Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019 Free Download
Autodesk® Netfabb® is a software application tailored for additive manufacturing in various methods. With it, you can repair, arrange, orient, and prepare three-dimensional files, be they tessellated (triangle mesh) or parametric (CAD), and produce slice and print data. To help with these tasks, Netfabb provides tools and functions for viewing, editing, repairing, supporting, and analyzing three-dimensional mesh files or slice-based files in various formats.
Typical application scenarios
- Load a file of one format, mesh or parametric, and export it in another format
- Repair broken mesh
- Rotate and arrange multiple parts on the build platform, manually or automatically for optimized use of space and printing time
- Hollow solid parts
- Measure geometric properties
- Generate volume or surface lattice
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Simulate and optimize solid parts and lattices
- Slice volumetric parts and generate exposure path and data for contours, infill, and hatching
- Generate build files in CLI, image stacks, and selected machine-specific formats
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Generate support structures
- Correctively deform part shapes
- Optimize support structures
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Simulate thermo-mechanical conditions during metal-additive manufacturing
Feature comparison
Netfabb is available in three subscriptions, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate. Additionally, if any of the respective installations are run without a license, or are run past their trial periods, they fall back to the free, reduced-set, Netfabb Basic.
Note: The listed features are all cumulative towards Netfabb Ultimate.
| Netfabb Basic | Netfabb Standard | Netfabb Premium | Netfabb Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File handling | Import and export mesh files | Import and export CAD files | ||
| Mesh editing | Edit and repair meshes | Preserve parametric information from CAD files wherever possible and/or applicable | ||
| Machine-specific slicing | Generate buildfiles for various resin photopolymerisation and selected polymer powderbed machines | Generate buildfiles for additional binder-jetting, laser-sintering, and resin photopolymerisation machines | Generate buildfiles for a large range of metal powderbed machines | |
| Define and apply custom toolpath strategies from toolpath-generating functions | ||||
| Machine-agnostic slicing | Read and view slice information | Freely generate and process machine-agnostic slicing information with contour and hatching paths, optionally assign exposure parameters, and export to formats like CLI and PNG | Apply custom toolpath generators (“EBPA”, “Encrypted Buildstyle Post-processing Archive”) | |
| Develop and administrate EBPAs | ||||
| Support structure generation | Generate support structures as permitted by selected machine | Generate support structures without machine limitations | Generate lattice-based volume support and optimize it though simulation | |
| Latticing | Use latticing with certain machines | Use latticing without machine restriction | Use unrestricted, adaptive volume and surface latticing, define your own lattice topologies and transitions | |
| Simulation and iterative optimization | Perform iterative topology and lattice topology optimization, and limited thermo-mechanical simulation of metal powderbed fusion processes | |||
| Automation |  Use Lua automation in machine-agnostic slicing | Automate Netfabb via Lua scriptingUse Lua functions to accept and execute tasks from a network-residing task server, and return task results to it; also, host a task server | ||
| Online collaboration | Host “local cloud” network storage |
An additional, separate product, Autodesk® Netfabb® Local Simulation, provides unlimited thermo-mechanical simulation of metal powderbed fusion processes.
About the Netfabb Utilities:
Netfabb is delivered with multiple utilities aimed at getting your product from design to manufacture. The utilities are accessed from the System menu.
The utilities are only available in the Ultimate subscription.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Optimization Utility
Optimization Utility is used to enhance 3D parts using lattice optimization and topology optimization.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Simulation Utility
Simulation Utility is the graphical user interface for the nonlinear finite-element thermo-mechanical solvers for additive manufacturing processes available in the Netfabb ecosystem.
