convert .x3g file to .stl?

[Nolightforyou]

Is there a way to convert .x3g files back to .stl?  Or .thing?

I'm trying to print a bunch of items from the SD card, and it would be more convenient if I could do several at once instead of one at a time.  Is there a way to do this?

 I was trying to put it back into MakerWare so that I can put several on the print bed at once.  I also tried finding the files on Thingiverse, but they seem to print better from the card version for some reason.

Thanks!

[Z LeHericy]

X3G is basically a long series of moves, so you could theoretically take it and build a point cloud which you then could convert to a mesh.

However,

Since X3G accounts for the "ooze" and "squish" of the filament during extrusion as well as other factors such as the infil and surfaces, without the exact original slicing profile, it would be totally impossible to get an STL back out, and even with the original profile, I doubt it'd be possible to get anything dimensionally accurate, plus, you'd have to manually edit out all the infil, plus the extra layers on surfaces, and rebuild the model.

So basically, it'd be better to just CAD the models from measurements of the parts, or find the original models

-Zeno LeHericy

//((=:Z:=))\\
INVENTIONS
Technologies
zinventions.com

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[Anne McMills]

thanks.  I appreciate the answer.  :)

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[philippe pilou]

hey, 

i just bought a 3D file on makerbot store, but they never said it was a specific x3g file... It's only written it is compatible with UM2... I thought it was a basic STL file !! how can I convert it now that I want to scale it, and, most importantly, print it on my printer ? 

Thanks

[Jay]

philippe,

No...you can do that. The .stl file is loaded right into makerware. You can scale it and do whatever...then the OUTPUT is .x3g.....which is what is sent to printer.

Jay

[Dan Newman]

On 16/02/2014, 4:08 PM, Jay wrote:
> philippe,
>
> No...you can do that. The .stl file is loaded right into makerware. You can
> scale it and do whatever...then the OUTPUT is .x3g.....which is what is
> sent to printer.

Jay, I believe the issue is that he went to the *new* makerbot store where
you can buy models to print. However, it wasn't clear to him that the models
are distributed as .x3g files not stl or even gcode. As such, they are only
suitable for printing on a makerbot printer.

Philippe,

You can sort of reverse x3g to gcode if you know the mechanics of the
printer the x3g was generated for. Specifically the steps/mm for each
axis. But at that point your left with gcode which is not readily turned
back into STL. You can turn it into a point cloud and then ignore
the interior, I suppose.

Dan

[Jay]

My bad..I thought he *had* an .stl file and didn't know what to do with it.

Why would they sell .x3g files? That's stupid. 

Jay

[Dan Newman]

On 16/02/2014, 5:20 PM, Jay wrote:
> My bad..I thought he *had* an .stl file and didn't know what to do with it.
>
> Why would they sell .x3g files? That's stupid.

It's MBI and it's a Makerbot world. (Or a Mad, Mad, Mad World -- take your pick.
I'm leaning towards the latter these days.)

Dan

[Joe Larson (aka Cymon)]

Why is makerbot selling x3gs? There are a couple of reasons, most of them bad. The good reason is it means they can assure that the model works and prints. No muss, no fuss. They can also make claims that this way you are buying a thing, not a 3d model, even though you can stilltake andmake as many of them as you please. Middle reason is they can say the files are uneditable. Investors and money idiots like to hear that, but it's at the root of all the bad reasons which are:

You can't use the file on anything but a makerbot, so they lose every other 3d printed owner as a customer.

You can't make the thing bigger or smaller if you wanted.

You can't print it in any other material.

You can't increase or decrease the layer height.

You can't print two at a time.

And finally, the biggest down side to me is the unspoken message that makerbot just doesn't trust you, even after you buy a printer and 3d model from them, to be able to print a file if they give you an stl. I understand a Presliced option for all the grandmas who are going to impulse buy a makerbot when they see them at wal-mart. But for the rest of us just give us the stl.

