Add Part
With this feature, any number of three-dimensional parts saved as STL files or in other file formats can be added to the project. It can be accessed in the Part menu, in the context menu of any element in "Parts" section of the project tree, in the context menu of the viewing screen, if you do not click on a part, but on empty space, or by doubleclicking on the folder symbol next to "Parts" in the project tree. By clicking on a file and clicking the "Open" button in the appearing dialog, parts are inserted into the project.
You can also add parts by double-clicks or by drag & drop, if you pull them from your windows folder into your netfabb window.
[edit] Advanced File Import
The Advanced File Import can be activated in the settings. It enables you to create copies, scale the parts, stitch the parts or to change their level of detail before you add them to your netfabb project.
Whenever you add any parts in a file format representing parts with triangle meshes, an import dialog is opened. In that dialog there is a table with all parts you are about to add to the project. For every part, you can see information on the parts and your chosen options for the import: Quantity, part name, outbox size and part volume, number of triangles and shells, part quality, level of detail and scaling factor.
You can change settings for the import either for single parts in a context menu, or for all parts with the options below the table.
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- Change options for single parts
If you right-click on a part in the table, a context menu is opened with which you can edit your import settings for that particular part.
With the quantity, you can set how many copies of this part are inserted. If you have more than one, a number will be added as suffix to the part name, for example Box_01, Box_02 and so on. The quantity can also be changed after a double-click on the part name.
With the next option, you can rename your parts.
The level of detail changes only the display of parts and does not have any influence on the part attributes. It is conforming with the function Level of detail for existing parts in the viewing options. If you change the level of detail during the import already, you can save computing time, as complex parts do not have to be rendered in full detail from the start.
To set the scale of parts, you can either perform the functions inches to mm or mm to inches before opening the parts, enter a custom scaling factor or set back the scaling to the usual part size (100%). You can find these options in a submenu.
If you Stitch, open triangle edges are stitched together immediately, as with the function Stitch Triangles in the repair module. This may or may not repair the part, but will almost always improve the part quality. When triangle edges are stitched, you can see instant changes in the number of triangles and shells and in the part quality. If parts are damaged, there is a warning sign in the column for the part quality (the same as for damaged parts in the project). If they are good, there is a green check.
If you click on Remove in the context menu, the part will no longer appear on the list and will not be added to the project.
- Settings for all parts
Below the list of parts, you can edit settings which apply for all parts.
For the positioning of the parts, you can choose one of three options in a dropdown menu:
- According to file data: All parts are positioned exactly as defined in the file. Most three-dimensional files contain positional information.
- Move parts to origin: All parts are moved to the origin. The lowest outbox coordinates will be X=0, Y=0, Z=0
- Arrange parts: All parts are arranged nexttogether in the platform, with their outbox as reference. The first part is inserted at the origin.
If the box Stitch all is ticked, the triangles of every part are stitched when you add the parts.
The General level of detail sets the level of detail for all parts. Choose a value in the dropdown menu. If you tick the box Set LOD (level of detail) as default, your level of detail value will become standard for the Advanced File Import.
The option Move stitched parts into group creates a group in your project into which all parts which have been stitched are moved. Parts that are not damaged or cannot be stitched at all, but are stitched nevertheless (for example with the option "Stitch all") are not moved into this group.
In the bottom left there is the option Always use this dialog. If you deactivate this, the advanced file import will no longer appear when you add parts. You can reactivate it in the settings.
