Component made up of multiple .stl files

[TheFlapjack 0]

Does anyone know if Cura can or ANY slicing software, regardless of cost, which can import an assembly of elements either as separate .STL files or a single .STL file containing all the elements?

My printer can print three colours (Geeetech A30T)
I've uploaded the CAD screen image of the test object and how Cura imported the STL elements.

Cura won't align them, or at least I've not found the secret if there is one, (Arrange and Reset doesn't work) and manually arranging is not precise enough.
(If I import  as a single STL, Cura turns it in to one single object)

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by TheFlapjack

[IRobertI 521]

Select the models as a group by holding down shift and clicking each one. Then right click on one of them and select "Merge models".

[GregValiant 1,488]

This is just for general information.

Cura always imports STL files by center of geometry (the bounding box).  Consequently it can be fooled.

If the center of geometry for each part in an assembly is the same in the XY then all models come in wherever, but you can re-locate them to the center of your build plate.  They can be aligned where they belong in the Z but the XY dimensions of the bounding boxes need to be the same.  The X Y dimensions can be up to the size of your build plate.

Take your base purple piece.  All the other pieces will fit in it's "shadow".  For each other piece (you would need to consider the green pieces separately since they are at different locations) add a feature that is the shape of the purple part in the plan view, and extrude it from 0 to -1 in the Z.  The X0 Y0 for every part would be the same.  When they come into Cura, move each one down -1 in the Z to put the new feature below the build plate.

Here is a screenshot from AutoCad.  Three pieces have the base added (they don't need the chamfer).

 

Here is the assembly in Cura.  The base purple piece is at 0,0,0.  The other three pieces came in off the plate but I moved each one to 0,0,-1 (to hide the base below the top of the build plate.)

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by GregValiant

[ahoeben 2,047]

The trickery by @GregValiant is totally unnecessary. While it is true that Cura places models on the buildplate regardless of their original location, it does remember the origin of the individual models. The "merge models" function @IRobertI mentioned is meant exactly for this scenario, and restores the original relative position of the models.

[GregValiant 1,488]

There are times when the models are exported from an assembly.  Those models should have a relationship to each other and as Ahoeben says, Merge works well.

There are other times when the models are exported from their individual detail files and so there is no spatial relationship from model to model.  In a sense it is like putting an assembly file together in a CAD program.  In a CAD assembly program, each part has to be moved into place separately, constrained to the position, and the location data and assembly constraints are contained in the assembly file while the part itself is included only as an external reference.

In the image below all 4 parts were brought into Cura, but each came from the detail file.  They were merged but are co-mingled.  The "feet" of the assembly are the same part (not shown and opp) and so merged exactly into one another.

 

In this image the parts were brought in from an assembly file then selected and merged.  They are in the proper relationship to each other, but they were located somewhere around the front passenger seat of a car.

 

Moving this assembly to the build plate, it won't slice yet.  The assembled models fit the build plate but the current bounding box does not. 

 

Ungrouping and re-grouping allows the model to be placed and sliced.

 

It isn't always necessary to do tricks.  But sometimes...

 

[TheFlapjack 0]

On 5/7/2021 at 7:12 PM, IRobertI said:

Select the models as a group by holding down shift and clicking each one. Then right click on one of them and select "Merge models".

Thanks,

That worked for my model, I just had to set Z toZero afterwards.

[TheFlapjack 0]

17 hours ago, GregValiant said:

This is just for general information.

Cura always imports STL files by center of geometry (the bounding box).  Consequently it can be fooled.

If the center of geometry for each part in an assembly is the same in the XY then all models come in wherever, but you can re-locate them to the center of your build plate.  They can be aligned where they belong in the Z but the XY dimensions of the bounding boxes need to be the same.  The X Y dimensions can be up to the size of your build plate.

Take your base purple piece.  All the other pieces will fit in it's "shadow".  For each other piece (you would need to consider the green pieces separately since they are at different locations) add a feature that is the shape of the purple part in the plan view, and extrude it from 0 to -1 in the Z.  The X0 Y0 for every part would be the same.  When they come into Cura, move each one down -1 in the Z to put the new feature below the build plate.

Here is a screenshot from AutoCad.  Three pieces have the base added (they don't need the chamfer).

 

Here is the assembly in Cura.  The base purple piece is at 0,0,0.  The other three pieces came in off the plate but I moved each one to 0,0,-1 (to hide the base below the top of the build plate.)

 

 

17 hours ago, GregValiant said:

This is just for general information.

Cura always imports STL files by center of geometry (the bounding box).  Consequently it can be fooled.

If the center of geometry for each part in an assembly is the same in the XY then all models come in wherever, but you can re-locate them to the center of your build plate.  They can be aligned where they belong in the Z but the XY dimensions of the bounding boxes need to be the same.  The X Y dimensions can be up to the size of your build plate.

Take your base purple piece.  All the other pieces will fit in it's "shadow".  For each other piece (you would need to consider the green pieces separately since they are at different locations) add a feature that is the shape of the purple part in the plan view, and extrude it from 0 to -1 in the Z.  The X0 Y0 for every part would be the same.  When they come into Cura, move each one down -1 in the Z to put the new feature below the build plate.

Here is a screenshot from AutoCad.  Three pieces have the base added (they don't need the chamfer).

 

 

Here is the assembly in Cura.  The base purple piece is at 0,0,0.  The other three pieces came in off the plate but I moved each one to 0,0,-1 (to hide the base below the top of the build plate.)

Thanks, I get the concept and it has given me a better understanding of functionality. However the Merge function worked well for me. It never occurred to me to select all the objects and Right Click to look for options.

17 hours ago, GregValiant said: