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Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...


mcgyvr

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Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

I'm going to bring this up again without hopefully starting a "use the metric system" pile-on.

My work uses both. But mechanical parts are almost always in inches and not metric. Creo, our 3D software can use both. Cura cannot. Every time I load a part, I have to zoom way in to find it so I can select it and scale it up. It is tedious and typing in the conversion is potentially error-prone and clearly I'm not the only person with this issue.

I'm not here for a debate. I'm here to add my name and post to the list of people who want the ability to work in inches in Cura.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Creo doesn't do inches. Internally it only stores things in mm so it properly always outputs STL files in mm just like Cura likes it. I think you didn't tell Creo you are doing inches. it sounds like a system setting in Creo to set it in inches mode. If you don't do that what you think is 1 inch is actually 1mm. More explanation here:

    https://www.ptcusercommunity.com/thread/33296

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    I'm not using Creo Elements/Modeling PE, but rather Creo Parametric. It saves STL files in whatever units the model is created in and there's no option at the output to change it.

    The process to change units is probably about 12 or more clicks and then when I'm done exporting, I have to do it all over again to revert back to inches.

    Doing the conversion in Cura is certainly shorter, but sometimes the models come in and are too small to see.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Has anyone made a plugin for this yet? I'm one of those darn lazy Americans who designs buildings in feet and inches and when I want to scale things down to print, need to ensure my model was brought in at the right scale. Hoping with all the talent and brain power used in this conversation someone out there smarter than me can write a quick plug-in.

    Thanks!

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    lol - the smart people all moved to Metric I suppose.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    You guys are giving me a pretty low opinion of your open source community. I'd rather be linked to a post of daid saying "never gonna happen".

    all my love,

    -the stupid barbarian who needs condescending history lessons about wars and exploding rockets

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    you can easily just scale things down in Maya, 3 clicks, maybe 4 including save as...

    each click

    one click import stl,

    second click on file,

    third select object,

    fourth type in youre desired scale reduction in the scale value, (enter)

    then select export obj

    done. 5 clicks, lol.

    and i thought i was lazy, lol.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Meh, I might be bothered to build it next week. I will call it the BARBARIAN plugin though ;)

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    You guys are giving me a pretty low opinion of your open source community. I'd rather be linked to a post of daid saying "never gonna happen".

    all my love,

    -the stupid barbarian who needs condescending history lessons about wars and exploding rockets

     

    Oh give me a break. The vast majority of users aren't even interested in converting from inches. The majority of the planet converted to metric long ago. I've downloaded quite a few things from thingiverse/youmagine over the years and not a single one was created in imperial, just as an example. This is just one of those times when the states doesn't dictate what the world does for once.

    Yeah, I'm grumpy, I've had a rough week with bad sleep.

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    Posted (edited) · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Meh, I might be bothered to build it next week. I will call it the BARBARIAN plugin though ;)

     

    I then might have to consider writing a plugin which reverses that effect... :O PLUGIN WARS!

    You know what happens when imperial units enter the field: there will be a rebel alliance... ;)

    Edited by Guest
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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    This is just one of those times when the states doesn't dictate what the world does for once.

    Yeah, I'm grumpy, I've had a rough week with bad sleep.

     

    Look out for Predator drones :)

    I haven't had any Thingiverse models with the issue....its usually a model/drawing made by someone that uses inches/feet and I need to sort out a way to make that work in Cura.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    I then might have to consider writing a plugin which reverses that effect.

     

    Well, we need to have a measurement plugin with two functions; Convert to Barbarian and convert to proper metric ;)

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Oh give me a break. The vast majority of users aren't even interested in converting from inches. The majority of the planet converted to metric long ago. I've downloaded quite a few things from thingiverse/youmagine over the years and not a single one was created in imperial, just as an example. This is just one of those times when the states doesn't dictate what the world does for once.

    Yeah, I'm grumpy, I've had a rough week with bad sleep.

     

    I get grumpy too. I'm not trying to convert the rest of the world. I'm just trying to resolve my own issue. Think of it like giving someone with a broken leg a pair of crutches rather than telling them they're a lesser human cripple and to just to walk on it like everyone else.

    I've tried multiple times before 3D printers were mainstream to get these guys to convert to metric only. I can certainly try again. It doesn't address the thousands of preexisting designs we have though. On the upside, at least our optics and related components are metric. Too bad the printer wont do those justice.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Meh, I might be bothered to build it next week. I will call it the BARBARIAN plugin though ;)

     

    I'm OK with the software insulting me.

    I'd even consider sending you a beer in your favorite liquid measurement units.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

     

    Meh, I might be bothered to build it next week. I will call it the BARBARIAN plugin though ;)

     

    I'm OK with the software insulting me.

    I'd even consider sending you a beer in your favorite liquid measurement units.

     

    But a pint of beer isn't metric :):)

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...
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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Other than sticking the python script into the plugins location, should this work with the lulzbot version of Cura? Or am I being a naive barbarian?

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Lol, these topic is really awesome, guys!

    I think that should just imagine yourself in the place of topicstarter. And then the problem ceases to be funny, at least. Which, of course, does not negate the fun of this thread.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    Other than sticking the python script into the plugins location, should this work with the lulzbot version of Cura? Or am I being a naive barbarian?

     

    I don't know which version they are using. If they are using 15.06> it should work. They dont communicate with us :(

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    LOL as an Englishman I order my beer in pints and my clothing in inches and my petrol in litres and my pasta in grams, my wood in inches and centimetres and our cricket pitches are in yards; we just got used to it although some smart alec will no doubt say that that just mirrors our take on the EU.

    Interestingly my son did his engineering at college and his apprenticeship working in metric, which is what we use in Solidworks. I am guessing that if we did get specifications in Imperial then that is what would go into Solidworks and we would get Solidworks to convert before creating a stl file.

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    I don't know which version they are using. If they are using 15.06> it should work. They dont communicate with us :(

     

    15.02.1

    I suppose there's no reason I can't use a regular version of the software with my machine profile, is there?

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

    As I peruse these forums I had high hopes when I found others that asked for this same feature that would make my life easier, yet only to find pages and pages of banter on why cura users need to learn metric and get over it.

    This is not why I joined this club and I hope that someone is the dev team can make our lives a little easier.

    Look how nice this other software is...

    2015-09-18_20-07-23.thumb.png.476a854898d6dd9fa427f691660ef7cd.png

    2015-09-18_20-07-23.thumb.png.476a854898d6dd9fa427f691660ef7cd.png

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    Posted · Any plans to support importing models in Inches,etc...

     

    @SkyKorp and any others asking for imperial unit support: You can stop asking as Cura will support the 3mf format which includes the unit from next official version on. There you will have your auto-conversion. Keeping the assumption that STL is in mm is ok for me as it is like this in 99% of all cases.

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