Importing and customizing Thingiverse models in SketchUp

[@MrMrwilem]

They don't call him MasterSketch up for nothing, dude knows his stuff. thanks for your time.

[@Mastersketchup]

New video on how to take models from #Thingiverse, and bring them into #SketchUp to be customized.

[@philipcuba833]

When importing an stl file, you can click on the 'Options' button and then check the box that says Geometry: 'Merge coplanar faces'. This makes the imported file very clean.

[@crossthreadaeroindustries8554]

Great tip

[@jimmyeldridge4670]

You make awesome and easy to understand tutorials great job!

[@Mastersketchup]

Thanks Jimmy

[@buttersstotch2014]

Wow it’s like you made this video just for me, exactly everything I wanted to know. You are awesome

[@MarkTheMorose]

Thanks for this. I'd already installed the extension to import/export STL files, but couldn't select any individual parts of the model to make alterations or extract them. Soften/Smooth was the key.

[@crossthreadaeroindustries8554]

Great vid - brought me closer to actually being able to do anything real in sketchup - thanks.

[@scottstrampe1358]

Thanks Matt, great information as always!

[@BamPurbayaSigit]

Thank you , Matt... . you are a good person

[@BamPurbayaSigit]

minal aidin wal faidin " maafkanlah secara lahir hingga bathinku wahai para sahabat"

[@ez2946]

Very helpful information for a newby like me. However when you import an stl file from thingiverse you showed how to duplicate but how do you change the dimensions and what not? Say i imported a bolt and i wanted to change the diameter, do I have to make a copy of it first to make the changes or can I make the changes directly to the file I imported? I'm asking because once I imported to sketchup it will not let me change the hole size of my file. I can make the bolt taller and wider but I cannot seem to be able to change the hole diameter of it.

[@johncarr123]

How do you edit the existing holes/circles and the depth of the extrusion on the STL file? do you have a video that demonstrates that?

[@sgath92]

I know this is an old video but I am confused. At the end of the video you mention being able to use push/pull to drag out an area of the imported stl. When I try to do that, I get a "cannot push/pull curved or smoothed surfaces" error and its not letting me extrude out an area of a part.

[@gabibou7]

Thank you so much for that

[@chilecerrano]

Hi Master, I saw all your video and its very interesting. I want to print a hand to make a robotic hand, but i don´t have a 3d printer, somebody else gonna do it for me. I want to know if i import a stl file from Thingiverse. is it already ready to print with every measure of the piece, or i have to put it on sketchUp.

[@johncarr123]

Do you know how to use Fusion 360? Would be great to do a video like this for Fusion 360

[@florinlungu9406]

Thanks, great video

[@jjloy]

Very helpful!

[@TC-lq4dm]

for downloading the files i need a trimble account can you tell me if it is free of charge ?

[@wavewaker2]

Is it possible to import STL file in a free version of sketch up?

[@Mastersketchup]

Yeah, SketchUp Free exports STL and has the solid inspector extension integrated into the platform

[@kaanan222]

I think the extention has become more complicated since the release of sketchup 2015, many users report that it doesent work. apparently you have to place the extention file into the directory somewhere. end result for me is that I cant alter a stl in sketchup and I cant print anything I design In sketchup. Kinda has my new 3d printer limited to just printing files straight from thingiverse. any pointers for 2015?

[@Mastersketchup]

Dr. Drone Extensions were hard to install until recent versions. Just go to Window > Extension Warehouse, and install it from there. You don't have to mess with the plugins folder that way. Much easier.

[@dantheman1998]

You cant push/pull softened models or even faces so its still a pain to edit STL files

[@Mastersketchup]

+dantheman1998 Agreed. In cases where you need to manipulate softened surfaces, you'd have to turn on Hidden Geometry.