STL vs Modifier quality

Submitted ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨3dprinting@lemmy.world⁩

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d48d9912-cbfc-4a9c-843d-dacb0e4a0e3c.png

I’m working on some models and have found that if I add an SVG modifier, Orca slices it beautifully. But I’d rather have the SVG’s “baked” in the model so it’s easier for others to download and freely share the STLs and print without a 3mf.

The problem is that if I put SVG image in Fusion and then export the model, when Orca renders the G-code, the quality is poor to bad. The same SVG added in Orca looks great.

STL with decal built into the STL geometry in Orca:

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STL in Orca after “Preview” so you can see the layer lines:

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The same file but applying the SVG as a modifier instead of it being part of the imported STL.

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Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could get an STL to have the same quality as using a modifier? Or maybe a way to go backwards from gcode to STL so that I can share the higher quality version that Orca creates?

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Comments

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kbob@chaos.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
@Blue_Morpho (Can I reply to Lemmy from Mastodon?)
It looks like the decal is only one layer thick in the model. Try making it several layers thick. Also, if you aren't already, subtract the decal from the main body. (In Fusion, that's Combine:Cut.)
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- Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Yeah the decal is cut out from the model and then the intersection part becomes the decal. I also tried raising it .2 from the surface because I’m using a .2 layer height. I’ll try raising it higher.
  
  I just learned there’s a 3d print option in fusion so I can keep the objects set when saving as stl. I’ll try that too.
  
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  - kbob@chaos.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    @Blue_Morpho I usually save as 3mf. 3mf supports objects with parts.
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Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
I know this doesn’t address your question, but I wanted to kindly nudge you in the direction of uploading both the STL and 3MF. In this case it seems like the 3MF file would avoid rasterizing the SVG and allow better upscaling of the model if someone so desires (plus, personally, I find 3mf files to just be much easier to work with, and since they’re almost universally supported now I don’t see a reason to only distribute the inferior STL version).

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- Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  I planned to upload the 3mf too for anyone to use. I assumed that stl was the more standard file format that everyone used because it didn’t contain any printer specific data. That’s the only reason why I want the stl to work without anyone needing to do anything.
  
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stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
The STL export will take your nice parametric model and turn it into triangles. The software defaults of most CAD systems are terrible for this. (I’ll die on the hill that STL needs to be phased out and STEP needs to become the default for precisely this reason). If you add a vector in the slicer then it has the context to be able to choose the right quality when slicing.

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- Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  Yeah I tried Step and it’s a tiny bit better but still not anywhere the quality of using a SVG modifier in Orca.
  
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Lautrejojo@mastodon.xyz ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
@Blue_Morpho
Can we see the whole model ?
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- Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  You want a 3mf or just more pngs?
  
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  - Lautrejojo@mastodon.xyz ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    @Blue_Morpho
    More png :-)
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mechanismatic@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
It looks like you’re printing it with the right side of the model in the picture angled down from the left, so you’re getting more layers to the left, which is giving you some unfortunate border and infill lines. Is it possible to print this all flat so it’s one smooth layer? If it’s the top layer, you might play with ironing as well. It’s hard to tell without seeing the whole model in context though.

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- Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  It’s the side of a plane so there’s no way to make that side flat. I already have the model split down the middle, so it prints without supports. I want it to be in a Kit Card format for ease of printing and assembly.
  
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  - otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    I like your style, internet stranger. Way to keep the childhood dreams alive. 🤘🏼🥳
    
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  - mechanismatic@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    My natural inclination would be to make the body in a single color filament and then use a stencil to paint on the logos. It would print a lot easier and look more natural and authentic. The logos were painted on the planes historically. And if you use stencils to paint them on, the logos could be customized for individual prints.
    
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