via Fabian on i.materialise

When turning your 3D model into a 3D print, the software you’re using may require some extra editing before you end up with a printable piece: the wall thickness needs to be checked, the model needs to be watertight, and your final printing size needs to be defined. To make your life easier, Autodesk Maya expert Russ Ogi has put together a step-by-step tutorial about how to make your Maya 3D model printable.

If you’re not familiar with designing for 3D printing, the most important aspect of your model is that it is a “watertight” virtual object. In layman’s terms, think of the “watertight” model as a real object: would your model be able to exist in the real world and would it be able to hold water (like a cup) or keep it out (like a boat)?

In more technical terms, “watertight” means that your outer surface forms one contiguous shell that encompasses a volume of space and includes wall thicknesses. You also need to take into consideration minimum feature size, resolution, file size, format, etc.

Read more!