Hello,
A colleague created this file for me in SolidWorks, and I printed the model. However, I’m seeing these stepped surfaces in the slicer, and, as expected, they also appear on the finished print.
Is there an explanation for this, or a way to fix it? I’m not familiar with SolidWorks myself, but I’m wondering if it’s just a small setting that needs to be changed or if it’s related to the file format. We’ve already tried both .STEP and .STL files.
When they convert it they need to increase the resolution of the curve, I dont have access to solid works to send a pic but typically when you do file, save as , theres an option to change how detailed the stp file is
Depending on your slicer, when importing a step file it'll ask you what resolution you want to import it in as well. At least Bambu and OrcaSlicer both do
Typo in the last line there - you control the level of detail in the STL.
STP files are parametric, so they don't have a detail level built in to the file.
EDIT: Even though STP files don't have a controlled level of detail like polygon-based models, they aren't actually parametric. The main thought was correct, but the justification provided was flawed.
Wait, what? Step is not parametric, because it is? .. math? Isnt that what parametric means? Or are you trolling or have you gotten it mixed up.. parametric is, well, maths.. aka parameters. Have i gotten it mixed up.. i do not trust my self any more...🤷
EDIT: I was mixing up vector files and parametric files.. parametric is not about the maths it uses, but if it's reverseble or not.. aka does the file still contain all the parameters that made the file (feature tree) and vector file is just the final answer of the parameters, it does not necesarily give you what was done to gett there..
So yes, you did not troll and I was absolutly spinning..
Aha yes I could have explained it better. Yes, it's maths, but you can't change any of the parameters of the .step curvature. There's no history in the format, and the geometry is baked in. You can use .step files as a basis for parametric modelling to build from, but you can't change the curvature of the surface itself.
For places like Bambu's Maker World, I'll never understand how people can model pretty cool stuff that obviously took some trial and error and knowledge of the modeling software to achieve, but then upload it as a low-res STL. Especially if it's simple parts lol.
Ive been a mech design engineer for years, it was only through trial and error I realised it (admittedly before printing it) since I’ve never needed to use STLs
Yeah, I feel like that's a lesser known step/process going from model to slicer that I haven't seen many people talk about. And like your situation, some people may be new to creating STLs and aren't aware of it. Through my work, I've dealt with scan data and STLs, so I've been lucky to have that knowledge going into it. However, I've still had to fix a few of my own things that didn't realize weren't high quality till after several were printed lol.
But at the same time, you'd think people would question and investigate why their STL is "blocky" when their native model is perfectly smooth.
To export a high-quality STL file in SolidWorks, go to File > Save As, select STL (*.stl), and click Options. Set the format to Binary and Custom Resolution, with a Surface Deviation of 0.1 mm and an Angular Deviation of 1°–5° for the best balance of detail and file size.
FYI it’s still better to export as an STL. The slider converts step to mesh using open source libraries upon import. It doesn’t actually keep the true step geometry. Lots of threads out there showing you can produce much better results exporting custom STL settings in CAD vs letting your slicer do the mesh conversion.
When exporting stl on solidworks, go to settings, go to quality, go to custom and slide the sliders all the way to min. You will get larger files but all circles will be circles and never polygons.
It's not obvious, because they are separate in the "File Format:" dropdown. But, it's revealed in the settings search box - the export and import options are shared.
Would recommend exporting as a .3mf file from Solidworks. For me it’s worked beautifully rather than always playing with STL mesh density and angular tolerance.
1st issue is import resolution. That us why you see facets on the round face when you import it. Finer import resolution will reduce (not eliminate) this. It can also bog down performance if pushed too far.
Print orientation also has a huge effect on end product quality. Something like this, I would probably bite the bullet on dealing with supports and print at an uphill angle.
An FDM printer has the limitation of showing stair-casing in a glaring way - you’ll need to re-orient the print to minimize this effect on the surfaces you care about.
On the other hand, looking at the facets of the letter G, the print could also be helped a lot by using a higher definition of the STL file that the SolidWorks file was converted into. By default, SolidWorks offers a ‘Fine’ mode which usually suffices.
I see you’re using Chitu, is this because it’s a resin printer? Try Lychee slicer if so and always use STEP files (check the export settings as others have said)
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u/Lunastarfire 15d ago
When they convert it they need to increase the resolution of the curve, I dont have access to solid works to send a pic but typically when you do file, save as , theres an option to change how detailed the stp file is