stl files in sketchup?

Has anyone tried to open the stl files for mendel in sketchup?
I get wrong size on the object.

Also, in blender it shows thousands of millimeter when it should be much less..

STL uses dimensionless units. reprap scales 1 stl unit = 1mm.

If your programs scale them otherwise, they will be the wrong size after import.

I have no problems with blender. It simply imports them as 1 stl unit = 1 blender unit, and I work with 1 blender unit = 1mm.

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Wooden Mendel
Teacup Firmware

i am starting to wonder how hard it would be to get google to start to add some of the code needed to sketchup so that it would be less hassle to use it for the reprap project.

i am thinking summer of code project

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[mike-mack.blogspot.com]

dissidence Wrote:
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> i am starting to wonder how hard it would be to
> get google to start to add some of the code needed
> to sketchup so that it would be less hassle to use
> it for the reprap project.
>
> i am thinking summer of code project

I believe sketchup is closed source, and it doesn't run on linux, I don't know about Mac. I know that I could get it to run under wine, but I don't think basing CAD designs for an open multiplatform project on a closed source platform limited application is a good idea.

Investing time and effort on sketchup given those limitations seems like a waste of time to me.

Sketchup has an API accessible through Ruby. We could very easily develop a series of plugins to help with Repapping. I'm sure it doesn't need to be a summer of code project. What kind of things are you thinking about adding?

[code.google.com]

Sketchup also does have a Mac Client, and as far as I know, it's feature matched with it's Windows counterpart.

me i would just like to see some tools that could make it so that there would be a few less steps to take from one you design it to when you print it, i just find that it is the one that i can use the best to do what i want to build

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[mike-mack.blogspot.com]

How did you find the correct resolution for printing from blender?
I used the tutorial here [www.opendimension.org]
but I dont fully understand how to do it with millimeters since the tutorial and examples use meters.

if i remember right when you inport it into blender it will ask you what res you want it at, people on here say one blender unit = 1MM i hope that help.

stl files have no defined size in them from what i know

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[mike-mack.blogspot.com]

Yes but when setting up the camera its a problem with the scale of the camera view in ortographic mode to get the "seams" onto paper for cutting. You have to figure out the correct resolution of the render related to the camera scale so that all the lines are in real size on the paper.

bergsprekken; the precision cad tutorial on rab3d.com discusses how to get the camera scale absolutely perfect. I use that to get scale print-outs which I glue to pieces of wood and use as a cutting guide. You can find a few of my 4960x7015 600dpi print-ready images on my picasa album via my blog.

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Wooden Mendel
Teacup Firmware