these be real three dimensional objects. In other words, they cant be flat. Thats why we created this collection.

Open the collection and browse to find the object youre looking for. Theyre available in range of sizes, pick the one thats closest to your needs.

Hide GlazingDont print the glazing if you want to look inside your 3D printed house. Hide all the glazing with one click with this tool.

Click on the button and then click on one glass. Objects that share the same material are hidden simultaneously.

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Remember that you are working on the real print scale. Thats why the trees in our collection are so small.

Step 4 - UploadAfter a final check to make sure the completed design matches your specifications, press the upload button. It may take a few minutes to upload your file to our servers, so be patient. The i.materialise website will open when the upload is finished. At that point you can place your order.

And now, place the order!

Color or whiteYou can choose a plain white or a multi-color model.

QuantityIf you want more than one model, change the quantity.

Check OutWith the above options selected, youre ready to place your order. Fill in all the necessary information so the final price can be calculated. Once youve finished making your payment, construction on your model will proceed!

white model

multi-color model

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Tips and tricksDecorate the modelAdd furniture to your rooms, insert people, plant trees... It will make your model look much more attractive.

DepthAccentuate details by creating relief.

Open or closed?If you want an open model, use the Remove glazing tool to make it possible to look inside. We recommend that you retain framing, it provides a nice effect.

Leave the windows in place for a closed model. Remember that transparent materials cannot be printed so they will be converted to an opaque material.

Open

Closed

Minimum thicknessMinimal wall thickness for a successful print is 1 mm. You can choose to work with walls that are already thick or use zero-thickness walls (only planes representing a wall.)

Whats the difference?

If everything is already the correct thickness: It will be printed as designed.

If not, we will modify the model until its printable.

Thick walls

Planes

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Real 3D objectsOn a 3D print, its advisable to use real 3D objects instead of flat representations. We offer a library that contains trees, people, cars and more.

DoorsThe same restrictions that apply to windows are true for doors. Its recommended that you remove the doors for a clearer model.

We print what we getMake sure to double check your file. Misplaced objects are printed the way you deliver them.

2-sides planesIts no problem to use the SketchUp functionality and color both sides of a plane.

Colors and texturesWhen you order a multi-color 3D print, all colors and textures are printed along!

We advice to use pastel colors for a soft look.

Flat peopleThe flat people available in SketchUp look fine on the final print. Leave them in if youd prefer.

Hidden geometryHidden objects are not printed. Use this to define which objects are to be printed.

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Building VolumeMake optimum use of the given space. You can easily crop off unnecessary geometry by placing it outside the box.

Cutting off a large garden allows you to print a bigger version of your house in the building volume youre allowed.

TextThe following settings result in a good, readable text.

Font: Arial Black

Style: Bold

Height: 3 mm minimum, 4 mm optimal

Thickness: 0.5 mm

Color: sides: white text: black.

The Bottom plateIf youve drawn a plane that is coplanar with the bottom plate, then the coloring information from yours will be used.

Transparent texturesFences are often drawn with transparent textures. When thats the case, see-trough areas will be changed to white and printed in a filled manner.

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Example: Audreys house

1 Audrey designed a house and would like to have a real life scale model of it. She downloads the i.materialise plugin.

2 Audrey wants her house on a scale of 1:100. She uses the scale ratio command in the plugin to rescale. The house fits nicely in the building volume.

3 Audrey prefers a light color for her base plate and picks the color white. She also wants to see the interior of her 3D printed model, so she uses the plugin tool to hide all glazing.

4 Once she is happy with the model, she presses the upload button. Her file is quite big, so meanwhile she visits some other websites. The progress bar keeps her updated on the status.

5 When the model is uploaded on the i.materialise website, Audrey proceeds through the process and orders her model. Audrey receives her 3D printed model via mail. It looks awesome, exactly like she wanted it!

Design by Audrey Verduyn

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Example: Matthews house

1 Matthew designed two houses that share a complex, ingenious roof. He wants to communicate this concept to his client with a real model.

2 His preferred scale is 1:200, but not everything fits in the given building volume.

3 Mathew turns on the side planes and uses the move and rotate tools to place only the house on the bottom plate, he leaves out the garden.

4 The 3D printed model looks very nice and Matthews

client is completely sold on the design.

Design by Ideel Architecten

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Mac-usersThis page is intended for Mac-users. If SketchUp for Windows is installed, please follow the above instructions and skip this page.

Prepare your modelCurrently, the plugin is not available for Mac. If SketchUp is installed on your Mac, some manual preparation is required. Follow these steps:

1 Download the zip file containing a set of templates: the differnt building volumes, each with in imperial and metric units. Extract the file and open the appropriate template. This is a SketchUp file, containing the bottom plate and the building volume.

Download templates

3 Use the SketchUp Scale Tool to scale your model until it fits in the chosen building volume.

6 Do a final check: is everything you want to be printed lying inside the building volume?

7 Go to FILE > SAVE AS and save your file locally as a .SKP file.

8 Go to the i.materialise website and upload that file on the main page.

9 You will be asked for a manual price request. Please do so and we will get back to you.

- Done !

4 Use the SketchUp Move Tool to place your model on the bottom plate. Make sure everything is attached to the bottom plate.

5 Read the tips at the end of this manual to make sure your model is ready for 3DPrint, pay special attention to.

Windows: if you want to look inside, remove the glass.

Flat objects: replace flat trees with real 3D objects, you can find those in our collection on the 3D Warehouse.

Please do not modify the i.materialise layer or its contents.

2 Go to File > Import and import your design.

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How Z Corporation technology worksZ Corporation technology works by creating a 3D physical model directly from digital data, layer by layer, turning concepts and ideas into real, physical 3D models that you can hold, examine and evaluate.

3D printing technology by

1 A 3D CAD file is imported into the system software. The software slices the file into thin cross-sectional slices, which are fed to the 3D printer.

2 The printer creates the model one layer at a time by spreading a layer of powder and inkjet printing a binder in the crosssection of the part.

3 The process is repeated until every layer is printed and the part is complete and ready to be removed.

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1 When the user clicks 3D print, the ZPrinter warms up, fills the build chamber with build material, and, if necessary, automatically realigns its print heads.

2 The ZPrinter begins creating the model, depositing a layer of powder.

3 The print carriage moves across that layer depositing binder (and inks for a color model) in the pattern of the first slice. Steps 2 and 3 will be repeated until the model is complete.

The binder solidifies the powder in the cross-section of the model, leaving the rest of the powder dry for recycling.

1 After each layer, the piston below the build chamber lowers the powder bed, preparing for the next layer.

2 The cycle continues until the model is complete.

3 When finished, the model is suspended in powder to cure. At

the end of curing time, the machine automatically vacuums most of the powder from around the model and recycles it for use in subsequent builds.

The build chamberThe 3D printing cycle

3D printing technology by

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Why Google SketchUp?3D prints always start from a 3D model. While there are many alternatives for creating 3D models, we choose Google SketchUp for architectural models.

Why?

FreeGoogle SketchUp is available to everyone at no cost. Visit sketchup.google.com/download to install the free version of SketchUp. Youll be modeling in minutes.

Easy to use and fast Google SketchUp is a user-friendly package that doesnt require extensive knowledge of 3D modeling. The simplified tool set allows you to create the design you want quickly and easily.

Easy to learnJust start exploring, or check out the tutorials at sketchup.google.com/training/videos.html.

We know youll like Google SketchUp. We like it too! Thats why you can prepare your 3D print model right into SketchUp.

Enjoy your 3D printed model!