![]() Open P1 in Inkscape, since we only need the smallest template (see picture 4), and then we will import the SVG file that we produced ( picture 5). Extract the zip file and you will produce a manual ( READ IT) and three templates P1 to P3 varying in size from smallest to largest ( picture 3). Now you should download the Starter Kit for Inkscape if you haven't already. You can get around this by removing the spurious faces in Inkscape and saving the file. If you had selected the entire object instead of just the six faces, you will get something similar to picture 2. To check the validity of your exported SVG file, load Inkscape and open the file you just exported, it should look similar to picture 1. See the following video for an example of the steps that I have just outlined: Once you have clicked OK, your SVG file will be saved, and you can then access it through your file manager ( picture 7) or by opening it in an SVG compliant program ( we will be using Inkscape). See picture 7 for the options we will be using in this Instructable. Just make sure to save the file ( picture 6) and if you intend on using a Ponoko Inkscape template, check that box to make importing easier. The SVG export dialog box presents you with a few options that need to be filled in - see picture 5 for more details. To access the SVG export dialog box, you can either right click to bring up the contextual menu ( picture 3), or you can use the icon on the toolbar ( picture 4). To do this you can hold down ctrl and click the left mouse button on each face that you want to export ( picture 1).Ĭonversely, you can select the entire object with a triple left mouse button click, but this will export every face on the object (we don't need the small end faces). You can put each face into a separate file, but it is more efficient to group objects together into files. The last step is to remove lines in order to end up with a cube with faces that have interlocking teeth ( picture 5).Īssuming that you have installed my plugin, select all of the faces that you want to export. To start the tooth design, simply bisect the material joins using the SketchUp line tool (your pointer should snap to mid-points for easy bisection and regular teeth). We will be using 3mm materials and so we mark this on the cube (the 3rd picture). It is then important to decide on the material thickness at this stage. From there we extrude a 4x4x4cm cube ( picture 2). Make yourself a cube in SketchUp and decide upon material thickness. ![]() SketchUp comes with some good tutorial built in, so if you're a little puzzled to begin with, you should start with these.įor this first design we would like to explore a "tooth interlock" approach to joining the laser cut faces of the cube (hopefully without any need for glue). This is a tutorial for those who have a little bit of understanding about SketchUp and how to use it. If you're interested in the backstory as to why I developed this plugin, then feel free to visit me at Flights of Ideas Windows (XP or Vista - 32 or 64 bit) or Mac OSX (at this stage) The SVG Plugin for Google Sketchup - See the readme in the zip file, or read the Wiki for installation instructions.The SVG file can then be imported into a Ponoko template in Inkscape, an EPS can be saved, and then uploaded to the Ponoko website for laser cutting. We'll start with a SketchUp cube, create parts that can be laser cut, and then export these 3D parts to SVG (as 2D) by concentrating on SketchUp object faces. Let's start the tutorial process with some modest goals. ![]() It is really hard to design in 2D and visualise a 3D result (unless you're an architect or do this for a living) that's why I wrote the SVG plugin. When I first started using Ponoko I found that there weren't any specific tools to enable me to export my SketchUp 3D designs.
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