# 3D Printing > General 3D Printing Discussion >  How do I make a copy of a small broken rudder off of a tiny airplane model?

## richg99

I haven't even purchased a 3d printer yet ( I have a few on the "hot "list, though). 

The background...

My grandson broke a tiny (less than one inch high) plastic rudder on his airplane.
That part isn't available until OCTOBER 2015 from the manufacturer!

That got the discussion going (again) on whether or not we should buy a 3D printer at this time.

( I was an early investor (not early enough) in both 3DSystems and Stratasys...so I know little bit about the process) 

The 3D printer's use would be two-fold.  Teach the grandkids ( ages 8-11-13) the new technology AND make a copy of the missing rudder.

The teaching part is obvious. The machine would be housed at Grandpa's house until we got it up and running and we did some initial experimentation and training for the kids.  The printer would then be moved to their house for more continuous experimentation and use.

The more practical issue, though, is ....assuming it was legal...how do I take a picture of the broken airplane piece (glued back together); convert that picture into a usable computer format; and what program do I use to convert the picture into a slice-ready image? etc.

I don't want to buy a 3D printer and then be limited to only buying ready-made images and toys over the internet.

Any and all help appreciated.   Thank you, Rich

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## Mjolinor

You redraw it yourself compensating for the weak design problem it has that made it break in the first place. There are loads of suitable pieces of free, easy to use, software that will allow you to do this very quickly and any problems can be handled by other people on here no matter what they are.

Post some pictures of it and someone will advise about which software would be most suitable for your immediate needs.

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## jimc

you need to model it in a cad software. there are programs out there to take pictures but this isnt for anything that needs any kind of accuracy. it works for little statues and things like that. other than that though forget it. you need to teach yourself cad and 3d modeling first.

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## truly_bent

Hi *richg99*, and welcome.

Do you have either Solidworks ($) or Blender (free) available? An image can be imported and used as a reference to draw a 2D sketch and then turn that into a 3D STL file for printing. I'm more comfortable doing this in Solidworks, but I know it can be done in Blender also (see Youtube vid here). One thing to be careful of is the scaling of the image to real world dimensions. 

This technique might be available for the cloud based drawing packages as well, but i'd have to research that to be sure.

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## jimc

haha looks like mjo beat me to it

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## richg99

Thanks for the quick and helpful responses. As far as posting a picture, the broken part is still at my grandson's so I will post it when it get it back over to my house. MIght be a day or two.

Wonder if Sketchup has any place in all of this? I did fool around with Sketchup a few years ago, but didn't have any real projects at the time.

Great idea to modify/re-create the rudder, since two have been lost (due to poor attachment design) in a few weeks.  I can re-draw it to work better, I imagine.  thanks rich

p.s. I'd appreciate any suggestions as to specific 3D modelling software (free, if possible) to learn on.

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## beerdart

Sketch Up is great for your needs. But the more involved and complex assemblies and models would benefit from a full blown CAD package.

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## beerdart

I used sketch Up to draw a finger throttle I took a pic imported into sketch Up then scaled it to size traced the outline then made it 3D and printed it.

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## beerdart

Pic...... ...

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## richg99

beerdart, thanks,...that sort of thing is exactly where I have to start.  I am downloading Sketchup again right now. I will probably need some help as I get going.  Hope I can call on all of you.    rich

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## richg99

OK, I have sketchup up and running; watched a couple of help videos; drawn a "rudder" (size and shape from memory) ...

.Let's say that what I have drawn is the correct size and shape.  I have saved the file as a .skp file....what's next? thanks, Rich

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## Mjolinor

It needs to be exported as an STL file.

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## richg99

Yes, I read about the STL file. 

AFter much messing about, I found a very easy way to install the STL extension. I am going to export my file as a STL.

What is next??  ( I presume it would be sticking the file into my, as yet, un purchased 3D printer??? thanks for all the help   rich

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## joeg1717

I could never get the hang of SkechUp.  Not quite sure why though.  Check out DesignSpark Mechanical.  It is free and powerful.  If you are looking to spend a few bucks ($295) I would recommend a look at MoI (Moment of Inspiration)v3.  it has a full working trial mode.