[Joseph Chiu]

On Sun, Feb 16, 2014 at 7:32 PM, Joe Larson (aka Cymon) <joeal...@gmail.com> wrote:

Why is makerbot selling x3gs? There are a couple of reasons, most of them bad. The good reason is it means they can assure that the model works and prints. No muss, no fuss.

 

There is nothing wrong with your printer.  Do not attempt to adjust the print. We are controlling the transmission. If we wish to make it faster, we will turn up the speed.  If we wish to make it slower, we will tune it to a trickle.  We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the filament, make it flutter. We can change the layer height to a thin wafer or thicken it to thick bead.  For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your printer. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to Make Something Awesome.

(Apologies to The Outer Limits - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outer_Limits_(1963_TV_series))

[AL M]

HAhaha you just told your age when you mention horozntal and vertical.

[Erik Mendoza]

Joe,

You forgot the other one:

You can't print part of a failed print, i.e. you only need to print 1 part of a multiple part print due to a failure, or later lost or broken piece, you have to print the whole dang thing again :-(

[kayla richardson]

How can you convert an .stl to an .x3g? it wont read the .stl files

[Joseph Chiu]

Use MakerWare and save the file instead of sending directly to the printer.

On Fri, Feb 21, 2014 at 6:32 AM, kayla richardson <wildn...@gmail.com> wrote:

How can you convert an .stl to an .x3g? it wont read the .stl files

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[Bryon Miller]

Just get the STLs again and rearrange the STLs on the build plate in makerware and create a new .s3g file.  Don't print directly from the bot, save it to the SD card first.

[Bryon Miller]

You can't, which is why I'd never buy anything from their store, they assume they know how I want to print the item and give me nothing more than a push button one size fits all idiot proofed slice that should work universally for everyone.  No thanks.

[Bryon Miller]

These companies should at least give an idea of what is involved instead of doing nothing but saying now you can make something as if CNC machines, laser etchers and the like never existed in the past at all.

You take an STL file from thingiverse or you actually make your own in a cad or 3d program.  Then you process it through a slicer like Makerware (Makerbots slicer), Replicator G (A popular slicer with open source), Simplify 3D Creator (An excellent 3rd party slicer), or one of the many others available.  Run the file through netfabb first to make sure the normals are not facing the wrong way etc.

If you got your statement backwards and you meant "How can you convert an .X3G back to an .STL" There's no way to do it that I'm aware of, you might be able to get it to go back to regular gcode if you go in and manually edit it though.

[Jay]

Somebody...had mentioned there is a software that will do that but I can't remember if it was Solidworks or not...I do remember it was an EXPENSIVE software....

Shout out to Jetguy and Dan Newman....y'all remember?

Jay

[DHeadrick]

Solidworks cannot read x3g files

[Scottbee]

You may be confusing that with Autodesk Inventor's capability to import STL files and recreate solids....

[Ryan Carlyle]

SketchUp also has a plug-in to turn STLs into SKP files, but it doesn't handle curves well. You end up with manifold problems on any radius'd corners.

[Jay]

Ha...for grins and giggles I saved the .stl file as an ASCII file...opened it with an old CAD called Teksoft Procad (which was bought out 10 years ago by Solidworks). The txt reader opened the file right up...and immediately showed G code errors (set up for a Fanuc controller right now). It won't turn it back into an editable file though. I am thinking there is some kind of program that can turn G/M code back into an editable 'location point' file but it was more of a 2D outline. 

Oh well...

Jay.

[Jay]

That was it Scottbee...I knew somebody had said something about that...I have Inventor out in the Mills Lab...might have to truck out there and try it...

Jay

[Scottbee]

You need the add-in... which I believe is only available if you have a subscription... Just an FYI.

That being said, it works pretty well.  I pull a lot of things down from Thingiverse and re-crunch them as solids in Inventor.

[Jay]

We do have a subscription for Inventor (2 seats)...(grumble-greedy bastigges-grumble-grumble)

I got busy Friday...but I'm going to try nex week to get by the Mill Lab...

Jay

[Scottbee]

If you don't already have the add-in installed this might prove useful:  http://grabcad.com/questions/tutorial-convert-stl-mesh-to-solid-file-in-autodesk-inventor