Add a part and navigate the 3D viewport in Netfabb

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In Netfabb, you can add a sample part from the part library, or you can load an actual part in a wide variety of supported formats.

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Once the part is added to your workspace,

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there are multiple options for viewing and manipulating the part within the 3D viewport.

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You can add parts to your workspace in one of two ways;

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through the parts library, where you can access sample parts,

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or by importing a part of your choosing.

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First, add a part using the Parts library.

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On the Home tab, Add parts panel, click Parts library.

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Here, you can select a sample part from Primitive, Design, Mathematical, and Quality parts.

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In this case, within Primitive, select Torus.

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The part loads in the viewport, and its attributes display in the Context view,

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where you can adjust the settings, such as color or radius.

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Once you have finalized the settings, click Generate Part to open it in the 3D viewport.

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You can navigate the 3D viewport in several ways.

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First, use the ViewCube to adjust your view by clicking on a face, edge, or corner, or by dragging the ViewCube.

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In the workspace, drag with the right mouse button to orient the view, or with the middle button to pan the view.

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You can also use the scroll button on your mouse to zoom in and out;

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or in the case of a large view, press F for focus to quickly zoom into and orient around your part.

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To reposition the part, click and drag it in the view area.

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Alternatively, you can use the manipulators provided in the gizmo.

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Here, the arrows allow you to move the part along each axis.

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Rotate the part by clicking a corner of the box that surrounds the part,

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and then use your cursor to adjust the rotation;

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or, use the gizmo by clicking and dragging one of the manipulators to rotate the part around the respective axis.

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Additionally, you can press X or Y to rotate the part in that axis by 45 degrees.

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For more accurate movement, from the Arrange panel, click Move,

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or press S to open the Search dialog, where you can search for and select move.

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Here, you can also Pin the command to the Search ribbon for quick access.

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With the Move command selected, the Context view updates,

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and you can select from more precise movements.

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For example, you can move the part To platform center or type in a precise Translation,

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such as 4 mm, in the X axis.

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Additionally, switch to the Rotate or Scale tabs to set specific values.

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Click Close to end the Move command.

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To remove a part, you can right-click the part and select Remove, or, in the Project Tree, select the part, double-click Remove,

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and then click Yes to confirm.

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To load a complete part, from the Add parts panel, click Add part.

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In the Add parts dialog, expand the file type drop-down to see the wide range of formats supported by Netfabb.

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This includes STL files for mesh-based models, as well as all of the common CAD formats.

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If you import a CAD file, Netfabb keeps a 3D representation in the background as a reference during the design process.

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Once you have selected your part, click Open.

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Here, a dialog displays allowing you to set the level of detail in the tessellation process for your part.

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In this case, select Medium accuracy, and then click OK.

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The Import parts dialog displays part information, including the quantity, part size, triangle count, and quality.

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Also, a checkmark indicates that there are no errors that require repair.

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Click Add parts to generate the part in the viewport.

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To display the triangle mesh on the part, from the main menu, select View > Highlight Triangles .

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Zoom in on the part, and you can see that the resolution is not ideal.

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Select Modify > Tessellation > Retessellate model, select High accuracy, and then click Retessellate.

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The model updates with more triangles, which will result in a more accurately printed part.