Simulation Utility comes in two flavors: Autodesk® Simulation Utility LT for Netfabb®, which is included with Netfabb to prepare for, and access, solving on a limited local solver, and Simulation Utility itself, which is bundled with the separate product Autodesk® Netfabb® Local Simulation.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Advanced Toolpath Utility
Advanced Toolpath Utility is a development environment based upon a generic driver platform for additive manufacturing machines, which is used by Netfabb to generate machine-specific build data.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Lattice Topology Utility
Lattice Topology Utility is a tool to define your own unit topologies for import into Optimization Utility.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Setting up Netfabb and finding the right topics in the online help to assist along the way
While Netfabb can accompany the complete workflow from taking your 3D parts to generating toolpath information for a majority of applications, you can decide to make use of only parts of that workflow if you don’t need all of it, or if the data you have available is suitable to skipping steps. For example, you can just load a file, perform a bit of repair, and save it as a mesh file without proceeding to orientation, arrangement, toolpath generation, and so on.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Terminology
3D objects are traditionally referred to as parts in Netfabb.
Groups of contiguous triangles within a part are called shells. In the simplest case, a part contains just a single shell that makes up the entire part. Shells can be closed (having a volume) or open, in which case its open borders form holes which may or may not need repair.
A set of slices that make up contours and/or filling lines from bottom to top is a slice stack.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Finding where everything sits
For getting to know the window elements and to learn how Netfabb handles commands like copy&paste, have a look at the sections Netfabb’s window and File handling. There, you’ll learn among other things:
- Objects in the 3D view are represented in the project tree.
- The various sections in the Netfabb are referred to as views. You’ll also learn which views there are.
- Mesh and parametric (or CAD) files are handled slightly differently: While the parametric nature is maintained, Netfabb almost always uses a mesh representation (its “tessellation”) for its various functions, but you can choose to work with different tessellations for different functions.
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Netfabb has its own project file format, storing loaded parts, slice stacks, parametric attachments like support structures, certain parameters, and other things.
- There is a built-in library of geometric, design, and quality control models.
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Going about solving tasks
Due to the very individual and varied nature of both input and output data Netfabb can address, it is generally more a toolbox than a software of step-by-step wizards. While it comes with defaults, you should prepare to bring most knowledge regarding the process you are about to engage with yourself to get the best results. For example, while Netfabb can find orientations for a particular models based on a set of criteria like build height or support volume, you must decide yourself which criteria are more important than others.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Typical tasks and recommended approaches
Note: Not all tasks can be addressed in all subscriptions.
Changing the shape of parts
- To simply split parts, use cutting. You can cut with a plane or a polygonal stencil.
- To produce the unification, intersection, or subtraction from parts, use the Boolean functions. This requires all involved parts to be sound.Alternatively, if you need a more granular control, or if the involved parts are faulty, you can first merge all parts into one, then use repair to split off self-intersections, delete all unwanted sections (shells) created this way, and stitch the remaining shells together. For the latter method, it can help applying the repair after splitting self-intersections, splitting the part’s shells into separate parts, sorting the shells into groups, and then merging the wanted parts back into one before repairing and stitching.
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- To correctively distort a part against powderbed laser overpenetration, use Z-compensation. You can also do this during repair and even on the slice level.
Note: Changing the shape of parts almost always requires them to be meshes, not parametric (CAD) parts. Exceptions include simply scaling a part. Changing a parametric part on the mesh level always finalizes the tessellation and destroys the parametric information. However, such operations always generate a new part anyway, and you are always asked what to do with the old part, keep or delete.
Buildfile generation
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Is your machine natively supported by Netfabb? Check the availability reference. If yes, use a machine workspace. If no, use slicing.
- Do the available toolpath-generating strategies produce the required results out of the box? If no, customize the strategy, or replicate the strategy steps manually in slicing, or develop the strategy entirely yourself.
- Some machines, typically those using resin photopolymerization, use fixed methods to generate buildfiles. If those aren’t producing the results you need or expect, or if you require more or different options to configure the buildfile generation, you may need to ask Autodesk or the respective machine manufacturer for assistance.
Toolpath strategy development
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Toolpath strategy development largely covers vector-based toolpathing, although image stack generation can be addressed, too.
