Evaluating Models for 3D Printing

Before printing a model using a 3D printer, you can evaluate the thickness and gaps in a model to see if they can be printed using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology.

Based on the layer height and the selected thermoplastic material, you can identify wall thickness and gap width issues before printing the model.

The 3DPrint tool identifies where wall thickness or the distance between two faces in a groove are below a certain threshold, then highlights the geometry in the model. This tool is helpful when large models are scaled down or when detailed models are printed on a 3D printer.

To evaluate models for 3D printing:

  1. Open drive letter:\Users\Public\Public Documents\SOLIDWORKS\SOLIDWORKS version\whatsnew\model_display\airplane.sldprt.

  2. Click Print3D (Standard toolbar) or File > Print3D.
  3. In the PropertyManager, click the Settings tab and do the following:
    1. Set Bottom plane of model.
    2. Set the value for Scale.
    3. Click Scale to Fit.
  4. In the PropertyManager, click the Preview tab and do the following under Layer height:
    1. Set Layer Height to 0.5.
    2. Select Thickness/Gap Analysis and Custom thickness and gap.
    3. Set Thickness/Gap to 2.5.
    4. Set Angle to 178.
    5. Click Calculate.
    Areas of the model that are too thin or with too large of gaps are shown.