CADspan :: 3D Printing Solutions

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Support FAQs

The plugin does not display correctly. Only the top logo and Welcome to CADspan display. What is wrong?

You need to update your browser to Internet Explorer Version 7 from here.
The reason you need Version 7 is that there are some features we need to make the communications work between the web and Sketchup that are not supported in IE Version 6. The Update is easy and does not substantially change your browser experience.

Why do I have to upload my model?

Resurfacing a model is a very computationally intensive task. The CADspan engine reinterprets all of your geometry in order to prepare the new 3d printable surface. One of the benefits of the CADspan service is that this can take place on a remote computer. If you wanted to do this on your machine we would need to know that you had several Gigabytes of RAM free and a fast processor. While this is true of many desktop computers, it is certainly not a requirement for Sketchup or many other CAD programs. We chose to make our software bring remote computing power to your desktop. If you would like to use a resurfacer in an interactive environment entirely on your computer please email us about Materialise's Magics.

Will CADspan pro surface files directly on my machine?

No, CADspan Pro follows our idea of bringing remote processing power to your desktop. CADspan Pro offers a number of features including the ability to upload other file formats and it works outside of Sketchup.

I upgraded to Sketchup 7 and there is no plugin. What to do?

Download the plugin for SketchUp 7, and install.

Do you have a Linux Version?

CADspan Pro will work with the Mozilla browser in most Linux distributions.

I click on Upload but nothing happens. What's the deal?

Before we upload, we need to check the file in Google Sketchup. There is a progress indicator in the lower left hand corner of the Sketchup window. You should see feedback here before the actual upload starts. We are working on how to make this more transparent.

Why is there a polygon limit?

There are a couple of reasons. First there are quite a few files that CADspan will not process or will not do a good job on. CADspan is optimized to work on what reasonably fits in a single build of most 3d printers. If you send a whole cityscape to CADspan you will not get a good result. Also if you sent a high fidelity model of the Golden Gate bridge to CADspan, you will not get a good result. (How are you going to 3d print cables?)
The 7500 polygon limit applies to Free users because processing time costs us money. We actually pay to process your free files. We need to keep a handle on how much processing power we pay for and give away. This is one way to put a somewhat arbitrary limit on how much we can give away.
Some Pro users may run into a polygon limit problem while uploading directly from SketchUp. If you really do want to try and resurface a file that is larger than the specified limit, use the STL Export tool in the CADspan Plugin to export a "raw" STL file. Then upload the file directly to CADspan Pro using the web interface. Please note that the "raw" STL is almost NEVER 3D printable without being resurfaced.

Do you support color?

Color will be supported in CADspan Pro in late 2008 or early 2009.

What is the license on the Free version?

In March 2009 we updated the license agreement regarding the use of CADspan's free service. You are free to use the free CADspan Plugin for Google SketchUp for any use. Note that the free plugin version of CADspan software is intended for small applications and personal use. The Free Version features including processing wait time, plug-in tools and size of models that can be processed are limited. If you are using the software at an architecture firm, service bureau, 3dprinting reseller, or other commercial entity, you are encouraged to support the ongoing development by purchasing a monthly or yearly subscription to CADspan Pro.

Can I sell CADspan?

CADspan is looking for resellers. If you are a dealer, model shop, print shop or otherwise want to resell Cadspan, please contact sales@cadspan.com.

I've exported to STL using the STL export tool, but my model is still unprintable. What's going on here?

Just because a 3D model is written into the STL file format does not mean that it will be 3D printable (a common misunderstanding is that STL = 3D printable; this is simply not true). The model must be a single solid volume with no voids AND written to STL in order to be printable. CADspan's resurfacer will generate such solid STL files, simply exporting your SketchUp model to the STL file format almost always produces errors. See the user guides and other documentation for more.

After I put my login info in it says that it “sounds good” but then just jumps back to the login screen. What to do?

There is a problem with Cookies in Internet Explorer. First, clear your current Cookies:
Close SketchUp
Open Internet Explorer (7), Tools Menu
Select Delete Browsing History
Click Delete Cookies
Click Close, close IE
Now try logging into the plugin again. If it still doesn't work, you may have to allow cookies from cadspan.com:
Close SketchUp
Open Internet Explorer, and go to the Tools menu.
Select Internet Options> Privacy tab
Click Sites. In the Address of Website field, enter cadspan.com
Click Allow, then OK
OK on Internet Options dialog box
Now you can open SketchUp and try to login to the Plugin again. If it still does not work, email support.

I'm using IE 8 and things look strange/aren't working. What should I do?

Please enable "Compatibility Mode" in Internet Explorer 8 to use CADspan Pro. Please see this page for more.

I've uploaded a .skp file to CADspan Pro, but the resurfaced file contains no data. What's wrong?

Users cannot upload Google SketchUp files directly to CADspan Pro. Unfortunately this is not a file translation we can make on our back-end. The way to use CADspan Pro with Google SketchUp follows:
-Open your model in SketchUp
-Open the CADspan Plugin Resurfacer window
-Click on the Pro tab
-Choose an existing CADspan Pro Project, or create a new one by typing its name in the project box
-Name the file that you are uploading to CADspan Pro in the filename box. Be sure to include the file extension .stl on the end of the filename.
-Click Upload

You should receive confirmation that your geometry has been uploaded to CADspan.
Now, when you log into CADspan Pro in a web browser, you will see the file that you just uploaded from SketchUp. You can use the resurfacer on that file, and the output will be in quality STL format.

Known Bugs:

After downloading a file from the CADspan Plugin, you may have to close and re-open the Plugin before you can upload again. We're currently working on a fix.

More Information:

Info and Tutorial Videos

CADspan User Guide

CADspan Pro User Guide

Google SketchUp Demo File

Visit the AEC 3DP community for user-contributed blogs, discussion forums, tutorials and more on 3D printing and CADspan.

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var addthis_pub="49f082d7577e636f"; Copyright © 2008 LGM - www.lgmmodel.com - 800.448.8808 - 500 Pine St. Minturn, CO 81645 - All Inquiries: info@cadspan.com

Copyright © 2008 LGM - www.lgmmodel.com - 800.448.8808 - 500 Pine St. Minturn, CO 81645 - All Inquiries: info@cadspan.com