Login
If you have any trouble logging in to your account, contact us.
Sign Up
To start 3D printing or Laser Cutting, you'll need to create an account here. Once done, you'll be able to upload your files and get live quotes of yours parts
Already have an account? Log In
Right now, we highly prefer the .svg format for laser cutting, so you will need a plugin that enables you to export your design in this extension.
For this tutorial, we are going to use the plugin named FlightsOfIdeas. You can find it on Github (here). As explained above, install it on your SketchUp by going into « Window – Preferences ».
FlightsOfIdeas enables you to choose which face you want to laser cut, and create a .svg file that you will be able to upload on our platform.
If you successfully installed the plugin, a short toolbar with two buttons will appear on your screen. The one on the left is the one we’re going to use.
For this example, we are going to make a trophy base. The other part will be 3D printed, so we need a hole to fix it afterwards.
To do it, just use the Rectangle tool to make a first plane, then extrude it. The thickness is not important, as only one face will be exported. Finally, use the Offset tool to create a smaller rectangle within the first one. You should get this final result:
The greyish area is the one we want to cut, to make a hole.
The next step is to select the plane you want to work on. Do not forget any lines !
If you were to select all the model, the .svg file would contain 6 faces, with 5 blanks. You can work on the .svg afterwards to remove them, with software such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.
Now, click on the SVG button of our plugin. This window should appear on your screen.
This is the main FlightsOfIdeas interface.
Once you are done with those parameters, click on the« Save » button, on the bottom left corner.
A new window should appear to tell you the export went well.
Now, if we take a look at it:
As written in the parameters, the line for the hole is red and thinner than the borderlines.
You can now upload this file on our website for laser cutting!