Fusion 360 can import STL. You can even edit the STL data. But in STL there are no arcs, circles, lines, or screw threads, only triangles so editing is not so easy. Fusion does have a way to convert back to CAD type models but it requires a lot of manual work. Onshape is a little like Fusion in this. You end up doing things like fitting a spline or circle to the midpoints of 30 triangle bases then deleting all 30 lines.
I've used Gearotic. Then I found I can download from Grainger and others. I like the download option because then if the plastic gear does not work out I know where to buy a good quality metal gear and my project is already designed to use the metal gear. You really need to test printed gears. If the printer is out of square the gear will be out of round and un-round gears will introduce periodic error in the shaft rotations. On Sat, May 30, 2020 at 3:45 PM John Dammeyer <[email protected]> wrote: > When Alibre was sold and renamed they added the STL import feature. It > worked reasonably well. Specifically one could use it to then create > parametric drawings using the imported image as a guide. When it returned > to being Alibre it lost that feature. > > It can import step and iges files. And gearotic can create the cad files > that can be edited. Not only stl files. The author of Gearotic is Art > Fenerty, the designer of MACH2/3. > > John > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Thaddeus Waldner [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: May-30-20 3:30 PM > > To: Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC) > > Subject: Re: [Emc-users] On Motorizing a BS-1 clone > > > > > > > > > On May 30, 2020, at 4:26 PM, Chris Albertson < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Do NOT download STL models from the suppliers. They are nearly > useless. > > > Get the STEP files or whatever other format you CAN import. You are > going > > > to have to modify any gear model unless you are very lucky and you > really > > > can not modify an STL. Then after moding the gear save it as STL. > You > > > slicer can only use STL. > > > > Thanks for explaining. I know I�ve tried importing STL files to OnShape > (my go-to cad solution) and it doesn�t let me do anything > > with it. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Emc-users mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
