Long story short, I have to make it so that a mesh I’ve created can be printed, and the person has specified that they need an .STP file. All of this was at the last moment as it started out as just an illustration.
I… don’t know how to accomplish that. Now, I took a crash course in Blender 3D print readiness, non-manifold edges, and symmetry and boolean unions, so I at least figured out the modeling bit. Halfway done with that!
But now for the file type part…I’ve look all over the internet for a solution. I tried to do everything in my power to find a solution:
I downloaded a trial of AutoCad but I can figure out how to import a mesh into it from Blender. Nothing is working.
I tried an online converter, but I can’t make AutoCad function in anyway with any file type (including dwt, dmg…) so…
I tried to import an stl file, but no go.
I am new to this 3D printing game, and I am totally at a loss as to what I can do. I guess I could go get some ice cream instead, but that’s not good form.
STP (STEP format) is a NURBS format for transferring data between CAD programs. Blender does not support this format. Blender is primarily polygon-based.
Perhaps … you can ask the person to accept the STL format instead. Anyway, he will most probably convert the STP into a STL eventually. He probably needed the STP because it is a standard format for data transfer between engineering CAD programs.
I hope that it can be resolved too. I need to learn about NURBS and CAD programs… so that in the future everything makes more sense.
So frustrating learning all of these things without a class. But oh so rewarding though.
I’ve stumbled upon a possible solution: the program Rhino has the ability to convert a mesh into a solid form through a series of commands. I’ve learned about this through this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWoYjLYuiM0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Please if you’re reading this, take a look at the vid and let me know if you think this is viable for my particular needs (3D Printing).
It’s the only solution that I’ve come across that may actually work! The program is not free, BUT it has a trial period that is good enough to learn how to use the program.
*edit: wow the program has changed a lot since then, and the command line appears to be obsolete or elsewhere. I’ll report on what I figure out.
*edit: If anyone else stumbles upon this thread needing help, this is what I’ve managed to do. In Rhino, a mesh can be turned into a NURBS object by the command meshtoNURBS. Then it can be exported as a .STP file or what have you. If the object is complex, the file will be quite large, and you don’t know how it will turn out in terms of having holes or being airtight.
I’m absolutely spent on this, but at least I managed to find some kinda solution. My best advice is to design the darn thing in a CAD program from the get go, or at least use Nurbs in Blender in the first place.
There is also a tool call RhinoRemesh I believe that is standalone or a plugin, and it might work, as it can output to STP or IGES. For a quick and dirty solution, I can find no other routes than this at short notice.
