Around 2016 or so I started hearing about 3D printing. When I started hearing about 3D printing model railroad parts in various model railroad groups I decided it was something I needed research a little more.
I came across a PDF article by Jack Burgess, famous for modeling the Yosemite Valley RR. The article described how he used Sketchup as a 3D CAD package to design 3D models for items he needed for his Yosemite Valley layout. The nice thing is Sketchup is free for non-commercial use, very intuitive and easy to learn.
Jack went on to describe how he used Shapeways to print the models he designed. Shapeways prints models from files containing 3D designs uploaded to the Shapeways website. The files are typically .stl (stereolithography) files output from 3D CAD software like Sketchup. I’ve embedded Jack’s article below for reference.
I followed Jack’s article and started learning Sketchup after downloading the free version of Sketchup 2015 for my MacBook Pro. It was fairly easy to learn how to use it for 3D solid design of my first design, the DL-109 winterization hatches.
Once the hatches were designed I uploaded the .stl file to Shapeways. After uploading files to Shapeways the files are inspected by Shapeways to ensure they are truly solid with no holes in the mesh, and they meet the requirements for printability for the selected material. If the file passes all the tests a print may be ordered from Shapeways immediately.
My NERPM clinic expands on the most everything for the design and printing of my first three 3D printing projects. For more information please consult the NERPM blog post here: https://nemodelworks/nerpm-3d-printing-clinic.