How to Make Perfect Alignment Pins With Meshmixer!

How to Make Perfect Alignment Pins With Meshmixer!

Whether you're printing with an FDM or a Resin 3d Printer there will come a time that you will want to know how to cut a model down to fit on your build plate.
Meshmexer makes short work of cutting models, but it can do so much more than just making cuts! For example, when you cut a model to make it fit on your build plat, why not add alignment pins so it goes together perfectly?
Yeah, Meshmixer can totally do that and in this video, I'll show you how!

As always if you have any questions about 3D printing feel free to post them in the comments or reach out to me on Facebook, Discord, Etc.😊

#sliceprintroleplay #3dprinting #meshmixer
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Chapters
0:00​ Video Intro
0:31 What we'll cover in this video.
2:37 What model I'll be using.
3:40 How to reorient and align a model in Meshmixer.
4:25 How to make small detailed cuts in Meshmixer.
7:12 How to separate shells after cutting in Meshmixer.
8:15 How to add alignment pins in Meshmixer.
13:50 How to create a hollow / void in a model using Meshmixer.
17:22 Check your work!
17:58 Video Outro.
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🏹🎲Join a great community of 3D Makers and Tabletop Gamers in the Slice Print Roleplay Facebook Group!
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▶ Check out the video below to learn how to deal with a model that has lots of shells!
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🎇Models featured in this video!

Check out that fantastic Troll by Yasashii below:

Troll - D&D Miniature by Yasashii:

Yasashii Kyojin Studio Patreon:
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🎼Thank you Streambeats for the awesome music!

[SirRonmit]

Thank you - your walk-thru was very EASY to follow and I was able to split a large object into multiple parts for my new resin printer!!! Keep up the Great

[heroman-cdbe]

Thank you i can make my own garage kits now

[TheLepec]

Would highly suggest an updated video showing multiple pins/voids on the same model. Trying to learn this for a wall set piece that requires several cuts, but it’s daunting.

[GreggAdventure]

Oh boy. I use this kinda thing for Knife props. I do it a crazy way in Tinkercad, or, I pay somebody to do it for me. I just started learning MESHMIXER today, and I will try to learn this. Thanks much

[scottmcnabb]

Awesome Tutorial! Watching these videos have really helped me understand the topics so much better! Thank you

[awalvatne]

Thank you for this!!! Just got my first 3d printer and wanted to learn how to do this.
As for what you said in the video if you haven't already could you create a video about having the different shells and making them into one?
The model I was going to use this for ended up with 6 different shells and they are small little pieces. I'm trying to figure out how to attach them to the main body part to print as one of the halves. Thanks in advance!!

And nevermind found it in your next video!! Thank you!!

[Thatoneguytrav]

This just helped me so much! Thank you 🤓✌

[mudawott]

Amazing resource. Gonna try this on a lovely dragon model I have

[Kediil]

GREAT tutorial! Addition though:To remove the need for the save and undo stuff. Make all of your slices and put all of your pins in place WITHOUT doing the boolean union yet. Then select all of your pins and Duplicate them. Then reselect and toggle their visibility. This will leave one set of pins visible, and one set invisible. Go and join each pin to the one side, then reverse your visibility and you'll have all of the exact same pin pieces available to do the holes.

[MrMrtripode]

Great job! This video makes me happy. Thanks

[gokux]

This video has helped me so much!! Thank you!!!!

[Printerpenguin]

I love how this shows up an hour after I decided that I would just manually align my part after printing cuz I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working lol

[SaturdayMorningProps]

gosh ive been having a terrible time with slicing a model with multiple shells, keeps making it cut say the outside layer instead of all the way through, could you please do a tutorial on merging that or however you deal with it!

[jbrandibas]

Very nice tutorial. You mentioned you didn't know why it was called union. Booleans come from boolean logic, which at its core is a comparison operator that compares two binary values and gives you another one based on boolean math functions such as AND, OR.and XOR. Boolean operations on a 3D model normally have 3 basic outcomes; union, difference, and intersection.

Union means when the comparison is done, it returns both models as one, thus creating a union of two separate models. The boolean function for this is an OR operation.

Difference, of course, returns one model with any intersecting geometry from the other model subtracted away from it. This is what is known as an XOR function(exclusive OR), meaning you can only have one or the other, not both at the same time, thus any intersecting volume is deleted.

And finally, Intersection returns only the geometry where both models intersect each other. This is a boolean AND function).

[marcoc.]

Great tutorial. I have a question about my problem.
I downloaded a file of an action figure with the body already divided and the pins already created. Checking the model before printing, I noticed that the files of both arms are not the right proportions. The rest of the body is right. Is there a way to bring them to the right size?

[Rhythms_of_the_Night]

Would love to see the multiple shell separation tutorial 8:00.

[daftPirate]

What do I do if trying to use those boolean difference settings gives an invalid preview (red) and fatal error if I try to apply anyway? If it matters, I've got 3 keys combined as one object to make the 3 necessary voids all at once.

[OFFBRAND]

settings are blury on screen can you post the settings for the boolean union please

[CafecitoOsito]

awesome tutorial but for some reason my individual pieces weren't flush with each other. one always had a slight overhang, not sure if it could have been my slicer maybe? not sure if anyone else had this happen

[InspGadgt]

Is there a way to specify the width and depth of the tool used to create the pocket and also have a snap to grid option? I've been using Tinkercad to make magnet pockets in 1/200th scale WWII warbirds but it is limited in the number of polygons it can use so the finish on the plane isn't as smooth as I would like it. If I do it in Meshmixer the model will be much more smooth and import into the slicer better.