Feature Request: Split large models into smaller pieces

[lucidpsykosis]

I would love to pay another huge chunk of money for netfab, but I'd rather see S3D implement a feature that splits a model that's too big for a HBP, into smaller / more manageable pieces. There are many models on Thingiverse and other sites, that have models that people just scan in, and are too large to print. Now this is just an example, but something like this would be a perfect candidate for that feature: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:327744/#files

[dsegel]

Do you mean to just slice it along the X, Y, or Z axis like NetFabb Basic can do?

I'd like to see an option to separate out multiple part stl files into component pieces. For example, the plate file for this thing: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27233/#files (although in that case the individual parts are already available - in other cases they are not.)

[lucidpsykosis]

Do you mean to just slice it along the X, Y, or Z axis like NetFabb Basic can do?

I'd like to see an option to separate out multiple part stl files into component pieces. For example, the plate file for this thing: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27233/#files (although in that case the individual parts are already available - in other cases they are not.)

I know the basic version of NetFabb can do it, which is what I've been using. Its just one more piece of software I need to have when it would be great to have it integrated into S3D. Your example would be even better. I've got a few models that I'd like to be able to separate out like that.

[laird]

From my experience, and the posts above, I think that there are two use cases:

1) Someone posts a "plate" that has a bunch of separate parts, in a single file for ease of printing. The desire is to be able to separate the parts. The STL format is hierarchical, and I think this use case is splitting apart the top-level objects. This would be quite useful, quite often, as many people share multi-part objects packed into plates. The value of splitting one file into many is that the parts can be rearranged to fill a different sized print bed, or printed individually, or printed with distinct profiles. This tool looks like it does this, and it's open source (MIT license, so can be used in commercial software): https://github.com/fsantini/python-stlsplitter . It'd be quite convenient to have this capability built into S3D, and since there's no UI associated with it (it just runs on a file and makes a bunch of files) it'd be fairly clean to add to the GUI.

2) Chop up a large object into smaller pieces, so that they can be printed on a smaller printer and glued together. PuzzleCut is an OpenSCAD script http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:35834 that does this, with the nice capability that it cuts them with a "jigsaw" pattern, so the pieces slot back together, which is stronger than gluing together flat surfaces.

Both would be nice, but if I had to pick, personally I'd use (1) more often. The second case is more complex, and it might be better to leave in a separate tool like PuzzleCut, so that people can play around with settings, etc., without adding complexity to S3D's GUI.

[HaHaRich]

I'd like to see it, too, but a separate "Model Prep Screen" might be a good idea for any slicing and dicing--including the ability to save the different pieces into new .stls for later processing. I think an auto detect for build plate separation would work well within the existing UI. Would the repair tools that are already included (shell detection) be a half-way step?

[Bassna]

I would really love this feature also. Please consider adding it. I did see and mess around with a plugin for some autodesk program awhile back, that would split a large model into printer-size part's, and added male-female connectors on the model. That feature would be a huge selling point, if it could be added.

[jimc]

about 6 mos ago it was floating around that makerbot applied for that patent. not sure what ever came of it.

[dsegel]

Cura can split plated models into the component pieces, but the function crashes a lot so I've never actually used it successfully.

[ctcuser98]

I'd like to be able to split out big plates into separate pieces, too. I don't like having to switch to Cura and re-export.

[Mmilo1971]

I need the split large models feature too.
Thank you.