- Netfabb native toolpathing is defined using either XML or a proprietary format called Encrypted Build Processor Archive, or EBPA.
- For use in machine workspaces, you can develop the XML definition using the built-in text editor or visual programming.
- For use in slicing, you can develop a similar definition using Lua.
- For both machine workspaces and slicing, develop EBPAs in JavaScript using Autodesk® Advanced Toolpath Utility for Netfabb®.
About Netfabb’s window:
What is it?
Netfabb’s window is where you work on parts and prepare them for additive manufacturing.
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
What are its key features?
- Is fully controlled with mouse and keyboard (includes support for 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse®)
- Manages objects directly in a 3D view as well as in listing-based views
- Is assembled from panes (frames, views), that you can rearrange and detach, useful for multi-monitor workplaces
- Comes in three default layouts
- Position and layout is stored between launches
- Is compatible with large resolutions
Provides a function to search and execute commands from almost anywhere
How do I access Netfabb’s functions?
Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
You access Netfabb’s functions through several of ways:
- Clicks and drag&drop: Click buttons, select objects, drag and drop to move, rotate, reorder objects, change the 3D view perspective, and more.
- Main menu: The main menu near the top of Netfabb’s window holds most of the functions. When appropriate, it changes the contents to provide you with the functions that you need for what you are currently doing.The Home tab collates the items used most often during preparation.You can even create your own tab in the main menu with the commands you need.
- Command search: Most commands sorted into the various main menu categories are accessible through a common search function: Open the search dialog, begin typing the name of the command, or a word likely to be contained in the command’s name, and the search narrows down the possible matches as you type. Then select the command so found to execute it right there.Find the right command with just a few keystrokes.
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Context menus: Right-click an object. This opens its context menu if it has one, listing the functions available and sensible for the object. Both 3D objects and objects in lists usually have context menus.
- Context view: The context view changes based on the currently selected function to provide additional information and controls.
- Additional views: More views provide specialized information and controls when the context view isn’t sufficient. Some of them come loaded in the default layouts, others you can switch on yourself or are switched on as needed.
- Dialogs: Some functions require input that they do not request in the context view. These functions open dialogs in front of Netfabb that take the focus away from the main window until you finish or cancel the respective function.
- Function-specific menus: Some functions take over the main menu, the 3D view, and the context view whenever a more specialized access to a part is required. For example, mesh repair does this.
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
- Keyboard shortcuts: Call functions from the push of a button
- Automation: In Netfabb Ultimate, many functions are available for running directly through Lua scripting. To a lesser extent of automation, and available at lower subscriptions, too, you can configure and chain steps of repair and support generation and have them run on demand.
- Autodesk Netfabb Standard 2019
Topics in this section
- To select parts
Pick parts to work on them - About undo & redo
Quick function to take the latest changes back or to perform them after all - About copy & paste
Create duplicates of parts and slices quickly and easily - About the project tree
A hierarchical display of a project’s contents - About groups
Groups help with organizing a project - About the display
Shows 3D objects and slices - About the display color
Visual aid to tell separate parts from each other - Working with the clip planes
Viewing a part in sections along the cardinal axes or a custom axis, and setting up plane cuts - About the brush tool
Select triangles within a circular area around the mouse pointer - About no-build zones
Volumes on the build platform that mustn’t be occupied by parts - To adjust the window layout
Rearrange or detach the views that make up Netfabb’s window to suit your space and display preferences - To configure a custom menu
Add and adjust your own tab of commands in the main menu - Working with the menu search Finding and running menu commands quickly without needing to navigate to where they are in the current menu
- About managing command settings
Creating and using presets for command parameters - About modules
Functions of Netfabb that concentrate on individual parts with a special mode - Keyboard shortcut reference
Keys available for performing functions in Netfabb with a single keystroke - Views reference
About the various panes that available to make up Netfabb’s main window
