Hi!
I am converting some big projects to A1 mini, but when I try to cut bigger parts, when I activate “Use Connectors”, I cannot see nothing, can you show me how to use correctly? Thank you very much to all!
Hi!
I am converting some big projects to A1 mini, but when I try to cut bigger parts, when I activate “Use Connectors”, I cannot see nothing, can you show me how to use correctly? Thank you very much to all!
Let me know if this helps
What @Olias post - I also found this video helpful initially when I started:
Thanks to both!! I will check now
If you haven’t figured it out already, you have to place the connector points where you want them on the model. You can also rotate the piece around to see the other side where the opposite hole will be.
A tip, if you find that you want to change the type or dimensions of the connectors, select all with Ctrl+A and place one connector with your new one and they all change.
Oh thanks! Great tip too!
I would like to know how to rotate the connectors, any takers there??
Tried using a square connector that I wanted flat but when I added the connector it placed it as a Diamond shape instead.
I wanted this:
I got this:
Then I tried a triangle.
I wanted this:
I got this:
Yup, they don’t let you rotate the connectors but I was able to rotate the object before laying down the connectors. I realize that’s not what you were looking for but if you can’t unscrew the bolt, unscrew the car the bolt is attached to.
Can you place connectors on a model that has already been cut into parts by a third party? ie You have downloaded a 3mf/stl that is already split into parts but has no connectors. Could you then add connectors to get it to all line up nicely, instead of just manually matching the parts.
In order better help, it would help to see a screen grab of the items you are talking about.
However, to answer your question in general terms. Any STL can be merged using the union tool and then cut using the cut tool. Note that this is much better done in CAD but it can be done albeit through a lot of trial and error in the slicer.
There may be another way to do this but this is the way I would create connectors for two STLs.
So let’s say we have two primitive shapes. A cube and a Cone. I’ll change the color so it’s easier to follow but note that color doesn’t matter.
I’ll use the center tool to align these to objects so that I am giving the cube a dunce cap.
If you change the color of one of the objects, you’ll know that the union was successful because you’ll have one color, also your assembly now only has one part.
Good trick, thanks Olias!
Thankyou @Olias! Great explanation, very much appreciated. I don’t actually have a model to post. After reading all of the above I was just curious if it could be done. Now I know.
Sorry to tag on here, but I have a very related question, if anyone knows.
After cutting a model and placing a plug connector location, is it possible to manipulate which side of the cut gets the male or female end? For my current case of complex geometry, the cut off part is very appropriate to be placed on the cut as a flat surface, but one time I cut and plugged the software put the male end on the side of the cut I wanted, and another time it’s repeatedly putting it on the unwanted side, and I can’t figure out how to switch it.
Thank you!
Simply orient your part using the Rotate function and then do your cut. Whichever piece is oriented at the bottom will receive the cut. Then rotate them again to lay flat
Or use the lay flat on face tool.
Thank you for replying, @Olias.
However, I didn’t find your reply helpful w.r.t. choosing male or female plug connector sides.
Then you’re going to have to supply some annotated screengrabs showing what you mean. Or better yet, annotate what you are trying to accomplish to the best of your ability.
@Olias, thank you, yes. I was asking about plug connectors (as opposed to placing on a face), and how to choose which side of the cut gets a male end and which side gets a female side. Do you think you could help me about connectors and plugs?
Here is an example of a cut where the two male-ends were placed on the same side together: (The other side of the cut is not pictured, but has two female ends.)
OK. Let’s try a different path. Forget about plugs. Plugs are bad, dowels on the other hand have much more flexibility. What is the difference? Plugs are permanently part of the model half you’re cutting. Whereas dowels print the plugs as separate objects and leave holes on both halves of the model being cut. Also, you will find that you will have to dial in the dowel - or hole - tolerances to make them fit. By using dowels vs plugs that process is much easier which will be obvious in step 3.
For this example I will use this low poly dog model I found on Printables. It’s a good example because it has a lot of overhangs so cutting it into smaller shapes will help with printing.
If you get this message, there’s a bug in the software. just click on reset and place your dowels again.
This is much easier, because if you rely on the slicer defaults you will likely find that plugs/dowels do not fit in their respective holes. It’s much easier to resize them as separate “dowel” objects and it also takes much less time to reprint dowels during trial and error.
Tip #1: If you’re using a smooth plate, click on “place on cut” this will provide a much cleaner edge to plug your dowels into and if you decide to use glue, the smooth surfaces mate much cleaner.
Also, if you dial-in the dowels or dowel holes tight enough, you will find that friction alone will keep the model together by simply press fitting the pieces together.
Tip #2: Experiment with a primitive like a cube or cylinder that is small enough to print quickly. You want to do this for two reasons. The first is practice. However, the best reason to do this is to trial-and-error the dowel dimensions till you get the “just perfect” fit.
Then when you’re satisficed, use those settings with your full model. I promise you, this will save your sanity.
One thing you may run into. If you try to rescale the dowels on their own by seperating them using the (O)bjects tool , you will find that the Slicer won’t let you. It’s in my view a design flaw but in the scheme of things, it’s easy to work around. Just uncheck the model pieces and then scale the full model and reprint the dowels. This is an alternate way to resize dowels without the aggravation of having to go through the cut process again.
What can I do if the parts don’t fit together?
I have now tried it twice, once normal and once in a reduced scale.
You can adjust the connector clearance in the settings. I believe standard is 0.10mm. you might want to increase this for your particular part.