How to modify an STL or mesh - 3D design for 3D printing pt7

To get the best out of 3D printing, it helps if you can design your own parts. In this tutorial series, we will learn to use a free 3D CAD program to do just that.

In this episode, we look at situations where a model has already been designed that we want to modify, but the author has not made source CAD available, so all we have is an STL. Onshape has improved its functionality and it’s now possible to add and subtract geometry from STLs and other meshes. We also briefly look at working with a 3D scanned mesh.

0:00 Introduction

0:46 What we are designing/modifying

1:46 Taking measurements

2:01 Importing STLs into Onshape

3:24 Taking measurements from the STL

4:23 Sketching on the STL snapping to vertices

6:24 Removing portions from the STL

7:10 Adding parts to the STL

8:18 Limitations and workarounds

9:57 Slicing, and test print

10:38 Modifying a more difficult shape - electronics case

12:36 Working with a 3D scanned mesh
Thanks to Andy for providing the 3D scan.

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[HansWilms]

I've been wanting to edit stl files in onshape for so long. Your videos are amazing.

[jasonb]

Awesome Channel. Your OnShape tutorials are priceless. Keep em coming!

[ericcsuf]

I use F360. I gave up dealing with other people's STL files a long time ago. I rarely print them and no longer try to modify them. Both can be exceedingly frustrating for a lot of different reasons.
Once you have the skills to draw whatever you need in F360, Onscape or any other 3D CAD program, it is far faster and easier to just draw the thing from scratch. If you don't have the skills to draw your own, Michael's video has some really good tips and workarounds, but it's still likely to be a frustrating experience.
The best experience is a well designed model in STEP format. Some designers provide them. Some don't. Usually the better designers do. In a few cases, I've emailed the designer asking for a STEP file explaining how I want to modify it and they have sent me the file. If you do that, be sure to post a "Make" on the site crediting the original designer.

[AerialWaviator]

Great content. This "How to customize an STL or mesh" tutorial is so much more than basic design modifications. It's an enabler to making real custom designed parts.

[SailingAwayNZ]

It was a bit for me to work around with but following your steps I did manage to change a eSUN e-Box self to suit how I wanted it to bolt onto the wall, Thank you

[VikingRuls]

Hello :) Quick caliber pro tip: to get exact center measures between holes, use the back tips (like in the video), first inside one hole, remember to write the hole size down -> then (re)set to zero while still measuring the hole size -> then insert the back tips into two holes, then measurement the caliber now shows is the exact center to center distance

[ilmawi]

I was just looking for this and this was posted 8minutes ago! All is good!

[yettifpv]

these tutorials are amazing. you are super easy to follow along with and explain things very well

[NeilWNC]

For years I've tried (and failed) at bringing STL files into Solidworks. Meanwhile in another corner of the universe, Tinkercad quietly makes editing STL files natural and easy. No more fussing with long imports that simply don't work, or that produce non-editable surface-only models. In Tinkercad you simply import the STL and in a few seconds you've got a nice model ready to cut, add-to or resize. No goofy triangles here, just solids the way you like it: clean, visual and full detail. As a CAD product, Tinkercad is a toy, but for this specific job it's absolutely amazing. And FREE!

[ajhartmanaero]

Thanks for this. I've recently been playing with my Pop2 and working with stl's has been tricky but I got some good tips from this video.

[ejon]

One is fortunate to stumble upon your channel🎉

[donslattery]

I love this channel. I needed to do this yesterday and here it is.

[dannybush]

Thanks once again for the awesome help in getting away from 360 and making a maker's life a little easier to navigate.

[mururoa]

A lot of STLs were exported from Fusion360 with ultra high definition settings, resulting in the entire object being tessellated just like the last import example in your video.
Most apps, even Fusion360 itself, perform badly and become sluggish when importing such high poly objects. Perhaps a video on how to simplify the mesh and making the object more app friendly without loosing accuracy or sharp corners would be helpful.

[rallykungensbrorsa]

Thanks a lot for all tutorials. You make my life a fair bit more easy! 10/10 Keep up the good work.

[livewiya]

Thank you for a very useful tutorial! I have no prior CAD experience but was able to follow along and modify an STL of a tool carriage to adapt it to my machine.

[chaponesupergalaxy]

this is the wonderful cad series tutorial I ever watched

[jleftbrane]

Thanks so much for making these tutorials. I need to design a cap for a poorly designed and very expensive product! I think ill be able to now!!
🙏 again!

[NLGeebee]

@1:55 if you want to measure the distance between the center of two holes, measure the inner distance and the outer distance and calculate the average. If you do it with the “floating tips” you most likely are off by a couple of 0, 1’s because if you measure something like 4, 6, you probably think… nah… it must be 4, 5 while it actually is 4, 7.
Designers don’t always use “nice numbers”.

[andyspoo]

I thought I knew Onshape quite well, but I learnt a couple of things here that will be helpful so thanks.