
With the SketchUp STL extension installed you can export your model as an STL file. The STL file format is the most commonly used in the 3D printing community and will make it easier to share, print, and edit your design in other software. Even though our online 3D printing service accepts these files, you might want to get SketchUp’s free STL Extension. Typically you can save your 3D model as a SketchUp file (SKP). You can change the template by clicking on Window > Preferences > Template and selecting ‘3D Printing – Millimeters’ or ‘3D Printing – Inches’. This way, you won’t need to re-scale the printing size of your model later.

Some simple clicks before getting started will make your life easier: you may want to set your SketchUp template to metric or imperial units. That’s why we put together a list of 10 simple yet effective tips and tricks to make your SketchUp design 3D printable.ġ: Set your Template to Millimeters or Inches However, preparing a SketchUp model for 3D printing can be a little tricky. Joe brings that same passion to How-To Geek.SketchUp is one of the most popular 3D modeling & design programs for 3D printing, as we found out from our analysis. If something piques his interest, he will dive into it headfirst and try to learn as much as possible. Outside of technology, Joe is an avid DIYer, runner, and food enthusiast.


After several years of jailbreaking and heavily modifying an iPod Touch, he moved on to his first smartphone, the HTC DROID Eris. He got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone on a small blog, and later moved to Phandroid where he covered Android news, reviewed devices, wrote tutorials, created YouTube videos, and hosted a podcast.įrom smartphones to Bluetooth earbuds to Z-Wave switches, Joe is interested in all kinds of technology. He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews.īefore joining How-To Geek, Joe worked at XDA-Developers as Managing Editor and covered news from the Google ecosystem. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer at heart. He has been covering Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem for years, reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade.