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## truly_bent

I already pointed you to Blender, which has all the power you need and is free to boot. The only downside to Blender may be the interface, which, i'll admit, is unique and takes time to master. I'm currently studying the Blender gaming engine and its python scripting interface for an industrial automation simulation project i have in mind. The point being that, once you get past the basics, it's a program that can take you pretty much anywhere you want to go. Working with meshes (STL files) is just scratching the surface. Here's a quick tutorial from the Shapeways site on exporting STL files from Blender.

(Edit: Okay, he's stuck on Sketchup now so i'll stop proselytizing about Blender)

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## Mjolinor

You now need to import it to a slicer to make it into "Gcode". That file will be in a form that most 3d printers can handle but it does vary somewhat depending on what oyu buy.

You should try and learn Blender, it's a bit hard to learn but very capable.

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## richg99

Will Blender do the Gcode slicer operation?? Can I import my stl files from Sketchup into blender, or do I start over?.   No problem if that is the best way.  Just learning here.   Rich 

p.s. If a STL file is OK..what do I use to do the gcode and slicing?   thanks again...

p.p.s.  The main reason I jumped on Sketchup is that I had a couple of hours on it a few years ago. It was amazing how some of that came back quickly.

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## beerdart

Post your rudder .skp ill take a look and print it.

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## richg99

Thanks, beerdart...but...as I said above,  my present model is just a guesstimate as to what I really need. 

The original is still at the grandkids' house. I should get it in a day or two.

Then, I'll recreate it with proper dimensions and will be VERY happy to post it up.  Thanks for all of the help.  rich

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## beerdart

The slicer is separate from your CAD program and it slices your model into slices/layers tool paths for your printer to follow. Popular slicers are Cura Slic3r and Simplify3D. If you want to see your g-code tool-path after slice up load to http://gcode.ws/

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## Mjolinor

Download Cura and take a look. I am not saying it is the best slicer for your needs but it is probably the easiest to have a look at to start with.

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## richg99

Downloaded Cura. and opened my file. Sliced it with Cura, and saved the gcode file. 

I told the program that I had a Ultimaker 2, just so it would do something. I presume, from reading the Cura and U2 manuals, that I would now save that file to a SD chip, and put it into the machine and hope for the best.    Sounds pretty straight forward, so far.   

The resolution that I've seen on some of the sites appears pretty grainy. Is that what you get?    Rich

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## Mjolinor

Absolutely it is until you have got to know your printer.  :Smile: 

Seriously though there are a lot of ways you can make it better such as sanding or acetone but basically it  all depends how much work you want to put into it after it is printed. I tend to not bother, as long as it does the job I need it for then I leave it alone.

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## richg99

Going to  a new Makerspace (Spring/The Woodlands, TX-USA) tomorrow to learn more. Glad I found this site. Thanks for all of the help so far.   rich

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## garyinco

> Going to  a new Makerspace (Spring/The Woodlands, TX-USA) tomorrow to learn more. Glad I found this site. Thanks for all of the help so far.   rich


I'm not a fan of SketchUp, just not my thing. To me, Blender seems better suited to art forms than precise mechanical objects. A prop is about as precise as you can get. The pitch varies across the length of the blades, unless this is some $10 toy from a convenience store. I know I couldn't even begin to recreate a propellor. ViaCad is a low cost CAD program. I believe they still have a trial version available. The math oriented kid(s) will gravitate toward that, and grab the free version of Blender for the artsy type(s). All will learn important modeling skills and having the printer will be the motivator. And you will thoroughly enjoy having a hobby to really bond with them on.

Buy a different RC vehicle. Go to a hobby shop and tap the experience of people who know what they're talking about. They won't recommend items they can't get parts for. And the object will be functional for more than an hour. Sic(sp?) the kiddos on thingiverse dot com. They will find all kinds of things they want to make. Modeling their own can come a little later.

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