ZBrushCentral

Create a pin and socket to align parts after printing

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I’m making multi part models that are too large for the print volume of my Form2. I cut the model into suitable parts, print each, then glue them together.

In order to save resin, I make each Dynameshed part into a shell, so there is a face on each end. I make the shell using “insert cylinder” while pressing “alt”, then unmask and “make shell” using a thickness of 18 or so, which gives a substantial shell.

I want to make a pin in one part, and a corresponding socket that would receive the pin so that the parts would align for gluing. Ideally, the socket would be a bit larger than the pin so it would slide in. The socket would just be a hole in the end of the shell to receive the post in the adjoining part. Each part is a separate subtool so that I can make it a shell.

Since I just manually set the location and diameter of the cylinder, the resulting holes aren’t aligned or sized well enough to use for anything other than drain holes.

Can I use boolean somehow to put a post in one subtool and a corresponding hole in the other? Or ???

Thanks in advance!

#2

You can use Live Boolean to do this, which allows you to adjust things on the fly before creating the final mesh. The simplest way is to align the two parts then put a cylinder in between. Position it where you want the pin to be, then duplicate it. Use Start groups and the Boolean options so that one pin is subtracted from one part and the duplicate is added to the other art. For the cyclinder that is to create the “hole”, use the Gizmo to scale it up a little. (I’ve enlarged it more than necessary in my example so you can see.)Dog-join.jpg

Attachments

Dog-join.jpg

#3

By “the duplicate is added to the other” I assume that means just merge down?

Works very well! Thanks.

#4

With 4R8 you can use Tool>Subtool>Boolean>Make Boolean Mesh which will create a new model - with separate subtools for each START group - in the Tool palette with a name beginning “UMesh_”. The advantage of this is that your original model is not changed and you can still make changes if you want.

#5

Thanks!