Scaling 3-D Designs

[Fingers]

I'd like to throw myself on the mercies of the assemvled throng please!

 

I'm (very) slowly learning my round Fusion 360 as a 3-D design programme, and have been drawing up some "small" items in 4mm (P4) that I'd like to print in resin. Historically, I used Turbocad and always drew at full size and then scaled to suit. I've kept this method of working with Fusion 360, but it throws a tantrum if one tries to scale at 1.76.2 - the decimal place gives an error and the closest I can get is 1.76, which gives an 18" long object a length of 5.941mm instead of 6mm.

 

1. How do other Fusion 360 users draw and scale? Is there a factor to give 4mm/ft that I'm missing?

2. Am I being pedantic about the error? However, this would translate into an error of 6mm in a 60 foot length.

3. I'm taking it for granted that you wouldn't rely on slicer programme for scaling?

 

Many thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

 

 

[billbedford]

4 minutes ago, Fingers said:

1. How do other Fusion 360 users draw and scale? Is there a factor to give 4mm/ft that I'm missing?

 

I use 12mm = 1 ft

 

Then draw to the nearest 1/4 inch/mm

 

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by billbedford

[David Bigcheeseplant]

2 minutes ago, Fingers said:

I'd like to throw myself on the mercies of the assemvled throng please!

 

I'm (very) slowly learning my round Fusion 360 as a 3-D design programme, and have been drawing up some "small" items in 4mm (P4) that I'd like to print in resin. Historically, I used Turbocad and always drew at full size and then scaled to suit. I've kept this method of working with Fusion 360, but it throws a tantrum if one tries to scale at 1.76.2 - the decimal place gives an error and the closest I can get is 1.76, which gives an 18" long object a length of 5.941mm instead of 6mm.

 

1. How do other Fusion 360 users draw and scale? Is there a factor to give 4mm/ft that I'm missing?

2. Am I being pedantic about the error? However, this would translate into an error of 6mm in a 60 foot length.

3. I'm taking it for granted that you wouldn't rely on slicer programme for scaling?

 

Many thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

 

 

I always draw in in model scale, but if you need to scale down can it not been done in the slicer software.

David

[Fingers]

Bill, Thanks for the prompt reply, although it's got me scratching my head. If I understood you correctly, you're drawing at 12mm = 1 foot, so 1/4" would be drawn at 0.25mm. I'm clearly missing something then as you'd need to reduce by 1/3 to give 4mm scale (and again 0.333 would give an error?

 

David, Thanks too for your reply. It somehow confirmed my thought that slicer software was just that!

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

[billbedford]

32 minutes ago, Fingers said:

Bill, Thanks for the prompt reply, although it's got me scratching my head. If I understood you correctly, you're drawing at 12mm = 1 foot, so 1/4" would be drawn at 0.25mm. I'm clearly missing something then as you'd need to reduce by 1/3 to give 4mm scale (and again 0.333 would give an error?

 

I have always scaled the STL file to give the final scale, either in the slicer or STL software. 

 

Your problem with Fusion is that the scale dialogue expects a percentage, so you need to use the reciprocal of 76.2. 

[njee20]

Fusion enables you to scale to many decimal places, but you don’t scale to 1:76.2, you need to scale to 0.013123359580052 (ie 1/76.2) surely?

[Fingers]

Njee,

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

I'll blame having to learn the programme from ground up (very small steps!). Funnily enough I did find the reciprocal but used a wrong dimension, which is why I had the error. Taking a step back and recalculating, Eureka it works!

 

All I've got to do know is work through how to make multiple copies for an economical print. Also given force needed to remove a print from board tonight I'll need to learn how to lift prints off table on 'legs'.

 

Cheers,

 

Paul

 

 

[njee20]

It’ll depend on your slicer, but they’ll all have a ‘clone’ functionality. I think in Cura it’s Ctrl+M, in Chitubox it’s one of the buttons at the top, or copy/paste works. Do all your supports/hollowing etc first. 
 

To lift prints off the build plate again will depend. If we’re talking Chitubox and resin then there’s a setting in the support settings for the Z-lift. If it’s Cura/FDM you’ll have to manually move in the Z-axis and ensure you have adequate supports to hold the model up.