KISSlicer 1.5b3 crashing on STL file

[Wim van D@mmelen]

Hi,

Using the 1.5 beta3 version and loading the attached STL file it almost immediately crashes. The STL-file is created with SketchUp. Solid Inspector within SketchUp doesn't see any problem, but Repetier Host only shows a part of the file. KISS previously (on earlier loads with the same version) declared a problem "More than two triangles share an edge" which I don't really understand......

Any ideas?

Regards,
Wim.

[funBart]

It seems that your stl is not manifold. After loading it in the (free) netfabb repair programm, after repairing it, nothing is left.

In general: a stl is containing several tri-angles together forming a 'watertight' volume.  Your stl seems not to comply to that standard. Please post the sketchup file as well, so we can explain why.

Bart

[PenskeGuy]

Edges are boundaries of polygons. They connect between the points at the corners. So, a tri (which is what STL format requires) can have only three points (making a triangle) and three edges connecting them. That is for a single polygon. When you have a mesh, the polygons are attached to each other at the points (welded) and the edges between them are common to each adjacent polygon. One edge still connects the points between corners but the polys share common points. Thus, they also share common edges. To make a basic example, two separate triangles (three points and three edges each) when joined together will have four points and five edges total between them. The edge down the center of the two connects the two opposing points that are welded together at each end of the edge. So, when you get this error, this means that, somehow, due to a bad modeling practice, one edge is connected to more than two polygons; which isn't possible in a manifold part that has only one inside and one outside. Somewhere in there is an orphan 2-point poly (an edge connected to essentially nothing) that is sitting on top of a valid edge.

I'll take a look at your STL.

Ok. The STL that came in is only two very high aspect ratio triangle polys joined together to make a tall rectangle. Is this right? If I have the complete file, which came in twice the same way, it is crashing because there is no volume there. it has no sides, top, bottom and back; only a front. Extruding those two polys into a tall cube and triangulating for conversion back to STL, the model opens and slices as expected.

[Wim van D@mmelen]

On Sunday, September 21, 2014 6:22:40 AM UTC+2, PenskeGuy wrote:

Edges are .........  Somewhere in there is an orphan 2-point poly (an edge connected to essentially nothing) that is sitting on top of a valid edge.

Thanks for the explanation, I'm starting to understand it a little bit.
 

I'll take a look at your STL.

Ok. The STL that came in is only two very high aspect ratio triangle polys joined together to make a tall rectangle. Is this right?

No.
 

If I have the complete file, which came in twice the same way, it is crashing because there is no volume there. it has no sides, top, bottom and back; only a front. Extruding those two polys into a tall cube and triangulating for conversion back to STL, the model opens and slices as expected.

I have searched for such a thing already in the ScketUp model and cleaned up everything possible, couldn't find it. As requested in another reply, I'm posting that file here also. Because that will still be my ultimate source for the 3D design....

Regards,
Wim.

[Davide Ardizzoia]

Wim,
I wanted to look at your problem but as long it's not an STL file, you are narrowing the potential audience of helpers... (no Sketchup here, only Solidworks and Rhino).

Brgds
Davide

[PenskeGuy]

Agreed. SketchUp is gravitated to all the time. Nice idea. Not the greatest modeler. Accommodating it in the world of real 3D modelers and working through a pipeline with what it outputs is daunting at best.

OK.
Loaded into SU.
Export to OBJ.
Load into LightWave.
5 non-planar polys found upon open.
Re-size part to match SU dimensions.
1/4 of the model is below the Y axis Origin; which would put that portion into the bed.
Repositioned model.
Triangulated for export to STL, which fixed the non-planars.
Loaded into Deep Exploration to convert to STL. (LightWave does STL export but I prefer a dedicated format translator.)
Loaded into KS. No errors.
Sliced.

[funBart]

Beste Wim,

Maybe you use a special stl exporter in SU, but when not, I tried it as well in SU with export to obj: maybe you haven't checked some boxes with the option to export the .obj file (as it wasn't at default with me neither).

After I had checked all of the checkboxes when exporting the obj (at least the triangulation is necessary I suppose), I was able to load it into the free repair program Netfabb. Let it repair and export it as stl, import it in Kisslicer, rotate and scale as you wish.

When you are new at Netfabb: it's a real nice free repair and check program. After downloading the free version: import the obj or stl in it, select it and push the 'red cross' button at the menu bar. Do an automatic repair, default repair, apply repair, remove the old part (or not), export the part (by ricght clicking on it) and export as stl (maybe another repairs are given when exporting it).

After that it's most of the time good enough to slice properly in Kisslicer.

Another free modeler program to consider, which is intuitive to use to shape stl's is the free Meshmixer. But for more precise modelling is SU working as well.

I started with SU as well two years ago, but's not very good to export manifold stl's, so I switched to a paid modeler, ArchiCad,  I use for work as well.

There some threads at the old Makerbot forum as well regarding the choose of a modeler,

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!searchin/makerbot/modeller%7Csort:date/makerbot/B9HYhVVdH8Y/VBZ54iDI6IIJ

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!searchin/makerbot/modeller%7Csort:date/makerbot/YgnBXVIqEus/PmaK-HwzFPgJ

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!searchin/makerbot/modeler/makerbot/YgnBXVIqEus/fSU_hMd9rc4J

Bart

[Wim van D@mmelen]

Hi Davide,

Very much appreciated, but I did the design in SketchUp (the only modeller I used untill now) and the STL-file is only an intermediate for me. Normally that is OK and I produce it by exporting it from SketchUp. Only after the discussions here (for example the remarks that it shows somewhat as a box, I see (and saw) the complete model outline in KISS), it starts to daunt at me that file is reallly corrupt. I will have to follow some of the other suggestions and start using a program able to load, view and check STL files.

..... Or start my next design in Rhino or Solidworks, or whatever......

Regards,
Wim.

[Brian Bland]

Here is the Sketchup file exported as STL.

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[PenskeGuy]

Did you see the STL, along with the KS screen grab of the slice, that I attached to a previous post? DL that, slice it and let me know if it works.